In an honourable effort to protect his devoted fan base, beloved actor Sam Neill took to social media to issue a stern warning, exposing a cunning scam that is shamelessly using his name and image to deceive people.
In today’s world cyber fraud and online scams are becoming increasingly prevalent, so much so that even celebrities are not immune from falling victim.
When Neill recently found himself at the centre of a troubling scam he decided to take matters into his own hands, taking to Instagram to beat scammers at their own game.
“SCAM! PLEASE IGNORE!!” he began the post.
“This is one of a number of scam accounts on social media pretending to be me. They now start including blue ticks to make them look like a verified account.
“Please note anyone contacting you saying they are me, represent me, are from my management team or similar is a fake! They will start conversations that always end in scamming you out of money. (They’ll also try get you on to other platforms like Skype, WhatsApp etc to continue the conversations).
“PLEASE IGNORE!! And also report to Instagram / Threads / Facebook / Twitter so these fraudsters pages can be shut down.”
As fans shared their appreciation for Neill’s warning, they also extended their sympathy that he had become entangled in the distressing situation.
“There’s only ONE legend,” one fan commented.
“We all must try to not be romance scammed by scoundrels who know how charming you are!”
“Makes me mad your page is being used by scammers, I’ve received a few friend requests or Sam Neil followers …from now on I will report!” another wrote.
“Oh no I’m sorry about that Mr. Neil. I hope that you’re not hacked or anything. Hopefully things will get cleared soon. Stay awesome Mr Neil!”
“So sad that people resort to this kind of idiocy. Sorry it has happened to you.”
Those attempting to impersonate the Jurassic Park star have pretty big shoes to fill given his impressive career that has spanned more than 50 years with prominent roles in both dramas and blockbusters.
Renowned as an “international leading man”, he is widely recognised as one of the most adaptable actors of his generation.
Following his breakthrough performance in the 1977 movie Sleeping Dogs, Neill went on to take on leading roles in films such as My Brilliant Career (1979), Omen III: The Final Conflict (1981), A Cry in the Dark (1988), Dead Calm (1989), The Hunt For Red October (1990), The Piano (1993), and In the Mouth of Madness (1994). Neill gained global acclaim for his portrayal of Dr. Alan Grant in Jurassic Park (1993), a character he reprised in Jurassic Park III (2001) and Jurassic World Dominion (2022).
His impressive achievements in the entertainment industry were recently recognised after he received the highly sought-after Silver Logie for Most Popular Actor, much to his surprise.
Neill received the accolade for his role in the legal drama The Twelve but joked that he believed “there has been a mistake” as he accepted the coveted award.
“I haven’t actually thought of anything to say, but I thought my name was just there to make up the numbers. And, really, I wasn’t… Look, there is so many actors in this show that I am not even sure that I was the main actor or anything like that. It was just… Look, some of them are here and actually quite a lot of them are here … most of us were in the show and I just happened to be there,” he told those in attendance.
“Look, I don’t know why they have given this to me. Maybe it was the wig? Yeah, it was the wig.
“Thank you so much. It is lovely to get another Logie and to be with all of you.”