Cyber-security company McAfee noted in a report in October 2024 that Johnny Depp was on a list of top 10 celebrities whose names were most often exploited in online scams. Photo: Johnny Depp/Instagram
Hollywood actor Johnny Depp has alerted his fans to online scammers impersonating him.
Wishing his 28.5 million fans a happy new year on Instagram on Jan 6, the 61-year-old wrote: “Sadly, it has been brought to my attention that online scammers are intensifying their efforts to target my fans and supporters. As part of their tactics, they create multiple, deceptive social media and e-mail accounts impersonating me and members of my team.”
The Pirates Of The Caribbean (2003 to 2017) star cautioned that artificial intelligence can create the illusion of his face and voice. “Scammers may look and sound just like the real me. But, neither I, nor my team, will ask you for money or your personal information,” he wrote.
Depp told his fans that the official accounts on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok are his only accounts, and that he is not on X, Snapchat and Discord.
“I do not offer paid meetings, phone calls, club memberships or fan cards. If you are ever asked for any money for a meeting, call, membership or fan card, it is a scam,” he said.
He added that he does not interact directly with fans on any social media platforms, via email or chat-based platforms such as Telegram, WhatsApp, Signal or Zangi.
Depp’s post came after technology website Gizmodo reported on Dec 4 that the United States Federal Trade Commission has received 197 complaints about scammers posing as the actor over the past year.
“The victims were often targeted first on social media platforms like Facebook before the conversation moved to messaging apps like Telegram, WhatsApp or Zangi,” the website said.
Cyber-security company McAfee noted in a report in October 2024 that Depp was on a list of top 10 celebrities whose names were most often exploited in online scams.
American actress Scarlett Johansson, who plays superhero Black Widow in the Marvel Cinematic Universe films, topped the list.
