{"id":245409,"date":"2021-05-07T22:30:12","date_gmt":"2021-05-07T19:30:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/nickelback-fans-are-now-getting-catfished\/"},"modified":"2021-05-07T22:30:12","modified_gmt":"2021-05-07T19:30:12","slug":"nickelback-fans-are-now-getting-catfished","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/nickelback-fans-are-now-getting-catfished\/","title":{"rendered":"#Nickelback fans are now getting catfished"},"content":{"rendered":"

“#Nickelback fans are now getting catfished<\/strong>”<\/p>\n

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Nickelback fans have had it rough.\u00a0<\/p>\n

First, they\u2019ve had to defend their favorite band from jokesters on the internet who\u2019ve mercilessly mocked the group for years.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Now, they\u2019re getting catfished.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Devotees of the Canadian rock group are being contacted by profiles pretending to be band members Chad Kroeger, Ryan Peake, Mike Kroeger and Daniel Adair. Some are looking for love; others money in the form of Bitcoin or iTunes gift cards. None of them are real, but committed supporters respond anyway, on the off chance their celebrity crush is on the other side of the screen.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s gotten so bad that in July, the band tweeted out a message to remind followers to keep their guard up. \u201cFriendly reminder that the only official Nickelback Twitter<\/a> account is right here, along with Mr. @TheDanielAdair<\/a>,\u201d they wrote. \u201cLook for the blue checkmark to know it\u2019s the real deal on all social networks. Report any accounts that are claiming otherwise.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

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Friendly reminder that the only official Nickelback Twitter account is right here, along with Mr. @TheDanielAdair<\/a>. Look for the blue checkmark to know it’s the real deal on all social networks. Report any accounts that are claiming otherwise. We hope you all are safe and well!<\/p>\n

\u2014 Nickelback (@Nickelback) July 29, 2020<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

Queens resident Nicole Godja has been contacted by several profiles pretending to be frontman Chad Kroeger since last year, on Instagram, Facebook and Google Hangouts. She follows the band on their verified Instagram account, and was part of a Facebook fan group, where several other members have been contacted by fake accounts.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThank you for following my page and for the love and support you\u2019ve all showered on me and the whole of nickelback team I hope you never stop supporting us and listening to our songs,\u201d a profile with the handle @chad__robert_kroeger_ messaged her in October.\u00a0(While that account no longer exists, at least a dozen phonies have popped up in its place.)<\/p>\n

The translator, 48, was immediately suspicious. \u201cThere were red flags,\u201d she told The Post. The account wasn\u2019t verified, it had no profile picture and only 70 followers. Still, she kept up the conversation, curious about the person who had contacted her, whoever it may be. \u201cI had doubts that it would be him, so I asked him basic things about him,\u201d she said. \u201cIt didn\u2019t add up.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

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One of the many Nickelback memes circulating on the internet.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The account was \u201cflirting with me from the beginning,\u201d and even said that he loved her, said Godja, who is single. \u201cThis guy can have any woman in the world,\u201d she said of Avril Lavigne\u2019s ex-husband<\/a>. \u201cWhy would he go online and look for weirdos?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Kroeger and Nickelback did not respond to requests for comment, but a source close to the group said the problem was not exclusive to the band. \u201cUnfortunately, it is a much larger and very real issue,\u201d the source said, adding, \u201cThey would never want any of their fans to be taken advantage of.\u201d<\/p>\n

Though Godja said that she never believed she was talking to the real Kroeger, she was in contact with the account almost daily until New Year\u2019s, when she decided to break off communication. The fake Chad wouldn\u2019t send pictures of himself, get on the phone or do a video call with Godja, claiming it was against his manager\u2019s rules to talk to fans.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

He\u2019d also tried to solicit money from her: Both the Facebook and Instagram accounts claimed that he needed her to pay nearly $13,000 in Bitcoin so he could ship a trunk he needed to her house, and the Chad on Hangouts wanted iTunes gift cards from her, saying his managers forbade him from \u201cmaking money on the side,\u201d said Godja. Knowing she was being scammed, she declined.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI feel like a good rule of thumb is that if somebody is employing a manager, they don\u2019t need your money,\u201d Gabrielle Bluestone, author of \u201cHype: How Scammers, Grifters, and Con Artists Are Taking Over the Internet\u2014and Why We\u2019re Following,\u201d<\/a> told The Post. \u201cIf it seems too good to be true, it probably is.\u201d<\/p>\n

Though it\u2019s unclear why Nickelback fans in particular are being targeted, Bluestone said age may play a role. After launching in 1995, the band\u2019s popularity peaked in the late aughts. \u201cPeople who haven\u2019t grown up on the internet are a bit more susceptible to scams. Older people in general<\/a> make better targets for scammers,\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Their devotion to the group is also a key factor: Online fan clubs give scammers \u201ca pool of potential victims that respect the band and want to help them out,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

And despite clear warning signs, die-hard fans often unconsciously want <\/em>to ignore them. \u201cEveryone wants to be the exception to the rule; people can talk themselves into anything, especially when it\u2019s something they care deeply about,\u201d said Bluestone.\u00a0<\/p>\n

While verified celebrities like Ben Affleck<\/a> and Matthew Perry<\/a> are contacting fans on dating app<\/a> Raya, the scam expert says you should always be on your toes: \u201cThere is the technology<\/a> to make a fake Ben Affleck video,\u201d she said. \u201cUnless you\u2019re seeing it face-to-face with your own eyes, there should always be a dose of suspicion there.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

The accounts have since reached back out to Godja, and she continues to speak to them every day, hoping they\u2019ll reveal their true identity to her. She\u2019s reported the Facebook and Hangouts account, and some have been taken down, though the catfish keeps creating more.<\/p>\n

\u201cI feel bad that they give a bad name to the band,\u201d said Godja, of the scammers. <\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m really sad. I will never know [Nickelback] personally, but I don\u2019t think these people deserve that.\u201d\u00a0\n <\/p><\/div>\n