London screening of 'The Lost City' at Cineworld Leicester Square Featuring: Sandra Bullock Where: London, United Kingdom When: 31 Mar 2022 Credit: Cover Images
Sandra Bullock has warned fans about an online scam in which people attempt to impersonate her.
In a statement issued to “People” on Monday, the Oscar-winning actress urged fans not to interact with anyone who appears to be posing as her on social media.
"Please be aware that I do not participate in any form of social media," she said.
"Any accounts pretending to be me or anyone associated with me are fake accounts and have been created for financial gain or to exploit people around me."
Bullock went on to insist that the issue is of "deep concern" to her and she has asked police officials to investigate.
"My family's safety, as well as the innocent people being taken advantage of, is my deep concern, and there will be a time when I will comment more, but for now our focus is helping law enforcement handle this matter," the 60-year-old added.
Bullock's comments come a day after her sister Gesine Bullock-Prado shared a message via Instagram in which she revealed she is constantly bombarded with imposter accounts on Facebook.
"I spend multiple times a day reporting fakes, dealing with weird & scary emails to my BUSINESS and HOME from men who believe that, through one of these many fake 'me's' they have a relationship with my sister through private messages and off app sites and have been giving (sometimes) THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS to an incredibly famous and successful grown a*sed woman," she wrote.
"These accounts are run by crime rings. They also run fake groups where a fake me posts 'official statements.'"
Gesine asked followers to report and block any fake accounts. She also called on Meta boss Mark Zuckerberg to do more to tackle the issue.
"Strangely, Insta handles these things and even informs me when someone creates an account that may be an imposter. But FB? Same company with same tech? Can't be bothered," the baking instructor shared.
Representatives for Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, have not yet responded to Gesine's complaint.
In January, a French woman hit headlines around the world after she reported being conned out of $850,000 (£695,000) over the course of a year by scammers posing as Brad Pitt.
The 53-year-old handed over her life savings to the fraudsters after she was duped into believing the Hollywood actor was sick in hospital.
Cover Media