LIAM Neeson has become the latest vehicle for celebrity scammers, with online impersonators directly targeting fans.
Recent reports have claimed the Ballymena star has purchased a luxurious New York mansion - the sprawling Migdale Castle.
Located in the affluent village of Millbrook, the 10-bedroom “historic European-Inspired Estate” was originally constructed in 1927 for the daughter of Andrew Carnegie.
Previously listed on sale for between $4-8m, various online reports claim the actor paid as much as $14m.
Whatever the reality, a common feature in the comments sections are multiple replies from ‘Liam Neeson’ eager to chat with fans.
A typical reply reads: “Thank you for your love and support, this is my way of showing that you are not forgotten,” followed by a prompt to message a private Telegram account.
Messaging one of the many Liam Neesons, the Irish News was told: “This is my private account, feel free to text me anytime and I promise to reply you as soon as I can.”
The account went silent when asked what they usually chat to fans about.
Another online profile claims the actor is spending his time in his new residence hoping to get 30,000 followers.
“If you see any impersonators, please report them! We want to keep our space safe and authentic,” one post said.
Mr Neeson’s representatives have been contacted for a response.
Last month, singer Daniel O’Donnell also warned fans that scammers posing as him online in order to steal money are “so convincing”.
'Its so convincing'
— Good Morning Britain (@GMB) December 19, 2024
Daniel O'Donnell is warning fans of a Christmas scam that has been circulating, where fraudsters are impersonating him and promoting fake offers.
These scams falsely claim to offer exclusive Christmas packages and meet-and-greet opportunities. pic.twitter.com/DwzcZfLgx1
Speaking on ITV’s Good Morning Britain, the 63-year-old described fake Facebook accounts asking fans to contact him privately.
“I stress so often, I make videos saying I will not contact you, I will never ask you for money,” he said.
“I don’t charge for meet and greets because I meet people after every show, I don’t charge to send somebody a video.”
The singer also referenced the exact same phrasing as used by the fake Liam Neeson accounts.
“But when you, if you read that, ‘thank you for your love and support’, I would never start a sentence like that, and on the thing last night it has no relation to what the message is.
“It doesn’t connect with what has been said, because it was, ‘we’re coming on to talk about scams’, and then you’re saying ‘thank you for your love and support’, there’s no connection between the two messages.”
In July, the consumer website Money Saving Expert revealed their own founder Martin Lewis was the most commonly impersonated celebrity in 2022/23, followed by Taylor Swift and Elon Musk.
Suggesting criminals were pushing out scam ads on popular figures using their “own in-house dark-web digital marketing teams,” he said: “Topping this list is about the worst compliment I’ve ever had.
“I find it deeply frustrating that after six years of campaigning, having both successfully sued Facebook, and lobbied to get scam adverts covered by the Online Safety Act, the online advertising market is still a wild west. ”