A HUGE fan of Kevin Costner was conned by a fraudster who posed as the Hollywood star.
Eileen Leeks, 63, from Felixstowe, Suffolk, was tricked into parting with her hard-earned cash in exchange for meeting the Yellowstone actor.
Earlier this year, she started following a Facebook page which she thought belonged to Costner.
After following she was bombarded with messages that told her she needed to purchase a voucher for £100 if she wanted to meet him in person.
Eileen explained: “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.”
“I then got a message back saying I had been scammed and [in order to actually meet Costner] I would have to buy a VIP membership card for over £1,000.
“I thought you’re joking – he’s a millionaire.”
Celebrities are unwittingly being used in scams and there is no suggestion any of them has any knowledge of people using their names for their own benefit.
The scammers even contacted her via video call with a ‘deepfake’ filter.
Eileen explained that the person on the video looked exactly like Costner.
“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.
By Ed Southgate
A WOMAN catfished by a scammer pretending to be singer Gary Barlow has been offered the chance to meet the real deal.
Janet Smith was convinced she was talking to the Take That star after adding him as a friend on Facebook.
But Janet, 62, got suspicious and “Gary” admitted he was a 24-year-old from Nigeria, declared he loved her and begged for cash.
After speaking out, the real Gary Barlow shared her story on Instagram.
He wrote: “Dear Janet, I’m so sorry to hear this, please come to any show you want and meet me.”
Pizza restaurant worker Janet, of Colchester, Essex, said: “Someone texted to say he’d seen the story — I don’t know how. He hasn’t contacted me directly.”
She said of the scammers: “Elderly people are going to be adding these ‘celebrities’.
“I understand they are poor and have to get money for their family but people might lose a lot of money.
“It’s also giving celebrities a bad name.
“There were 20 Tom Joneses.
“And Michael Barrymore’s been coming up.”
“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.”
But tragically, Elieen’s trouble didn’t stop there.
After reporting the scam, she said she was contacted by the scammers again, but this time they promised her a job and apartment in America.
“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 Sun has contacted representatives for Mr Costner.
