t always starts with a friend request that feels almost too good to be true. A familiar face. A celebrity crush. A star you’ve watched on TV for years suddenly sliding into your inbox like it’s the most natural thing in the world.
That’s exactly what happened to my elderly neighbor, who became convinced she was chatting privately with actors Jay Harrington and Shemar Moore from “S.W.A.T.” The accounts had both of their photos and bios that matched Wikipedia, and just enough charm to feel authentic. She was thrilled — and honestly, she wanted to believe. “Jay” told her he wanted a real connection away from Hollywood. But then the requests started: a little money to “help him out,” promises that they’d meet if she kept things quiet.
It wasn’t Jay Harrington or Shemar Moore. It was a catfisher. These kinds of scams are prevalent everywhere.
The Celebrity Catfish Problem
Scammers have turned platforms like Facebook into their hunting grounds, impersonating celebrities like Shemar Moore, Idris Elba, Taraji P. Henson, and Nia Long to target unsuspecting fans. The playbook is predictable: flattering messages, love-bombing, quick invitations to switch to WhatsApp, and eventually — requests for money or gift cards.
Black celebrities in particular are often used in these scams, especially to prey on older Black and Filipino women. It works because these figures feel like family after decades on TV and film. The scammers know this cultural trust makes the lie easier to swallow.
What Meta Says They’re Doing About It
A Meta spokesperson told BET:
“Scammers use every avenue available to them to defraud people and constantly adapt to evade enforcement. People who impersonate others on Facebook and Instagram violate our policies, and we remove this content when it’s found. Our work in this area is never done, and we continue to invest in detection technology and work with law enforcement to prosecute scammers.”
Meta says they’ve already removed the fake Jay Harrington accounts flagged to them and are monitoring for new impersonation attempts. The company bans “celeb-bait” ads that use public figures to scam users and has been testing facial recognition tech to detect imposter accounts before they spread.
They’ve also launched initiatives like the Tech Against Scams Coalition (partnering with banks and governments), the FIRE fraud intelligence exchange, and even a Llama Defenders Program to fight scams using AI. On top of that, Meta is working with the FBI’s Level Up program to disrupt scam centers overseas.
But even Meta admits: this is an “adversarial space.” Scammers adapt, shift to other platforms, and often complete fraudulent transactions off Facebook entirely — making it hard for any one company to shut them down completely.
Spotting the Red Flags
Until detection technology fully catches up, the best defense is awareness:
- Private Accounts: Celebs don’t keep “secret” Facebooks just for chatting with fans.
- Love-Bombing: Flattering messages from a stranger using emojis and odd grammar? Fake.
- Money Requests: No real celebrity is asking you for gift cards, wire transfers, or donations through Messenger.
- Off-Platform Push: If they want you to move to WhatsApp or Telegram immediately, it’s a red flag.
A Shared Responsibility
Meta frames scams as a whole-of-society problem: yes, they’re ramping up tech tools, but they argue real deterrence comes from law enforcement cracking down on criminal networks behind these schemes. They’re right about one thing — these scams aren’t just a social media issue. They’re global, organized, and lucrative.
But while governments and platforms hash it out, the burden often falls on everyday people — like my neighbor — to spot the scams before their money or dignity is gone.
The Bottom Line
If you get a message from “Shemar Moore” on Facebook, know this: it’s not Shemar. It’s not Taraji, it’s not Idris, and it sure as hell isn’t Jay Harrington. It’s someone hoping you’ll confuse fantasy for reality long enough to hand over your money.
Celebrities may light up our screens, but they’re not lurking in your Messenger inbox. Stay sharp, double-check, and remember: if it feels too good to be true, it probably is.
