Johnny Depp Speaks Out About Online Scammers Pretending to Be Him After Fan Reportedly Lost $350K in Schemes

Johnny Depp is warning about ongoing social media scams targeting his fan base.

The actor, 61, wished his followers on Instagram a "Happy New Year" on Monday, Jan. 6, while also alerting fans about people impersonating him online and soliciting money.

"Sadly, it has been brought to my attention that online scammers are intensifying their efforts to target my fans and supporters," wrote Depp. "As part of their tactics, they create multiple, deceptive social media and email accounts impersonating me and members of my team."

Depp explained that modern artificial intelligence technology is able to "create the illusion of my face and voice" so the "scammers may look and sound just like the real me."

"But, neither I, nor my team, will ask you for money or your personal information," he added.

Gizmodo published a report in December 2024 that 197 complaints were made to the Federal Trade Commission in 2024 about scammers posing as Depp. One person from Alabama reportedly lost $350,000 after being targeted, for example, and others listed $200,000 and $175,000 lost.

Related: Brad Pitt's Rep Speaks Out After Police Arrest Imposters for Allegedly Posing as Actor, Scamming Over $350K from Women

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The actor, who has 28.5 million followers on Instagram, said his team is "actively working to combat these illicit schemes" and clarified which verified accounts are his official ones on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok. (He's not on X, Snapchat or Discord, he said.)

Depp further clarified, "I do not offer paid meetings, phone calls, club memberships, or fan cards. If you are ever asked for any money for a meeting, call, membership, or fan card, it is a scam."

Additionally, "I do not interact directly with fans on any social media platforms, via email, or via chat-based platforms like Telegram, WhatsApp, Signal or Zangi. Again, neither myself, my team, my agent, nor my family will ever contact you on my behalf asking for money or your personal information."

Back in June 2022, Depp issued a warning to fans about imposter accounts "pretending to be me" for scamming purposes.

Several celebrities have spoken out in recent months to warn of fraudulent accounts claiming to be them, including Whoopi Goldberg, Tom Hanks, Brad Pitt and more.

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