Kathmandu, December 8

The trend of asking for money from fans by misusing artists’ names and photos is increasing. Scammers are misusing publicly available photos and using social media to solicit money.

Many artists have started speaking out about this issue on social media. A few days ago, John Chamling of the band John and The Locals openly wrote about such activities. He informed the public that someone was using his name and photo to ask for money.

Similarly, Swar, associated with Swapnil Sharma, has also urged people to avoid falling victim to such fraud. Purna Rai of Purna Rai and Dajubhai has likewise issued a public notice regarding this type of scam.

Generally, artists do not ask their fans for money through social media. Analysis of this trend shows that scammers usually create fake accounts using artists’ names and photos, then send messages to others asking for money.

To stay safe, people are advised to follow artists’ official accounts, check the authenticity of accounts if such messages are received, report fake accounts, and ignore messages coming from such accounts.