Johnny Depp impersonators are scamming fans out of thousands, report reveals

People have lost thousands of dollars to Johnny Depp impersonator scams, according to a new report.

Technology website Gizmodo submitted a Freedom of Information request to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) for all complaints received about scammers posing as the actor over the past year and found that 197 complaints had been received in all.

The victims of these scams were often first targeted on social media platforms like Facebook, before scammers moved the conversation to messaging apps including WhatsApp, Telegram and Zangi. Money was exchanged through Coinbase, Bitcoin, Zelle, PayPal and gift cards.

According to a report from McAfee (via Gizmodo), Depp is often used in scams, and is one of the ten most popular celebrities to be used in scam deepfake videos. Many of the victims are of a similar age to Depp, who turned 61 in June, while some of them have declining cognitive abilities – made evident by the number of times family members say they tried to reach out to social services for support.

This type of scam is known as pig butchering, with the term first coined in the mid-2010s. The scam entails the use of flattery or romance to extract money from the victim over an extended period of time. Often, the scam involves the use of high-profile public figures and wealthy individuals like Elon Musk and Donald Trump to promise the victim returns on “investments” or simply time with a famous figure they like or respect.

Some victims believe that they’re talking to one of Depp’s managers or support staff, rather than the Pirates Of The Caribbean actor.

One woman in her 60s wrote in her complaint that she gave the scammers $1,700 (over £1,300) before her bank stopped her from sending more money. She wrote, “I have not only lost my money, I lost my self-respect, humiliated, made to look foolish. Broken promises, lies, deciet [sic], emotionally and financially drained. Mentally I will never be the same again.”

Another victim in their 60s reported a loss of $350,000 (over £275,000), writing: “If you could give me my inheritance back, I would appreciate it.  I need my money. How do I fix this? These imposters ran off with my money and I want it back.”

One more in her 80s sent $200,000 (about £158,000) to a scammer she believed to be Depp, and it was her daughter who filed the complaint.

The actual Depp, meanwhile, is set to appear in his first major Hollywood production in several years in the thriller Day Drinker, in which he’ll star alongside Penélope Cruz, a Pirates Of The Caribbean co-star. The movie sees Depp reunited with director Marc Webb, who he’s worked with on Pirates Of The Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, Blow, and Murder On The Orient Express.

Lionsgate Motion Picture Group chair Adam Fogelson said about the movie: “Day Drinker combines a highly commercial concept with wildly outrageous twists and turns all set in an incredible world, and there is no better filmmaker than Marc or two more perfectly cast actors than Johnny and Penélope to bring that world to life.”

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