image source, Getty Images
Police say thousands of people have lost money in romance scams using fake celebrity profiles, including James Martin and singer Gary Barlow.
A woman was scammed out of £5,000 in an online scam by a criminal posing as TV chef Mr Martin, police authorities have warned.
The victim believed he was messaging Starr on Facebook and ended up giving him the money as a “loan.”
Nottinghamshire Police said it had received 23 reports of romance scams in the past two months, with the actual figure likely to be much higher.
image source, PA/Take That
The force said it had received 11 calls in August and 12 in September, but the true scale is unknown because many victims are too embarrassed to come forward.
Of the incidents reported, police said three involved celebrity impersonation scams, also known as catfishing.
Another incident involved a vulnerable woman who was believed to have been talking to Il Divo singer Urs Bühler over a two-month period and was forced to buy and transfer Steam gift cards.
And a third woman was tricked into thinking she was communicating with Take That frontman Gary Barlow on TikTok.
She was forced to send explicit images, which led to subsequent blackmail attempts, which she refused.
Nothing further happened, but officers said the incident left her shaken and worried.
“A convincing lie”
Sergeant Tara Clapperton, from the force's anti-fraud team, said the number of victims highlighted how sophisticated romance scams were becoming.
She said: “A lot of people hear about these scams and think, 'I wouldn't fall for something like that.'
“However, these scams are sophisticated, which is why it is so important to be vigilant when communicating with others online.
“It's similar to grooming. Criminals groom their victims and it can be over a fairly long period of time.
“They lie convincingly, meaning the victim thinks they are in love, when in reality they are falling for a scam.”
