Celebrity chef Nadia Lim has been inadvertently caught up in an online scam. The former Dancing With The Stars contestant and mother of two has taken to social media to alert her followers, and warn them not to be “fooled” into handing over their personal or credit card details.
In the scam, a link to a fake story about Lim is circulating on Facebook. The story claims that Lim has left cooking to go into the skincare business and promote a skincare product, L’Avere.
Lim has urged her followers, “Please don’t be fooled by this illegal activity, whatever you do don’t hand over your personal or credit card details to these scammers. L’Avere is in no way endorsed by me.”
She goes on to say that she has reported it to Facebook, and advises her followers “if you come across them the best thing you can do is report them too”.
In a second more strongly worded Instagram post she refers to the scammers as “d#ckh%ad scammers!”
She says, “It sucks to have to post this, but just in case you’ve seen a ridiculous article circulating on social media that I’ve left cooking to go into the skincare business going by the brand name L’Avere (as if!) don’t be fooled by these d#ckh%ad scammers! … I’m so annoyed Grrrrr😤😤😤”
One grateful person responded to Lim’s post to thank her for alerting them, and to reveal that she had already fallen for the scam.
The woman says, “Fantastic that you post this as I fell for it a while back- can’t believe I was so stupid!! With perseverance I got my money back as I was repeatedly charged for creams on my credit card!!”
Hayley Holt has also been a victim of a similar online scam.
This is not the first time a Kiwi celebrity’s name has been used in this type of online scam.
Earlier this year a similar story circulated on Facebook claiming Breakfast‘s Hayley Holt had left her career in television to start a beauty company.
Holt refuted the claims on the morning television show, telling viewers, “I’m not starting a beauty company – yet… Apparently the scam says I use a product called argan oil. The site then offers the chance to buy a sample of the product.
“But we’ve had a few of you get in touch to say you have been overcharged or charged multiple times, so we’ve started legal action to get these stories removed.”
In September 2018, Holt and Jack Tame were among those used by a company to promote a phoney Bitcoin investment scheme, while in December last year TVNZ’s newest Europe correspondent, Daniel Faitaua, warned viewers against a website that claimed he had invested in Bitcoin live on-air.
Celebrity chef Annabel Langbein has also been swept up. In a Facebook post earlier this month she revealed, “Please help me to eradicate these scammers. And whatever you do don’t buy their product.
“I have some friends who thought this was bona-fide and purchased this skin care product (Essence of Argan and also L’Avere) and then had their credit cards scammed and money taken out of their accounts the next day. How bad is that 👿👿👿
“I have contacted Facebook numerous times to get this taken down under their defamation protocol but so far without success…”
She advises followers, “If you can, please whenever you see these sponsored posts the very best thing you can do it to report them,” she concluded.
“This kind of thing is so insidious. Let’s all be vigilant. Thanks so much for all your support.”
