Helen Mirren reveals she has been targeted by scammers who used her name to front a false charity as she urges her followers to 'keep alert'

Daily Mail​

5 days ago

Dame Helen Mirren has revealed that she has been targeted by scammers who used her name to front a false charity.
The actress, 79, urged her fans to 'keep alert' as she posted to her Instagram on Tuesday.
She explained that a mystery scammer was sending out messages supposedly from her asking for large sums of money.
She penned on her social media: 'SCAM ALERT! Person(s) unknown have used my name to front a false charity, which is sending out messages from me, offering a large sum of money and asking you to respond to [e-mail].
'THIS IS NOT ME and it is not my email address, please beware and do not respond, this is a scam.
'The original message came from [e-mail] and referred to a genuine charity Look For The Stars to claim authenticity. Please keep alert - Many thanks Helen.'
It comes six years after Helen was left feeling 'mortified and humiliated' after being duped by a scam which saw her send money in return for a mystery 'prize'.
At the time the London -born Oscar winner's was promoting her film, The Good Liar, which saw her taken on the role of a rich widow targeted by an unscrupulous conman, played by Sir Ian McKellen.
During an interview on BBC Radio 4's Woman's Hour, host Jane Garvey suggested the actress would be 'far too savvy' to be scammed herself.
But Dame Helen took her and listeners by surprise when she revealed she did once fall prey to a con artist in the US.
'I was scammed,' she said. 'I was so embarrassed about it and and that's the terrible thing isn't it, when you're scammed you're so mortified that you really don't tell anyone because it's so embarrassing and humiliating.'
Helen explained how she was in America when she received a phone call telling her she had won a prize.
'They did it brilliantly, and I was suspicious,' she recalled. 'They said, "I've got her I've got her," when I picked up the phone, they said, "I've got her, I've got her, we're so excited to tell you you've won this prize!"
She penned on her social media: 'SCAM ALERT! Person(s) unknown have used my name to front a false charity, which is sending out messages from me...'
'I said, "Have I, how?" The only caveat - why didn't I realise? - was, in order to get the prize, I had to send them money.
'And in return they would send - and they did, it wasn't like I didn't get anything - they sent these things, weird things like a 3D camera, I remember and a fake diamond tennis bracelet, just weird things.
'But I was suspicious, and I said, "Where are you phoning from, the company, where is it based?"
'"We're based in New Orleans." I said, "Oh what address?" And they gave me an address, and I said, "Oh that's interesting, because - and it was true - I happen to be coming to New Orleans next week, so I'll pop in and see you," sort of thing. A
'nd they sort of went all a bit pear-shaped when I said that.'
Asked whether she thought the scammers knew she was a famous actress, Helen said no, adding that she could have been 'anyone'.
'I was scammed, definitely,' she concluded.