SLAMMED HEuGHAn
Jennifer Hyland Women who were t a r ge t ed by a fraudster pretending to be Sam Heughan have c r i t i c i s e d the actor’s “blasé” response to the scam.
Victims said a social media post by the Outlander star warning fans to beware of fakes did not go far enough.
A con artist posing as Heughan has contacted multiple women across North America and tricked them out of their life savings.
Dumfr ies shi r e - bor n Heughan put the message on the stories section of his official I n s t a g r am accountwhich has 2.7million followers.
Posting on Friday, he wrote: “Please be careful on socia l med ia . So ma ny scammers.
“I will never reach out or message on Instagram, Twitter, WhatsApp, Google Hangout etc or ask for money.”
Alongside a kissing emoji, he added: “If it’s not verified, its not me.”
The actor also posted photos of a number of bogus Instagram accounts using his name and branded them “fake”.
His representatives have not responded to repeated requests for a statement on the issue.
Some of the women who have fallen victim to the fraud said the actor should do more to acknowledge their ordeal and clamp down on con artists.
Laurie, who is from the New England region of the US, was contacted by the s c ammer after she commented c on a post on Heughan’s verified My Peak Challenge Facebook page in i January 2020.
The con artist told her he h was Heughan but was using u the ghost account to interact with fans privately.
She said: “I saw Sam finally added a story on Instagram to warn fans of fake accounts.
“I feel it’s a half- hearted attempt on his part. Rather than adding a story with a kiss emoji, which seems rather patronising, I feel he should be actively saying and doing more to acknowledge the damage these fans have experienced.
“He’s rarely on his ver i f ied Fa c ebook account, leaving it wide open for scammers to just take over and take advantage of his fans’ comments. If he isn’t going to actively manage that page, he should deactivate it.
“He needs to acknowledge all of