Paul O'Grady has issued a warning to his fans over a scam account on social media.
He reminded people to beware as he shared the name of an Instagram account pretending to be him to try and scam people into giving their money. The star shared a screenshot of the account, named 'Paulogrady4027' as he asked people to "block and report" the social media user.
Alongside the screenshotted image, Paul wrote: "Beware of this loser who’s pretending to be me and asking people for money. Report and block it."
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Fans thanked him for the warning and spoke of their own experiences with scammers in the comments. Margaret said: "I've had two pretending to be you Paul. I wind them up saying I'm sending them money then block!"
Shona said: "Reported... probably nothing will get done as have reported numerous accounts for same thing and they're still about. It's disgusting how people can do this." Meanwhile, Adrian said: "What is up with people? Thanks for the information."
Others in the comments reminded each other that the real Paul can be recognised by his 'verified' blue tick next to his Instagram name. The star would also never ask any fans for personal information or request money from them.
What to do if you have been scammed?
The Citizen's Advice website states that if you’ve been scammed, you need to:
- protect yourself from further risks
- check if you can get your money back
- report the scam
If you transferred money to a scammer in the last 24 hours
Tell the police immediately by calling 101.
If you think your account details or PIN have been stolen
Contact your bank immediately so they can protect your account. After you’ve told your bank about the scam, keep an eye on your bank statements and look out for any unusual transactions. Also check your credit score to see if there are applications for credit you don’t recognise.
If you think your password could have been stolen
Change your password as soon as possible. If you’ve used the same password on any other accounts you should change it there too. Make sure you create a strong password – for example, using numbers and special characters. Some sites let you add extra security to your account. This is known as ‘two-factor authentication’.
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