Read the full article on KETV 7
STONE WLWT NEWS FIVE. ALL RIGHT. LINDSAY, PRETTY EXCITING. THANKS SO MUCH. CELEBRITIES ARE AT THE CENTER OF A MULTIBILLION DOLLAR ENTERPRISE. IT’S NOT ENTERTAINMENT, THOUGH. IT’S THE GROWING TREND OF CELEBRITY FRAUD. THAT’S RIGHT. SCAMMERS ARE IMPERSONATING WELL-KNOWN PEOPLE TO TRICK VICTIMS INTO GIVING THEM MONEY. WLWT NEWS FIVE’S BRIAN HAMRICK TAKES A LOOK AT A PROBLEM THAT STRETCHES FROM HOLLYWOOD TO YOUR HOMETOWN. WELL, YOU’LL NEVER HAVE TO GO TO THE THEATER TO CATCH THIS BLOCKBUSTER THAT’S ALREADY RAKED IN ABOUT $5 BILLION. IT’S A SHOW THAT COMES TO YOU WHEN I NEED TO RELAX. I JUST PUT ON SOME TRACKS. THIS IS HOW THE SKILL OF ACTING IS DEVELOPED. SOMETHING ELSE IS GOING ON HERE. PAUL, LISTENING. SPILL. THEATER. THEY’RE REHEARSING FOR AN UPCOMING PERFORMANCE OF LEGALLY BLOND. FROM THIS CD I BOUGHT FOR THE. BUT NOW ACTING IS ENTERING A NEW ARENA. A STAGE OF CONCERN. TAYLOR SWIFT, SABRINA CARPENTER, JOHNNY DEPP ARE THE A-LISTERS OF CELEBRITIES THAT HAVE HAD THEIR IDENTITIES USED WITHOUT PERMISSION BY SCAMMERS. THIS HAPPENS A LOT. THE BAD GUYS, WE CALL THEM BAD ACTORS. THAT IS THE THE TERM THAT’S USED IN THE CYBERSECURITY WORLD FOR PEOPLE THAT ARE GOING TO ATTEMPT TO DO MALICIOUS ACTS. MARK SCHNEIDER IS CIO WITH NEXTGEN IN NEWPORT. THEY TRACK THIS KIND OF ACTIVITY. WE SEE ACTORS ON A STAGE. THIS IS JUST A DIFFERENT STAGE FOR THESE SCAMMERS TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF PEOPLE. YES, YES, THE SCAMMERS WILL GO OUT OF THEIR WAY TO SET UP AN ENVIRONMENT THAT SEEMS FAMILIAR TO THE VICTIM. IT’S NOT A HOLLYWOOD PROBLEM. IT’S HAPPENING RIGHT HERE. I JUST FELL IN LOVE WITH SOMEBODY. I THOUGHT. WAS YOUR MOM. AND IT TURNS OUT IT WASN’T. BUT I FELL HARD. DANA WAS CONNED INTO BELIEVING SHE WAS IN A RELATIONSHIP WITH TV ACTOR SHEMAR MOORE, KNOWN FOR ROLES IN CRIMINAL MINDS, THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS, SWAT. IT WAS A SCAMMER WHO TOOK HER FOR THOUSANDS. SHE EVEN ENDED UP BEING CHARGED BUT ACQUITTED. HOW DID IT EVEN HAPPEN? THE OFFER OF MARRIAGE LIKE I’M 54 AND NOBODY WANTS TO GROW OLD ALONE. SO BASICALLY, I WAS JUST LOOKING FOR LOVE AND GOT DUPED. SHE’S NOT THE ONLY ONE. A NEW REPORT BY SPYKER’S THAT QUANTIFIES THE TREND SAYS $5.3 BILLION WAS LOST TO CELEBRITY SCAMS IN THE U.S. LAST YEAR. IT SAYS 72% OF PEOPLE HERE HAVE SEEN ONE, 10% HAVE LOST MONEY OR DATA. AND WITH AI, ALL YOU NEED TO DO IS CLICK TO COMPLETE EVERYTHING. IT’S ONLY GETTING MORE DIFFICULT. FAKE VIDEOS OF SPORTS STARS LIKE JOE BURROW AND OTHER WELL-KNOWN PEOPLE ARE GETTING HARDER TO DETECT. AND EVEN IF THEY’RE NOT PERFECT, THE AI WILL BE GOOD ENOUGH TO FOOL THE VICTIM. HOW EASY IS IT TO BELIEVE? IT WAS VERY EASY. I MEAN, THIS PERSON HAD A LOT OF MR. MOORE’S INFORMATION, AND SCAMMERS RAMP UP THE USE OF CELEBRITY NAMES TO GET AN AUDIENCE WITH ANYONE WILLING TO TAKE A SEAT IN THEIR THEATER OF DECEPTION. SO IF YOU FIND YOURSELF IN A CONVERSATION WITH A CELEBRITY YOU MET ON SOCIAL MEDIA, YOU’RE PROBABLY ALREADY IN THEIR THEATER. AND REMEMBER, THEY’RE NOT TRYING TO STEAL THE SHOW. THEY’RE TRYING TO STEA
Advertisement
