The scam that cost Linda C.* in Massachusetts nearly $100,000 started on social media and fed on her desire for some excitement in her life.

For Linda, that meant reaching out to the actor James Spader, whom she enjoyed watching on the NBC crime thriller series The Blacklist, on what looked like his Instagram account. To her surprise, “Spader” responded. Over time, they traded emails. Linda, 66, initially sensed red flags, but when the scammer sent her a picture of Spader in jeans and a golf shirt, she believed it was legit, even against her natural skepticism—a state that scam experts call going “under the ether.”

She was on the threshold of a so-called celebrity impostor scam, in which criminals lure victims by setting up fake accounts and impersonating famous actors, authors, business icons and other celebrities on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, X and other social media sites. When fans like Linda reach out or comment on the scammer’s social media posts, the impostors respond, slowly establishing a predatory relationship that includes high-pressure asks for money, often deposited as cryptocurrency.

Over the next year, Linda’s communication with her scammer moved to texts and phone calls, and the asks escalated—including a $10,000 “loan” to pay for a vacation together. Why would a rich and famous actor need a loan? His money was controlled by his management team, the scammer explained.

“He was supposed to come pick me up and go to the airport,” says Linda, who now knows she was talking to a scammer who is likely based overseas. “I was all packed and ready to go. That’s how real I thought this was.”

Amy Nofziger, who directs the victim support hotline at the AARP Fraud Watch Network, says celebrity scams are on the rise; she recently heard from five victims in a single day. Financial losses from these scams can be devastating, but Nofziger says the emotional damage is also painful. She recently talked to a woman whose husband filed divorce papers because he believed he was going to marry Jennifer Aniston.

So why does an implausible scam work so well? “The criminals can tell a believable story that makes the victim feel special,” Nofziger says. “Who doesn’t want to be the person Brad Pitt falls in love with and plucks out of a normal life?”

Experts say artificial intelligence tools help scammers create persuasive celebrity photos and videos. In response to an AARP inquiry, the FBI said the best way to avoid being scammed is: “Do not send money, gift cards, cryptocurrency or other assets to anyone you solely met online or on the phone.”

Some learn that too late. Debi L., 69, who lives in Louisiana, lost at least $11,000 to a Bob Dylan impostor, and she says she isn’t even much of a fan. Debi responded to a fake social media post about the Dylan biopic A Complete Unknown and came to believe Dylan was in love with her. Looking back, Debi says she was taken in by the idea that her life was becoming exciting and uncommon. “You know, it was an adventure,” she says.

Actors who have been impersonated in scams, including Kevin Costner and Pitt, have released statements and warnings informing their fans that they will never ask them for money. Matthew Hiltzik, Pitt’s publicist, says it is extremely rare for celebrities to reach out to fans. Any outreach should be considered a scam attempt. “The assumption should be that any celebrity text or direct message is not real,” Hiltzik says.

LaQuishe “Q” Wright, a social media strategist whose clients include the actors Channing Tatum and Zac Efron, says taking down impostor social media accounts is now a large part of her job. She blocks scammers and reports fake profiles to social media platforms, but new fakes always appear.

Tech companies are having some success battling impostors. Luke Arrigoni is a cofounder of Loti AI, a technology company specializing in deepfake detection that flags and removes fake celebrity profiles. The country music artist Lainey Wilson is a client, and Arrigoni says Loti has taken down nearly 8,000 fake Wilson accounts.

But for now, impostors are winning.

Becky R. in Virginia is struggling to help her 71-year-old sister, who continues to be taken in by a scammer impersonating the Scottish actor Sam Heughan, known for his role in the time-travel TV series Outlander. Becky’s sister, who lives in Tennessee, relies on Social Security for her living expenses, and Becky has no idea how much money has been lost to scammers. She worries the situation will end with her sister penniless and in crisis.

“We’ve been telling her from the get-go that it’s a scam,” says Becky. “And she just doesn’t believe us.”