Singer Sonu Nigam and actor Tillotama Shome recently found themselves at the center of online fraud attempts, as scammers misused their identities to deceive others. Both celebrities took to Instagram to caution their followers and set the record straight.
Tillotama Shome Exposes Online Impersonator
Tillotama Shome revealed she had been targeted in an impersonation scam, where an unknown person was pretending to be her on WhatsApp. The fraudster used a still from her Bengali film Shadowbox (Baksho Bondi) as their profile photo and reached out to people she knew, seemingly to request favours.
In a strongly worded Instagram post, Tillotama clarified that the phone number in question was not hers and urged the impersonator to stop immediately. She wrote, “This is not my number. The photo being used as the DP is from our film @bakshobondifilm. It was since removed. To whoever you may be, please don’t use my name to ask the people I know for things. STOP.”
Sonu Nigam Issues Public Warning Over Identity Misuse
Sonu Nigam also spoke out against similar fraudulent activity involving his name. In a post on Instagram, he emphasized that neither he nor anyone from his team has ever contacted people seeking anything on his behalf.
“Important,” he began. “It has come to my attention that someone has been misusing my identity online. Please note that no one from my team has ever reached out to anyone on my behalf for any reason. If someone claims to be from my management and contacts you out of the blue, please treat it with caution!”
He also addressed concerns about fake accounts on X (formerly Twitter), clarifying that he has not been active on the platform for the past eight years. Sonu added that several accounts impersonating him have been posting misleading or controversial content. He urged followers to report and block any such accounts they encounter.
Message of Gratitude
Sonu wrapped up his statement with gratitude for those who brought the scam to his attention. “Thank you to those who’ve flagged the issue to me. And thank you so much, my extended family, for your continued support and understanding.”
This incident follows closely behind similar cyberattacks on singer Shreya Ghoshal and actor-politician Khushbu Sundar, whose accounts were recently compromised on X.
