Johnny Depp Breaks His Silence Over Impersonation Scams That Cost His Fans up to $350,000

Recent reports that a “fake” Johnny Depp has been scamming thousands of dollars from unsuspecting fans has drawn a reaction from the real Pirates of the Caribbean star. The news of people losing money to fraudsters impersonating Depp was originally reported at the beginning of December, when it was revealed that the Federal Trade Commission had received hundreds of complaints from people being targeted online. Now, in a note on Instagram, Depp has sent his own message to fans, urging them to be vigilant.

In his message, Depp listed the only social media handles that he uses, and reiterated that he does not offer any kind of paid meetings or memberships, and he does not contact any fans directly via any social media platform. He 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 email accounts impersonating me and members of my team. Today, AI can create the illusion of my 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. We are actively working to combat these illicit schemes.”

Depp ended the message by stating categorically, “Again, neither myself, my team, my agent, nor my family will ever contact you on my behalf asking for money or your personal information.”

The Johnny Depp Impersonation Scam

Scammers impersonating celebrities and asking fans to send them money is sadly nothing new. Opportunists have constantly been preying on unsuspecting internet users, sending unsolicited messages and friend requests, followed by detailed requests for help in financing a project, or offering some kind of meet-and-greet in exchange for a large sum of cash, usually to be made through an online payment transfer.

In recent years, as Depp noted, advances in AI technology have made it sometimes hard to work out what is genuine and what is fake, particularly on social media. From images of celebrities endorsing products, usually with links to malware sites or fake store pages, to deep fake videos, there are many sophisticated ways that scammers can trick trusting fans to part with their money.

A study by cybersecurity company McAfee revealed last year that Johnny Depp was the ninth most-impersonated celebrity in online scams. The list also included Tom Hanks, Scarlett Johansson, Kylie Jenner, and Taylor Swift, who had been used in both images and videos to sell fake products and, in some cases, “wonder drugs.”

In the cast of Johnny Depp, the scammers mostly targeted people over 60 years old, offering personal messages, meetings and more for sums of up to $350,000. Now that Depp has added his own voice to the cause, hopefully the number of those being caught out by such scams will drastically reduce.