Jeremy Clarkson apologises to Dan Walker over question

We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. More info

Dan Walker, 45, told fans he would “never” write to them asking for money, after he was alerted to the presence of scammers on Instagram who were impersonating him. A horrified Dan even received messages from people checking if their bank details had been safely received. 

He took to Instagram himself via his official account, which has 276,000 followers, to clarify that he was the real Dan Walker – and that any others are imposters.

Raising the alarm, he announced: “Now then… loads of people have been messaging me saying there are some fake accounts around at the moment claiming to be me.

“I got an email today from one fella checking that I had received his bank details!”

He added: “This is my only account on Instagram… I have no separate private account so please just report any rogue messages from anything other than this account to Instagram asap.”

READ NOW: Geena Davis reflects on Bill Murray pulling down her dress on live TV

Scam accounts impersonating celebrities are rife online, with presenter Holly Willoughby and Moneysavingexpert.com founder Martin Lewis being among the famous figures who’ve been affected.

Some fans were even duped by an account purporting to have been run by Meghan Markle and Prince Harry.

One woman also shelled out £800 to an “estate agent”, believing she would be starting a new life abroad with fiery TV chef Gordon Ramsay- who in reality has been happily married to wife Tana for more than 25 years.

Meanwhile, Dan continued: “I would never send you a message asking for money or pictures or anything like that. PLEASE be careful and triple check before you send a message back.”

The Channel 5 News star added a post of himself with his legs outstretched and crossed at the news desk to illustrate his warning.

Frustrated Instagrammers flocked to his page to admit that they’d had similar encounters with scammers, but generally hadn’t been fooled.

@clare161976 lamented: “Would help if social media sites actually did something about it. Constantly reporting accounts and nothing gets done.”

@hoblouise chimed in: “I blocked & reported an account claiming to be your private fan page [as] my gut instinct told me this wasn’t you!

“It’s awful what you have to deal with on social media – there should be laws to stop these horrible fake accounts.”

@emmaballltd directly addressed Dan, exclaiming: “You did follow me a while back and I thought … eh??? He soon got blocked and reported!!”

@phyllisbelfast reminded fellow followers: “Only accounts with a little blue tick are genuine.”

Meanwhile, @sarahjshaw injected some humour into the proceedings, quipping: “You mean I’ve been sending all those nudes to the wrong guy?!”

Thieves in Britain extracted more than £750 million from fraud scams in just a single six month period last year, according to official statistics.

Chloe Roche, who is a fraud team leader at CEL Solicitors, spoke out to warn others about the growing problem.

“[Victims] are already engaged with the high-profile personalities they admire, and scammers try to foster a personal connection before asking for money.

“These people are master manipulators who often put hours, days and even months into nurturing each ‘relationship’,” she explained.

Source: Read Full Article