AG Nessel Warns Consumers About Rise in Celebrity Impersonation Scams

LANSING – Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel is reissuing multiple consumer alerts following an uptick in scams impersonating well-known individuals. Scammers are increasingly impersonating celebrities – like Snoop Dogg, Garth Brooks, Kid Rock— and even military leaders, including former and active 4-star generals, in a variety of schemes designed to steal money from victims.

“While it may be disappointing to hear, you are probably not in a secret, long-distance relationship with Garth Brooks,” Nessel said. “Scammers are constantly coming up with elaborate schemes to steal your money and may be posing as celebrities or public officials. If someone claiming to be Garth or any other famous figure is asking you personally for money, don’t send it. It’s almost certainly a scam.”

The scams vary widely, but commonly schemes reported to the Department of Attorney General include:

• Romance scams: Victims believe they are in an online relationship with well-known individuals that often involve requests for money.
• Cryptocurrency or “pig butchering” scams: Fake cryptocurrency or business investment opportunities endorsed by the celebrity or official.
• Merchandise scams: Consumers are asked to purchase custom or exclusive merchandise from a scammer posing as a well-known individual.

Attorney General Nessel’s romance scams and pig butchering consumer alerts educate residents on common scams found on social media and dating platforms. 

Online romance and pig butchering scams take advantage of people looking for romantic partners on dating sites, apps, or social media. The con artists quickly profess their love for their victims and can claim to be a celebrity, in the military or working abroad to explain why they are unable to meet in person.

In a recent episode of the Pantsuits and Lawsuits podcast, Attorney General Nessel and Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes expose the dangers of “pig butchering” scams that are targeting seniors in their states. They were joined by Alex Juarez and Mark Fetterhoff of AARP to discuss how people can recognize and protect themselves from fraudsters. During the episode, Juarez and Fetterhoff talk about how the AARP’s ElderWatch program offers peer-to-peer counseling for residents with questions about their credit report, finances in general, or who may have recently been the victim of a scam. AARP’s trained volunteers are available to seniors and their families and can be contacted at 800-222-4444 or via email.

To avoid romance and pig butchering scams:  

• Never agree to open a bank account or re-ship goods sent to you.
• Do not send money, prepaid gift cards, wire transfers, or cryptocurrency to someone you met online.
• Communicate only through the specific app and avoid giving out personal phone numbers or email addresses.
• Slow down and talk to someone you trust before responding if someone appears on your social media and rushes you to start a friendship or romance.
• Don’t send money, trade, or invest with a person you have only met online.
• Don’t speak of your financial position or investments with strangers online.
• Don’t share personal information or current financial status with strangers.
• Don’t provide your banking information, social security number, copies of your identification or passport, or any other sensitive information to anyone online or to a site that you cannot verify is authentic.
• Be cautious of individuals who claim to have exclusive investment opportunities and urge you to act fast.

Artificial Intelligence scammers also create realistic deepfake audio and video scams of well-known individuals. Scammers can clone a person’s voice using audio data collected from public social media posts or videos. They can then call victims to impersonate the individual in distress and make urgent demands for money.

To guard against such scams:

• Do not trust caller ID: Scammers can spoof phone numbers to make calls appear legitimate.
• Beware of unusual payment requests: Scammers often demand payment through cryptocurrency, gift cards, or money transfers—methods that are hard to trace or reverse.
• Remember government entities and officials never request payment in gift cards or cryptocurrency.

Attorney General Nessel also notes that scams often share common warning signs, including:

• High-pressure tactics to act immediately.
• Use of fear or enticing offers.
• Demands for sensitive information or unusual payment methods.

To file a complaint with the Department of Attorney General, contact:

Consumer Protection Team
P.O. Box 30213
Lansing, MI 48909
517-335-7599
Fax: 517-241-3771
Toll-free: 877-765-8388
Online complaint form

###