Sam Neill's warning to single women
Actor Sam Neill has issued a warning to women everywhere, cautioning them against a devious "online love scam" that is using his name and photo.
The 75-year-old shared the warning to his Instagram followers on Thursday, telling people to be wary of scams that use the promise of romance as a means to rob money from victims in search of companionship.
The post, written on behalf of Sam by his assistant, Lauren, said that scammers having been posing as Sam and contacting fans over social media.
Lauren explained that this was impossible, as the actor does not have a private account and "does not keep secrets" from his social media team.
"Sam has asked me to post on here to share with his followers an idea of the number of fake Sam Neill accounts out there on Instagram," it said.
"The ONLY real Sam Neill account is this one - with the blue verified tick," the message continued.
Included in the post was a screen grab of Sam's Instagram with a red marker circling the star's account and the message, "Warning".
"I’m saddened by the stories I hear every day of people who have fallen victim to these disgraceful, despicable scammers. Their sole purpose is exploiting peoples weaknesses and lonely hearts. It’s shameful and disgusting and both Sam and I are committed to bringing this to light," Lauren continued.
"Please, please check for the blue tick. If the account doesn’t have it, but has Sam’s name, you know it’s a fake."
Lauren explained that the scammers after often pedalling get-rich-quick cryptocurrency schemes, while most of them are offering a romantic relationship.
"He definitely isn't having an online romantic relationship with you," Sam's assistant messaged on behalf of the star.
"That's the trash bag scammer wasting your time, potentially breaking your heart and disappearing with your money!"
Followers were grateful for the warning, with one comment reading, "Please continue to report the fake accounts that contact you. It helps a lot and will continue to make Instagram a safer place for everyone."
Others didn't take the warning too seriously, with many of his followers keen to poke fun at the scammers.
One person said, "Who the hell have I been sending all those nudes to?"
"Wait, you mean the message he sent me asking me to send him bitcoin to be in a Jurassic Park movie wasn't real?" said another, before adding, "Well, this is awkward!"
Image credits: Getty Images