Beloved actress Miriam Margolyes has issued an urgent statement after discovering multiple fake Facebook profiles using her likeness to scam people.
The 83-year-old Harry Potter star revealed that fraudsters have been creating accounts in her name to target her followers, friends and charitable organisations.
The fake profiles have amassed thousands of followers, with one account reportedly having over 35,000 people following it, with Margolyes being alerted to the situation by close friends who had been contacted by these imposters.
The actress has now spoken out against these "deep fake accounts", which exist "solely for the purpose of extorting money and reputation".
One of the fake accounts reportedly attempted to extort money from a charity that Margolyes supports by messaging the organisation while pretending to be her.
The accounts have been reported to Meta, but according to Margolyes, no action has been taken due to the fact that the actress doesn't pay to have her actual account verified on the Mark Zuckerberg-owned platform.
Fans of the star were pulled into the deep fake scam
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"Concerningly, this fake account has been messaging known friends and contacts of mine, including charitable causes I support.
"The fraudsters behind the account have been attempting to extort money from my friends and causes. I find this absolutely outrageous."
In her statement, Margolyes criticised Meta for requiring payment for verification to address the issue and added: "What's more, is that it seems the only way Meta - the owners of Facebook - will take any action is if I pay £9.99 per month to have my profile verified."
The actress described this requirement as "egregious" and unacceptable, noting: "This payment is simply a way for billionaires to benefit from fraudsters taking advantage of the reputation of actors, musicians, and creatives."
She called the entire situation "nothing other than billionaires profiting from rogue fraudsters roaming free on social media platforms".
The star made a statement and said she had asked for the users to be banned
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Margolyes insisted this issue "must be addressed as a matter of urgency" and emphasised that she is not alone in facing this problem: "I am well aware that I am not the sole victim of these deep fake accounts."
She noted that this happens "day in and day out to people in all walks of life" but impacts those in the entertainment industry particularly hard.
"I am calling on Meta to support my fellow actors, musicians, creatives, as well as the wider Facebook community," Margolyes stated and demanded that Meta remove and ban these accounts "as soon as they are reported, without having to pay additional funds."
Concluding her statement, Margolyes highlighted the additional challenges that deep fake accounts create for those in creative industries.
"Being an artist can be hard enough, without having deep fake accounts to contend with," she said.
The 83-year-old actress is calling for Meta to take responsibility and implement better protection measures against fraudulent accounts.
The Harry Potter star wanted to make sure no more of her fans were being impacted
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She wants the company to ban not only the fake profiles but also their IP addresses after they've been reported.
Margolyes hopes her public stance will help protect others from falling victim to similar scams that exploit the reputation of public figures.
