What Is the Bret Michaels Fan Scam?
Fans of Poison and Bret Michaels, beware! Scammers have recently taken advantage of the rock star’s fandom to obtain ridiculous sums of money. Here’s what you need to know about the Michaels scam.
Scammers are trying to get money from Bret Michaels fans
Michaels isn’t the first celebrity to become the face of an online scam, but he is one of the most recent.
“They’ve been asking for all of you as true fans to send them money — absolutely do not do this,” Michaels urged fans on YouTube. The Poison frontman only accepts money for the sale of his music or merchandise. Should fans wish to donate to the Life Rocks Foundation, which supports childhood cancer, diabetes, military, and pet charities, fans should go directly to the website.
Scammers have reached out to Michaels’ fans asking for a valid identification and money. Several people have fallen for the scam and given access to their bank accounts, believing them to be Michaels.
“[Scammers] are asking that you do not share the phone number they give you, bring this to management’s attention or tell anyone about their texts to you as they need the information to be confidential,” a post on Michaels’ Facebook page read. “They have also been known to text people who have phone numbers listed in their ‘about me’ sections.”
Michaels, his team, and a former co-star are aware of the situation and urging fans to be vigilant.
‘Rock of Love’ star Lacey Sculls looks out for Bret Michaels’ fans
Michaels’ former Rock of Love co-star Lacey Sculls (née Conner) noticed evidence of the scam in November 2020. Showbiz Cheat Sheet reached out to Sculls via email to get her input on the story.
“I was a witness to these scammers on Bret Michaels’ YouTube channel,” Sculls said. “I took this screenshot and sent it to Bret Michaels’ representatives.”
Michaels’ official YouTube is “Bret Michaels Official.” The scam account operates under the name “Bret Michaels,” but uses the official account’s most current profile photo.
“The problem is that the fans are so excited when they think Bret himself wrote to them, so they don’t take the time to look and realize that the handle name is not the same,” Sculls explained.
Ironically, Sculls says the same scammers tried to pull one over on her.
“I was like, ‘Oh man, this idiot has no idea that he just tried to pull a fast one on the crazy b*tch from Rock of Love!'”
Fortunately, Michaels and his team seem to have everything under control.
Bret Michaels is organizing support for fans who have been scammed
Michaels put out another statement on YouTube warning fans about the imposters.
“To all my family, friends, and fans, I just wanted to say please be aware of the epidemic going on during this pandemic,” Michaels said.
It is unbelievable the amount of Bret Michaels imposters out there reaching out to my amazing fans, friends, and family, and trying to scam them. I’m telling all of you during this pandemic, people are feeling frustrated, isolated, and vulnerable.
Michaels also talked about what he is going to do to help those fans who fell victim to the scam.
“I’m taking this minute right now to tell you how serious I take this,” he continued. “We’re going to work with Dr. Phil to help people that have been victimized by these scumbags. So please, everyone, be aware.”
Sculls appreciates Michaels’ efforts. “Education is empowerment,” she concluded. “All of us — celebrities and non-celebrities alike — need to continue raising awareness and informing others of this issue.”
