I have gotten death threats from many due to fraudsters using my face - Mike Ezuruonye

macfranc007 September 18, 2018 Nigeria News today & Breaking news ▷ Read Naija news 24/7 Caroline Yaakugh

- Nollywood actor, Mike Ezuruonye, has taken revealed some of the challenges he's had to face as a celebrity

- According to him, there have been countless cases of fraudsters using his name and photos to dupe people

- He went on to reveal how it got so serious, the police had him investigated

Being a celebrity may have its perks but sometimes, the down sides seem to steal the spotlight. Nollywood actor, Mike Ezuruonye knows a few things about this. In a recent interview with Pulse, the award-winning actor spoke about the problems he has faced due to his celeb status.

Apparently, a lot of cyber fraudsters have taken a liking to the actor as there have been numerous cases of people using his photos with fake social media accounts to defraud innocent people. Speaking on the issue, he urged people to be wiser in dealing with these criminals.

Speaking on how it has affected him, he said: "This has brought tears to me, so much embarrassment. I have even abroad before and someone has held my shirt and said "After talking to you yesterday, after doing everything for you, I sent 25 computers to your foundation, I sent money to you and now you come into this country, don't tell me you are trying to sneak into this country."

He also revealed that not only has he gotten death threats, he has also been investigated by the police over repeated fraud cases with his name being used.

"It's so so sad, I have gotten death threats from people, I have gotten husbands of these people, boyfriends of these people, maybe because of the way I deal with it you know, that's another thing. I have been sp used to get money off people. The EFCC in Benin have been so helpful, I mean, it is really really bad. I have seen five people caught. There was a time it was so much the Inspector General of Police's office got my account investigated, I was invited to the IGP's office in Abuja, it was that bad."

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"I saw two boys walk in caught! I was expecting to see some very big boys but there were two little boys. All I could is why? Why this? Why are you doing? Even though i tried to plead, the police said no no, it is Nigeria verse them, it is their case. There was an unrepentant one that kept doing this and kept being warned. It was even that bad, they caught one, he ran away, they even went to catch his father and from what I hear, the father is still there with them.

It is really really bad. It is really hurting, I'm not going to lie. You don't know how it feels when you wake up and you get a message from some saying "You better take care of my wife and three children now that she has decided to divorce me for you." It's that bad that one of these fraudsters signed a marriage agreement online. Two houses and three cars were seized from this boy in Benin and this boy is less than twenty-five."

He went on to appeal to people who make friends online to desist from communicating with people using his photo to seek financial assistance or looking to start a romantic relationship.

"If you see anyone trying to communicate with you online, it is not me. Do you know what surprises me, they have devised means, they could use this video right now, crop this video, get my voice out of the way, superimpose theirs put into IMO or Whatsapp to deceive their victims. All am saying is if you see these fake videos, tell that video to stand up, touch his ears, touch his eyes, touch his ears, you will see that it all pre-recorded and the lips don't sync. A lot of celebrities apart from myself, this has been going on and on and I have been warning people for over two years.

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