A New Carrie Underwood Impersonator Scam Prompts Police Investigation
Police in Synder County, Pennsylvania are now looking into an online scam involving someone claiming to be Grammy-winning artist Carrie Underwood.
According to Fox 56 WOLF and NorthCentralPa.com, a 24-year-old was contacted by an unknown Instagram user who told them they were the "Cry Pretty" singer.
Soon, the scammer began asking the victim for money in the form of gift cards. Believing that he would get to meet Carrie if he complied, the victim sent over $7,188.62 worth of gift cards over the course of several months.
Eventually, the victim realized it was a scam after the person kept requesting more and more gift cards. He reported the incident to police on July 31.
So far, Carrie hasn't spoken out about the scam as police continue to look into the matter.
Online celebrity scams continue to be a big concern. Over the past few years, there has been one popular scam involving celebrities such as Robin Roberts, Savannah Guthrie and Joanna Gaines. For this scheme, fraudsters have used fake ads to convince readers that these celebrities are starting a skincare or beauty brand. The scammers will then try to sell people bogus products.
While it can be tricky to decipher what is real and fake, the GoodHousekeeping Institute has safety tips that can help you when you're shopping online or receive a message from an unknown person. Before you do anything:
Be aware of links and messages coming from an unknown number. Most importantly, you shouldn't ever click on a link sent to you if you don't recognize the number.
Keep your eyes open for bad grammar or frequent typos. Real and distinguished businesses proofread their communications.
Generally, be very careful with your personal info. Always be conservative with what you provide to any website, and make sure that you're entering it through a retailer's website directly.
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