Jason Manford has taken to social media to inform his followers that a fake Facebook profile had been using several of his pictures and scamming people out of their hard-earned cash.
The comedian said that he only became aware of the Turkey-based account when a fan from Argentina had sent it to him before saying he found it “really weird”.
Along with a screenshot of the account, Jason, 39, said that he would “never” ask for them to hand over cash.
Sharing the news to his 1.3 million Facebook followers, Jason posted several screenshots from the account which was using the name Chris Pavillion and listed their occupation as a construction worker in Istanbul but originally hailed from Tempe, Arizona.
Jason urged fans to stay safe online after discovering the fake profile
He said: “A fan in Argentina sent me a Facebook profile based in Turkey of someone using my pictures to dupe people into giving them money! It’s really weird to see my pictures being misused like this.
“Please know I would never ask you for money (well not directly, I’d love you to buy a tour ticket!) so don’t be duped by Turkish Manford no matter how dashing he looks in photos!”
The fake account showed Jason’s photographs geotagged as different places around the globe
One snap sees Jason sitting alongside a man with a Greggs logo in the background of the snap which was tagged as being in Arizona.
Another post by Chris Pavillion was a picture of Jason posing outside the BBC Television Centre in West London which had been geotagged as Istanbul, Turkey.
The comedian found the funny side as he asked the fake account to cover several shows for him (Image: Getty Images)
Jason later sent the account a personal message via Facebook Messages, saying: “Hey man, do we share a parent?
“You look so like me it’s crazy!! I’ve actually got some shows coming up I can’t be a**ed doing, wondering if you’d do them for me and I can stay home in my tackies?
“Let me know, send me £200 and you could make £1000! Regards, Jason.”
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While it is unknown if the account responded to Jason’s message, his fans couldn’t help but see the funny side with one penning: “Love the one that says he’s in Arizona with a Greggs reflected behind him,” alongside a laughing emoji.
A second added: “This guy has actually made me laugh more than you do! That is no easy task!”
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“Quick get Nev from catfish on the case,” joked a third.
Another commented: “I really don’t think Urmston Town Centre has ever been mistaken for Phoenix, Arizona.”
Jason recently agreed to front the new BBC quiz show, Unbeatable, which will see four contestants fo head to head to find the best answer for multiple questions.
Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
