Home and Away star Nicholas Cartwright has spoken out after discovering that his images have been used in a range of catfishing scams.
Taking to his Instagram Stories on Tuesday, Cartwright made it very clear he was not behind some wayward messages and accounts on other social media sites using his likeness.
“Hello, Nick here,” he began the video.
“Look, guys, I don’t normally like to make these sorts of announcements things but a lot of women are getting scammed or catfished by profiles on Facebook using my image. I’ve been getting messages about it, but I’ve been hoping that it would sort of just go away, but it’s not.”
At first, Nick said he received a few messages here or there but recently, he’s had people contacting his management team and even members of his family.
“I’ve had people contacting my managers and my family, and all sorts of bizarre stuff is going on,” he continued, noting that Instagram is his only social media, which he “hardly” uses.
“Long story short, I apologise to anyone who’s getting scammed. Not that it’s my fault, but I hope that you’re okay, and I just want you to know that I’m not talking to anyone, or asking anybody for money, or asking anybody out or trying to get married to anybody in New Zealand.”
Nick has since pinned this video to his Instagram Story Highlights under “scam alert”.
He’s not the first genetically blessed Australian television star to speak out about their image being used for catfishing scams.
Earlier this month, Dr Chris Brown took to social media with a similar message after he began receiving messages from fans who had sadly fallen for the love-based swindle.
According to recent research by cybersecurity company Trend Micro Incorporated, 54 per of Aussies assume that only older people fall prey to catfishing and romance scams. However, just seven per cent of people aged 65+ report being targeted by this kind of scam. Instead, the group which falls victim the most tends to be 35-44 year olds.
“Online consumer scams are rapidly evolving, becoming more sophisticated and harder to spot, thanks to advancements in technology and AI,” Ashley Millar, Director, Consumer Education at Trend Micro Incorporated, told PEDESTRIAN.TV.
“This research highlights widespread misconceptions about online scams and emphasises the importance of educating consumers on taking proactive measures, such as setting up safe words with loved ones to verify identities and staying informed on emerging scam tactics.”
So, with that in mind, chat to your parents and remind the 35+ year olds in your life not to trust every message they get from a handsome stranger online.
The post Home And Away’s Nicholas Cartwright Speaks Out Over Catfish Scam Using His Image appeared first on PEDESTRIAN.TV .
