‘Outlander’ Star Sam Heughan Issues a Warning to His Fans Ahead of His New Thriller ‘Suspect’
Outlander star Sam Heughan has a new limited series set to air on Channel 4 in the UK titled Suspect. Just days before the mystery thriller is set to premiere, Heughan has issued a warning to his fans about online scammers who are posing as him and members of his team.
‘Outlander’ star Sam Heughan doesn’t sound like Jamie Fraser in his new series ‘Suspect’
Heughan is part of the ensemble cast of Suspect, an eight-part crime drama about a veteran detective named Danny Frater, played by James Nesbitt.
According to the series synopsis, when the detective “turns up at a hospital mortuary for what he thinks is a routine ID check on a young woman’s body, he gets a devastating shock. The corpse turns out to be his estranged daughter, Christina (Imogen King).”
The series follows the detective as he retraces his daughter’s final days in an attempt to find out what really happened to his only child.
The trailer doesn’t give fans any information about Heughan’s character, except for indicating that he is from England. That’s because in the brief scene, the actor can be heard with a British accent instead of a Scottish one.
“Don’t go sticking your nose into things that are best left well alone,” Heughan says in the clip.
Sam Heughan issues a warning to fans
Just days ahead of the Suspect premiere, Heughan has taken to his Instagram Story to warn his three million followers about online scammers.
The 42-year-old wrote, “Please be careful of scammers. Neither myself, nor my team will reach out. No agent/manager/friend/family member of publicity members. I am not on any messaging app: Google hangouts/telegram/Whatsapp etc. Protect yourself and each other. X.”
This isn’t the first time that Heughan has warned his fans about fake accounts on social media who are pretending to be him or a member of his team. In November 2021, Heughan wrote a similar warning when it was revealed that at least two women had been scammed by people impersonating the actor.
“Please be careful on social media. So many scammers,” he wrote. “I will never reach out or message on Instagram/ Twitter/ WhatsApp/ Google hangout etc. or ask for money. If it’s not verified, it’s not me (Nor will my agent/assistant/publicist/etc) 😘.”
Scammers have targeted the ‘Outlander’ star’s fans
Last year, a woman from New York was scammed out of her life savings — nearly $40,000 — that she thought was an investment into Heughan’s whisky brand Sassenach Spirits.
A 56-year-old nurse from Florida also lost around 40 grand over the course of two years because she was convinced she was in an online romance with the actor. She said she started chatting with “Sam” online after entering a contest to win a date with the Outlander star.
“The Sam I was speaking to started using the screen name Sammy Roland alongside a picture of Sam on his profile,” the woman said, per Hello! Magazine.
“Roland is Sam’s middle name and he said he was using that name because he didn’t want anyone to know it was the real Sam. We talked on Google Hangouts and developed feelings for each other. He would send me lovely cards and handwritten notes. I thought we were in a relationship but we never spoke on the phone – he was always busy.”
Suspect premieres Sunday, June 19 on Channel 4. Outlander Season 7 will premiere in late 2022 or early 2023 on Starz.
