Woman ‘scammed out of £200 by fake Kevin Costner’ on Facebook
A woman claimed she was scammed by fraudsters pretending to be Hollywood actor Kevin Costner on Facebook.
Eileen Leeks, 63, said she had joined a page dedicated to the Yellowstone star when things took a sinister turn on the social media website.
She received a message claiming that if she purchased Apple vouchers, she would have the opportunity to meet the 69-year-old actor, who she is a big fan of.
Ms Leeks told BBC Radio Suffolk that after being “nagged” she “gave in”.
But then she said the scammers brazenly asked her for more money by pretending she had been conned by someone else, and actually needed to pay £1,000 for a VIP membership card to meet the actor.
“I was getting nagged and then I gave in because they were saying you won’t meet him unless you get the Apple cards, so I bought two at £100 each,” she said.
“I then got a message back saying I had been scammed and [in order to actually meet Mr Costner] I would have to buy a VIP membership card for over £1,000.
“I thought, you’re joking – he’s a millionaire.”
She said the next part of the scam saw her receive a video call from someone who, at first, appeared to be the actor himself.
Ms Leeks, who lives in Felixstowe, Suffolk, and is unemployed, said: “His face was moving and that’s why I thought it was really him. He was sitting in a chair in his office and he was moving.
“He said, ‘This is Kevin Costner and you have been scammed.’
“His ‘management team’ then got hold of me and said it’s not him, and people were using his face and voice to scam people.”
Ms Leeks said she reported the scam - although it is not known whether this was to Mr Costner’s team or Facebook - but even then, the fraudsters did not leave her alone.
They contacted her yet again, offering her a job and a flat in the US.
“I thought, ‘I don’t believe this, what on earth is going on?’” she said.
“If fans think they are going to get a job in America and an apartment and they get all the way over there then they will lose an awful lot.
“I am unemployed and I’ve lost a lot of money, so I am not very happy.”
The Independent has reached out to a representative for Facebook for comment.
