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Actor Ronit Roy warns against meet-and-greet scam in his name: I don't want anyone to lose their hard-earned money
Actor Ronit Bose Roy addresses online scammers impersonating him, soliciting money for a fake meet and greet. He emphasises public vigilance and awareness.
Actor Ronit Bose Roy has become the latest victim of digital impersonation.
Taking to Instagram on Thursday, Ronit warned his fans, writing that scamsters posing as him have been approaching people, asking for money for a meet-and-greet session, Ronit also shared screenshots of the poser's WhatsApp chats with fans along with a picture of a fake account operating under his name, which has been soliciting money from unsuspecting fans.
Speaking to us about the incident, the actor revealed how the scam first came to light. "This was brought to me by a friend saying one of his acquaintances received these strange texts asking for money," Ronit explains.
“She shared them with my friend, and that's how I got to know about the fake account created in my name on another social media platform, sending people such texts. The message in my name was asking for a meet and greet with fans, telling them to pay ₹45,000 for it."
Appalled by the incident, the actor immediately chose to confront the issue. "So I thought I'd put it out there and inform everyone that there is no such event happening. How could I do such a thing—asking fans to pay up to meet me? I had to put my fans on alert. People are out there to target you whenever they get a chance."
Adding, "Too many such instances are being reported, though a lot of awareness is being created, but many people out there are still gullible."
Ronit plans to take the matter to the concerned authorities. "Of course I will take a legal action on this to curb it at the right time," he states. "All will be done to prevent the misuse of my name. Scamming is a criminal activity and an offense. I will follow the due process to deal with it and curb the menace. I don't want anyone's hard-earned money to be lost to scammers."
Looking ahead, he is placing his faith in cyber law enforcement to track down the perpetrators. "Now it is for the law to see and take action, and to check if anything like this has happened before. I hope they nab the person behind it to stop this from spreading."
Ultimately, the actor believes that public vigilance is important, "It's essential to think twice before sending money to anyone in response to a social media request. Self-awareness is important, and a basic awareness to do due diligence should be in place," Ronit advises.
