A BRITISH pop star says he is being "harassed" at shows by fans who have fallen victim to cruel scammers.
Herman's Hermits singer Peter Noone says women targeted by conmen posing as him are even contacting the police believing he is in danger.
Heartless crooks attempt to swindle cash out of some loyal fans by saying he is being held captive – prompting them to not only send money but also call the cops.
Noone, who regularly tours the US, told The Sun how police turned up at his doorstep in California to follow up on one report.
And he said endless women thinking they have been sharing online conversations with him and giving him money are turning up at his concerts and shouting out: "It's me".
The Sun previously told how a fan was duped out of more than £60,000 by a con artist claiming to be the Manchester-born vocalist.
But shameless con artists are still masquerading as the I'm Into Something Good singer, 77, to dupe his fans out of cash.
Noone, who lives in California with wife Mireille, has warned his loyal devotees that he would never text them or ask them for money.
He said: "I do not text anyone. I do not DM anyone. I don't have WhatsApp.
"I do not need money. I am not being held captive.
"I am getting harassed at almost every concert by women who say 'it's me'.
"Then they tell me their name and say 'you text me'. I'm sorry, but I do not text you.
"I am having a great tour – the only downside is the lady every night shouting 'Peter, it's me'.
"I like having fans and I call them mine and I have never asked one for anything more than affection.
"I only raise money on Facebook with a thing called STARS and they have raised hundreds of thousands of dollars in their name for Fischer Alzheimer Research."
Dad-of-one Noone, who shot to fame in the 1960s, told how police felt compelled to check on him after a fan reported he was being held captive.
He added: "The sheriff followed up on one of these and came to my house to be sure I wasn't locked in a room at my house being mistreated.
"A total waste of his time, but I am happy they followed up on this one.
"Of course he was obliged to follow up, and I am grateful that they followed up, but what a total waste of time for law enforcement.
"Hopefully he followed up and chased the crook away.
"If you can imagine I pretended to be myself with a fake Facebook page, one would have to be pretty far out of any logical loop to think I was in need of money.
"A look at my social media would inform them that I am indeed more successful (financially) than ever."
Noone's group Herman's Hermits were billed "the new Beatles" by their record label after scoring a number one hit with I'm Into Something Good in 1964.
The group was part of the infamous British Invasion that saw bands including The Beatles and The Rolling Stones storm the US charts.
I am having a great tour – the only downside is the lady every night shouting 'Peter, it's me'.
Peter Noone
Noone built up an army of fans on both sides of the pond thanks to hits such as Mrs Brown, You've Got a Lovely Daughter, There's a Kind of Hush and My Sentimental Friend.
Among his legion of follows is Kirsten Zuk, who fell victim to a conman posing as Noone – and lost £60,000 in the process after battling a near-deadly stroke.
Kirsten, an artist from Edmonton, Canada, has blasted the scammers still targeting the fanbase.
She told The Sun: "My heart breaks to hear that women are still being scammed by fake Peter Noones and even going to his concerts looking for his validation.
"Mark Zuckerberg is doing absolutely nothing to stop the escalation of scamming on his social media websites.
"Last year my own brother Dr Michael Zuk took the time and energy to set up a page on Facebook to warn others of the Peter Noone scammer. Facebook took his page down.
"The Peter Noone scammer groomed and conned me into believing he had no one else to trust.
"And let's make this clear, I have never been on a dating website in my life, and had no interest in what developed.
"I had just survived death, and had to trust the nurses and doctors to get me through my ordeal. So I guess I was in a vulnerable position."
Kirsten, who famously used part of John Lennon's tooth in a sculpture of the late Beatles star, lost chunks of money in the form of gift cards and bank transfers she thought she was giving to Noone.
The music lover said she had met the star at least six times following shows in her home city as he signed autographs after shows.
So when she was contacted by a scammer posing as the singer, she says she was deceived into believing it was him.
Screenshots shared with The Sun show the callous conman pretending to be Noone saying he "couldn't trust anyone" and it was "safe" for them to speak over Telegram.
The scammer called Kirsten "my love" as he desperately reassured her as they exchanged messages on Telegram after the scammer initially contacted her via Facebook.
But after nine months, Kirsten realised she had been duped.
She said she has now filed a suit against the Royal Bank of Canada over claims of negligence and standard of care.
Post a Comment