WHAT WAS CLAIMED
NZ actor Martin Henderson is asking for fans to message him on Facebook.
OUR VERDICT
False. The actor does not have a Facebook account.
AAP FACTCHECK - Facebook users are being tricked into believing they're talking to New Zealand actor Martin Henderson online.
AAP FactCheck has discovered hundreds of accounts purporting to belong to the 50-year-old star of popular series Virgin River and Grey's Anatomy but they are all fake.
The actor has confirmed he does not have a Facebook account and has warned his fans about scammers.
Multiple Facebook profiles claim to be the "official" page of the actor, although some have incorrect spellings of his name, e.g. Martin Herderson, and many posts carry multiple spelling and grammatical errors.
Most simply copy and paste images from his official Instagram page.
"Hello my lovely fan's [sic] all over the world," one post reads on a fake page, along with a photo of Henderson, "I just want to use this medium to let you guys know am here with my social media security team to track down dose [sic] imposters claiming to be me on here I only have account and it's Instagram, so be very careful."
Many posts make pleas for fans to make contact via direct message (DM).
"Honey kindly send me a direct message," one comment reads in response to a comment under a post.
"I'm back to give y'all chance to meet real me," another reads above a plea for users to send a direct message.
In a post on a different account, one of the fake Hendersons claims he lost his house in the recent LA fires.
"Anytime I remembered [sic] what happened to my house in los Angeles it makes me wanna cry because I lost so many documents that's so Important to me," the post reads.
"I need someone to take that though in me,.... so if you truly love me from the depth of your heart and soul send me a direct message."
Henderson has previously stated he only has one social media account, which is his verified Instagram page.
"Please block and report anyone who claims to be me," he says in the verified Instagram video. "I do not have any other account aside from this one."
He also emphasises that he never contacts people through direct messaging on Instagram.
One female fan recently lost about $375,000 after believing she had connected with Henderson through an online fan page, the New Zealand Herald reported.
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