Thanks to his portrayal of the hunky Jamie Fraser in Outlander, actor Sam Heughan has built up quite a loyal fan following.
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However, the actor has recently had to warn fans about one of the downsides of such fame: fake accounts on social media that pretend to be him in order to exploit his supporters. Taking to his Instagram Stories on Monday evening, he urged his three million followers: "Please be careful on social media. So many scammers. I will never reach out or message on Instagram/ Twitter/ WhatsApp/ Google hangout etc. or ask for money."
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He added: "If it's not verified, it's not me (Nor will my agent/assistant/publicist/etc)," followed by a kissing-face emoji.
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It's not clear what prompted the message, but in the past, Sam has been the victim of identity fraud and been forced to release similar statements, reminding fans that he will only ever contact people through his verified accounts.
Back in January of this year, it was reported that fraudsters posing as the Scottish actor had successfully conned female fans out of thousands of pounds. One woman from New York was scammed out of her life savings of £34,000, which she was fooled into believing she was investing in Sam's whisky brand Sassenach Spirits.
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Another woman, a 56-year-old nurse from Florida, handed over £36,500 to a scammer over the period of two years and was convinced she was in a secret relationship with the TV star, while a third Outlander fan revealed that she was also approached by an Instagram user claiming to be the actor but recognised the message was from a fake account.
The scammers managed to convince the women that they were speaking to the actor by using rare or Photoshopped photos. It is not known whether all three women were tricked by the same person.
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