Scammer assumes ‘Outlander’ star Sam Heughan's identity to ask for 'donation'

“Outlander” fans need to be careful, as scammers are using fake social media accounts to impersonate Sam Heughan (Jamie) to make people part with their hard-earned money. The money is being asked in the name of a non-existent event for My Peak Challenge, an initiative by Heughan.

It’s always a great feeling when a fan is approached by his/her favourite movie/TV star. But when the actor asks for money, it starts to sound suspicious. That is exactly what happened recently. Creating a fake account and going after gullible people is very easy. But thanks to the vibrant fan base of the "Outlander" TV series, the fraud was detected quickly.

A post on Twitter shows a typical interaction between a Heughan impersonator and a fan of the show. The scammer was asking for a donation for a My Peak Challenge event. The astute fan, however, was able to see through the scam and told the actor about it.

The cast members of “Outlander” are highly active online, interacting with fans as much as possible during their free time. The actors have also been using their fame to help spread awareness and support social causes. Caitriona Balfe (Claire), for example, has been lending support to help children with cancer in developing countries. The scammers are taking advantage of this and attempting to make some quick money.

Heughan has taken this problem seriously and has asked fans to share fake messages with him personally online, with a screenshot of the interaction. Heughan’s lawyer and Facebook are looking into the scam, the actor said.

Fans who wish to stay connected to the stars should check Twitter, where both Heughan and Balfe are active; the two even get into hilarious banter. One way to ascertain the authenticity of the account is to check for the blue tick at the end of the actor’s name, which indicates that it is a verified account.

Credit: Caitriona Balfe/ Twitter