The digital world can be a wild place. With social media, it’s become easier for scammers to impersonate celebrities and trick fans out of their money. Many people have fallen victim to online scams, losing cash and personal data. On that same note, recently, golfers in Tiger Woods’s TGL team have taken to social media to warn about a surge in fake accounts impersonating them.
In their latest Instagram story, TGL’s LAGC team revealed something scary and warned fans about an impersonator account that’s falsely messaging people about giveaway prizes. “We’ve been alerted that an impersonator account is falsely messaging people about giveaway prizes. These messages are not from us,” the warning read.
All official communication will come from the verified channel, with the warning adding, “Please disregard and report the account. All official communication will come from our verified channel.” A user had even received a message congratulating them on winning a giveaway and asking them to complete a mission from a sponsor application to claim the prize, but luckily, the warning was out in time to avoid any potential scams.
But this isn’t the first time it has happened in the golf world. Back in 2022, Paige Spiranac had been dealing with the issue of fake accounts impersonating her online, and she had repeatedly warned her fans about the scams. In a video posted on Instagram, the 29-year-old golf influencer and “Playing A Round” podcast host broke down the red flags to watch out for when it came to suspicious accounts claiming to be her.
“If the message was coming from my verified account, it was me,” Spiranac said, adding that if an account asked for money, gift cards, or a relationship, it was a fake. She also warned her followers to be wary of accounts that insisted on moving conversations to WhatsApp or Google Hangouts, or those that used badly Photoshopped IDs or old pictures to prove their identity.
Spiranac even shared the language used by fake accounts, saying, “If this person calls you dear, honey, handsome, valued friend, valued fan, my fan, it’s not me.” She ended up sharing her actual account handles, earning the nickname “Professor Paige” from her grateful followers. But Spiranac is not the only female golfer who has faced this problem.
Nelly Korda warned her fans about accounts duping her
Earlier this year, Nelly Korda took to social media to sound the alarm about fake accounts impersonating her and trying to scam her fans. “I’ve noticed an increase in fake accounts using my name to try to scam people,” she warned in her latest Instagram post. “Please know I will never ask any of my fans for any money. Any outreach on my behalf is fake and run by scammers.” Korda reassured her followers that she would never engage in direct fan outreach from her accounts, and urged everyone to be vigilant and report any suspicious activity immediately.
Korda emphasized that she only uses her official social media accounts, “@anellykorda (Instagram) and @anellykorda (X), at all times. There are no exceptions. I am not on Tik Tok.” This warning serves as a reminder to always be cautious when interacting with accounts claiming to represent celebrities or public figures. Unfortunately, Korda isn’t the only one to fall victim to this type of scam, as other LPGA Tour stars like Charley Hull and Lexi Thompson have also had fake accounts created in their name. Even big companies like Callaway Golf have fallen prey to online scams, highlighting the importance of verifying authenticity online. So, stay alert and stay safe.
