Sandra Bullock has issued a warning to fans about a recent social media scam.
“My family’s safety, as well as the innocent people being taken advantage of, is my deep concern, and there will be a time when I will comment more, but for now our focus is helping law enforcement handle this matter,” the 60-year-old shared in a statement to People.
The award-winning actress continued, “Please be aware that I do not participate in any form of social media. Any accounts pretending to be me or anyone associated with me are fake accounts and have been created for financial gain or to exploit people around me.”
The Oscar winner’s statement came after her sister, Gesine Bullock-Prado, took to social media to share that accounts have been impersonating her online.
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The baking instructor and TV personality wrote on Instagram, “I spend multiple times a day reporting fakes, dealing with weird & scary emails to my BUSINESS and HOME from men who believe that, through one of these many fake ‘me’s, they have a relationship with my sister through private messages and off app sites and have been giving (sometimes) THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS to an incredibly famous and successful grown a–ed woman.”
The 54-year-old also attached screenshots to emphasize her point.
“My family’s safety, as well as the innocent people being taken advantage of, is my deep concern, and there will be a time when I will comment more, but for now our focus is helping law enforcement handle this matter.”
She explained that the screenshots show “a few FB imposter accounts, all of which I’ve reported both on this app and to a live human” at Meta.
“Surprise! They are all still up!” Bullock-Prado added.
A representative for Meta did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
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“When I report, i also report to a security service that gives the account addresses directly to a Meta employee,” she continued, before adding that “these accounts are run by crime rings” that “also run fake groups where a fake me posts ‘official statements.’ Not me.
“This is my only account and y’all know it’s about baking, cooking, animals, and gardening. I’m a grown a–ed middle aged woman with a life and I don’t troll around at 54 DMing people.”
Sandra’s younger sister also referenced a recent story of a woman being swindled out of $800,000 by someone impersonating Brad Pitt.
On Jan. 12, French television channel TF1 aired an episode of its show “Sept à Huit,” which told the story of a 53-year-old interior designer named Anne who revealed that she had lost 830,000 euros (approximately $850,000) in personal funds because she thought she was sending money to a cancer-ridden Pitt.
Through falsified documents and images as well as artificial intelligence, Anne believed she was speaking to, and eventually in a relationship with, the 61-year-old actor.
A representative for Pitt told Fox News Digital that the situation involving Anne was “awful.”
“It’s awful that scammers take advantage of fans’ strong connection with celebrities,” the rep said, “but this is an important reminder to not respond to unsolicited online outreach, especially from actors who have no social media presence.”
Pitt does not have any verified social media platforms.
“At first I said to myself that it was fake, that it’s ridiculous,” Anne said, per AFP. “But I’m not used to social media and I didn’t really understand what was happening to me.”
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