Fan experiences R$1,400 scam from fake Kevin Costner in United Kingdom; understand

A woman says she lost a lot of money after being targeted by fraudsters who were allegedly linked to a famous Hollywood star and his crew. Eileen Leeks, 63, who lives in Felixstowe, Suffolk, UK, told the BBC she had been a fan of Yellowstone actor Kevin Costner for the past two years.

• Fake Online Therapist: The woman who defrauded hundreds of patients in Florida and Tennessee
• Tanzanian artist arrested for burning photo of president: Painter sentenced to two years in jail for cyber harassment and incitement

According to the BBC, a few months ago, she began stalking a Facebook page she believed belonged to the 69-year-old Oscar winner. He said he was inundated with news that he had to buy a £100 voucher to become an official fan. Leakes was told that doing so would give him a chance to meet the actor in person.

“I was upset so I let him because I wasn’t going to meet him until I got the cards, so I bought two for £100 each,” he told the BBC.

Leakes told the station that he had been duped and that he had received a message [para realmente conhecer Costner] I have to buy another VIP membership card for £1,000 (about R$7,000).

– I thought he was joking, he was a millionaire – he told the BBC.

The scam took an even stranger turn when Leakes received a video call from someone she initially believed to be Costner.

– His face moved, so I thought it was really him. He was sitting in a chair in his office and walking around: he said, ‘This is Kevin Costner and you’ve been duped’ – he told the BBC. The cast contacted him and said that the person was not him and that they were scammers using his face and voice to deceive fans.

After reporting the scam, Leakes told the BBC she was contacted again by the fraudsters on a private messaging service, promising her a job and an apartment in the US.

— I thought, ‘I can’t believe this, what’s going on?’ If fans think they can get jobs and apartments in America, they have a lot to lose. “I’m unemployed and I’ve lost a lot of money, so I’m not very happy,” he told the BBC.

The BBC has contacted representatives for Costner.