Scammers using fake identities of celebrities to target people worldwide
Scammers are using the identities of well-known celebrities without their permission to trick people into giving them money, with billions lost to these schemes last year.Celebrities like Taylor Swift, Sabrina Carpenter and Johnny Depp have had their identities used by scammers. Mark Schnitter, CIO with Nexigen in Newport, Kentucky, said, “This happens a lot. The bad guys, we call them bad actors. That is the term that’s used in the cybersecurity world for people that are going to attempt to do malicious acts.”Schnitter explained that scammers create environments that seem familiar to victims, making it easy for them to be deceived.It’s happening from Hollywood to your hometown.Dana Kiner, of Cincinnati, was conned into believing she was in a relationship with TV actor Shemar Moore, said, “I just fell in love with somebody I thought was Shemar Moore. It turns out it wasn’t, but I fell hard.” Kiner was taken for thousands and even faced charges, though she was acquitted. She said, “The offer of marriage, like I’m 54 and nobody wants to grow old alone. I was just looking for love and got duped.”A report by Spikerz quantifies the trend, revealing that $5.3 billion was lost to celebrity scams in the U.S. last year. It states that 72% of people have encountered such scams, with 10% losing money or data. The rise of AI technology is making it increasingly difficult to detect fake videos of sports stars like Joe Burrow and other well-known figures. Schnitter said, “The AI will be good enough to fool a victim.”
Scammers are using the identities of well-known celebrities without their permission to trick people into giving them money, with billions lost to these schemes last year.
Celebrities like Taylor Swift, Sabrina Carpenter and Johnny Depp have had their identities used by scammers.
Advertisement
Mark Schnitter, CIO with Nexigen in Newport, Kentucky, said, “This happens a lot. The bad guys, we call them bad actors. That is the term that’s used in the cybersecurity world for people that are going to attempt to do malicious acts.”
Schnitter explained that scammers create environments that seem familiar to victims, making it easy for them to be deceived.
It’s happening from Hollywood to your hometown.
Dana Kiner, of Cincinnati, was conned into believing she was in a relationship with TV actor Shemar Moore, said, “I just fell in love with somebody I thought was Shemar Moore. It turns out it wasn’t, but I fell hard.”
Kiner was taken for thousands and even faced charges, though she was acquitted. She said, “The offer of marriage, like I’m 54 and nobody wants to grow old alone. I was just looking for love and got duped.”
A report by Spikerz quantifies the trend, revealing that $5.3 billion was lost to celebrity scams in the U.S. last year. It states that 72% of people have encountered such scams, with 10% losing money or data.
The rise of AI technology is making it increasingly difficult to detect fake videos of sports stars like Joe Burrow and other well-known figures. Schnitter said, “The AI will be good enough to fool a victim.”
