Stop! Think Celebrity Romance Fraud #FraudFree2026

Stop! Think Celebrity Romance Fraud #FraudFree2026

Good afternoon,

Keanu Reeves, Brad Pitt, Johnny Depp, Kylie Minogue, Susie Dent – you name them, we’ve had a report from a resident of Hampshire and the Isle of Wight who has been groomed into believing they are in a relationship with a famous actor/singer/celebrity.

Please Stop! Think Fraud if you’re contacted by someone purporting to be a celebrity.  Celebrities don’t have time to trawl the internet for new partners – most of them, if they have a social media presence, employ someone to manage their social media accounts – so you’re not even communicating with “the” celebrity.  Please do some initial research.  Search online to establish their net worth – why would they need money from you?   Search online to see if others have reported similar scams.

It might seem exciting, but it’s financially and emotionally devastating.  Forty-four-year-old Lisa form Staffordshire bravely shared her story, believing she was in a relationship with “Bondi Vet Dr Chris Brown” (you may need to sign up for BBC Sounds to listen if you don’t already have an account): https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p0mjfgc3

Please do share this important update with friends and family and encourage them to sign up for their own Hampshire Alert: https://www.hampshirealert.co.uk/ 

Hampshire Alerts is not a crime reporting portal – please do not report crime here.

If you realise you’ve been defrauded and wish to report a fraud that has already happened, please report it to Report Fraud either by phone 0300 123 2040 or online at: https://www.reportfraud.police.uk/ 

However, if a fraud or other crime is in progress, and/or you are in fear for yourself or someone else, and/or there is evidence in situ that could be damaged/destroyed, please phone 999 immediately. 

Otherwise, report non-fraud crime online, or find out about other ways to report a crime at: https://www.hampshire.police.uk/ro/report/ocr/af/how-to-report-a-crime/

If you would like to report a crime anonymously, please contact: https://crimestoppers-uk.org/ or phone 0800 555 111

If you've been affected by a crime please contact Victim Care Hub for free, confidential, support:  https://www.hampshireiowvictimcare.co.uk/  or phone 0808 178 1641

If you’ve received a phishing email please report it to your email provider and/or forward it to report@phishing.gov.uk 

If you’ve received unwanted phone calls or texts from people you think are trying to scam you, but you haven’t engaged with them, please forward the text/phone number to 7726 or your phone provider.

Thank you – Fraud Safeguarding Team