AARP Hearing Center
Think Blake Shelton or Kevin Costner Is Really Messaging You? Think Again
Criminals are using AI to impersonate celebrities — from Jennifer Aniston to Bill Gates — and steal fans' savings
Illustration: Patrick Leger
About Celebrity Impersonation Scams
Signs to Watch For
- Someone claiming to be a celebrity or manager responds to your social media post and asks to move your conversation to a private messaging app.
- A celebrity appears to be endorsing a product or sure-bet investment in an online video.
How to Protect Yourself
- Be skeptical of any direct message from a celebrity and be aware that video endorsements could be deepfakes.
- Never send cash, gift cards, wire transfers or cryptocurrency to someone you have not met.
Get Help
- Report celebrity impersonators to the social media platform or the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center. Call the free AARP Fraud Watch Network Helpline at 877-908-3360 for support and guidance.
Country superstar Blake Shelton is so ruggedly handsome that People magazine once proclaimed him the “Sexiest Man Alive.” When J.R., a woman in her 60s in Alabama, heard she could enter a $1 million contest to be chosen the Grammy-winning singer’s fan of the year a few years ago, she decided to enter. To do so, she was told she needed to make three payments totaling $17,500 through wire transfers, which she did. But it was all a scam.
Shelton’s manager was not communicating with J.R. There was no $1 million contest. Shelton, who’s known across musical genres after more than 20 seasons as a coach on NBC’s The Voice, is among a cavalcade of performers who have publicly condemned the criminals who hijack their names for profit.
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Victims’ losses can be significant. Impostor scams, which include criminals posing as celebrities, but more commonly as government agencies, banks or a friend or family member, were among the top fraud complaints to the Federal Trade Commission in 2025, with reported losses of $3.5 billion (up from $2.9 billion the year before). And remember that fraud is known to be vastly underreported, so that’s likely only a fraction of the actual amount stolen.
What celebrity impostor scams look like
1. Friendship or romance scams
The scammer sees a fan’s post on a celebrity’s social media feed, then reaches out pretending to be either the celebrity or their manager. They might express gratitude for the fan’s support and suggest moving the chat to WhatsApp. Eventually, there will be an appeal for money — maybe you need to pay for VIP access to the celebrity. Maybe they have a charity they’d love you to support, or a great investment opportunity.
If there’s a romantic angle, they’ll use the romance scam playbook, including a quick move toward lavish compliments and affection (love bombing).
The AARP Fraud Watch Network Helpline (877-908-3360) has recently received many reports of scammers impersonating Kevin Costner, Trace Adkins, Sandra Bullock, The Rock, Reese Witherspoon, Reba McEntire and Tom Brady, among many others.
Earlier this year, Witherspoon posted a TikTok video warning her followers: “There are multiple people on TikTok and Instagram impersonating me, and they go into people’s DMs, and they try to build a relationship, they try to extract personal information, plan meetup times,” she said. “So please be careful out there, and please know, I would never, never reach out to you to manipulate you or take anything from you.”
2. Fake endorsements
AI has enabled criminals to use celebrities’ images to create deepfake videos that appear to be endorsements. They’ve included a faked Elon Musk touting crypto investments, Bill Gates describing bogus Alzheimer’s cures and the judges from Shark Tank appearing to promote keto gummies.
How to protect yourself
1. Know the red flags for scams. A big one: Scammers will ask you to move the conversation from Facebook or Instagram to a private platform like WhatsApp. They will likely message frequently and try to advance the relationship quickly.
2. Think before you post. Because any comments on a celebrity’s social media account are public, bad actors often reach out to fans who have posted and pretend to be the actual celebrity.
3. Be skeptical. Remember that a genuine VIP won’t send you a private message to solicit funds (or, realistically, to be your friend). “Enjoy your celebrity crushes — we all have them. Just be careful when any ‘celebrity’ says they need your help," says Amy Nofziger, senior director of victim support for the AARP Fraud Watch Network.
4. Research charities. If a celebrity asks you to donate, do research first. It should be a tax-exempt 501(c)3 organization, says Nofziger. Avoid charity scams by vetting nonprofits on a site such as the Better Business Bureau’s Wise Giving Alliance, Charity Navigator or CharityWatch. If you give, give directly to the charity through the legitimate site, not a link given to you.
5. Slow down. Before you send money, talk with someone you trust.
6. Never send cash, gift cards, wire transfers, cryptocurrency or other hard-to-trace forms of payment to someone you don’t genuinely know or haven’t met.
7. Keep your personal information private. Never share bank details or other financial information.
What to do if you’ve been targeted
Contact your bank to let them know about the incident and ask if they can stop payment on any money sent to scammers. Report celebrity scams to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3). Report online celebrity impostors to the relevant social media network. Facebook, X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram have procedures to eliminate bogus accounts.
For support and guidance, the trained fraud specialists at the free AARP Fraud Watch Network Helpline, 877-908-3360, can share information on what to do next and how to avoid future scams. The AARP Fraud Watch Network also offers online group support sessions.
The key takeaways were created with the assistance of generative AI. An AARP editor reviewed and refined the content for accuracy and clarity.
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