Happy Valley star James Norton hits out at scammers after Mail on Sunday revealed their plot to pose as him to scam widow out of thousands
Happy Valley star James Norton has hit out at internet scammers after The Mail on Sunday intervened to stop them stealing up to £10,500 from a widow.
Happy Valley star James Norton has hit out at internet scammers after The Mail on Sunday intervened to stop them stealing up to £10,500 from a widow.
MoS reader Rosemarie Cohen believed she was exchanging messages with Mr Norton, 39, for almost a year after he apparently liked one of her Facebook posts.
They were often in touch on social media several times a day, and one message purportedly from him reads: Rise and shine! Sending you love and sunshine to start your day!
The retired grandmother-of-two, 59, thought she had built up a genuine friendship with Mr Norton – and then the demands for money began.
Con artists who claimed they worked for him told her that she could arrange a meet-and-greet experience with him for £3,000 and a subsequent private meet up for £7,000.
The scammers called themselves Steve Anderson and Richard Williams and said they worked for the Artists Partnership agency, the London-based talent company that represents the actor.
As well as the meetings, they also offered Ms Cohen a role working for Mr Norton – as long as she paid £500 for a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) to be drawn up to protect his confidentiality before she could join his personal team.
But Ms Cohen smelled a rat, and contacted this newspaper. We were able to intervene, and Mr Nortons actual representatives were left aghast when we revealed what had happened.
r James Norton has hit out at internet scammers after The Mail on Sunday intervened to stop them stealing up to £10,500 from a widow
Rosemarie Cohen believed she was exchanging messages with Mr Norton, 39, for almost a year after he apparently liked one of her Facebook posts
They told The Mail on Sunday on Mr Nortons behalf: It is terrible that scammers are exploiting fans through fake celebrity social media accounts. We do urge people to be vigilant and never communicate with anyone purporting to be a celebrity on unverified accounts.
I can confirm that neither James nor any of his representatives has communicated with Ms Cohen or indeed anyone else in this capacity. For reference, there is no one at the Artists Partnership called Steve Anderson or Richard Williams.
Ms Cohen told the MoS: I am really very crushed. I really believed it was James Norton. I cannot believe I fell for him. At least theres one good thing – I wont have to buy new clothes to meet him. I feel a bit like a fool.
I would like to thank The Mail on Sunday for exposing this scam. I hope that it encourages others to be more cautious when interacting with people online.