Take That superfan Janet Smith cosied up to the real Gary Barlow after getting catfished on Facebook by a scammer pretending to be the star.
The 62-year-old believed she had been talking to the Shine singer for over a week after adding him as as a friend on the social media site.
‘Gary’ had been bombarding her with compliments and said he had ‘split up’, assumed to mean with his wife Dawn, before starting to ask for money.
Turns out it was not Gary, 53, chatting to her but a 24-year-old scammer from Nigeria, who confessed everything once Janet grew suspicious.
He apologised to the pizza restaurant worker from Colchester, Essex, but insisted he did really love her and praised her dancing videos — before once again asking for money.
Hearing about the incident the real Gary reached out to Janet and invited her to Take That’s Carrow Road concert in Norwich on May 28.
Thrilled to meet her idol, Janet gifted a box of Milk Tray ‘for the boys’ as she gave the Rule The World singer a backstage hug.
‘Gary came running down the corridor saying hello and gave me a hug,’ Janet said of her greatest day. ‘He said he was so sorry about what happened and asked how I was – it was lovely.’
Heaping praise on the star, she said: ‘He came out with a jogging suit on. He wasn’t snobby. He was down to earth.
‘I bought him a mug, some Mars bars and some Milk Tray chocolates for the boys. He loved the mug and got a picture of us with it.
‘He’s very kind – fame hasn’t gone to his head. It was like seeing a friend in the street.
‘I told him I love dancing and showed him a dance, and he said “We need people like you” and said he loved my vibe.
‘I was laughing and he was laughing – he’s really kind and friendly. He gave me a cuddle and didn’t judge me.
‘I always live each day like it could be your last. I don’t think he’s going to forget me. Even when he went he was shouting goodbye, it was wonderful.’
‘Catfishing’ to con people out of money is increasingly common, often preying on those who appear to be less internet-savvy.
Janet managed to get the identity of her scammer by offering her Whatsapp number as a trade for the information.
She said: ‘He sent me a message to say, “Look I’m really sorry: I’m going to tell you the truth” and he told me his name.
The scammer said he was ‘very poor’ and really did like Take That, adding: ‘I like singing and I like his songs.’
Appealing to Janet’s empathy, he said: ‘I thought you would be able to help me and my family but it’s sad that you can’t.’
She continued: ‘I asked him what he meant by that and he said “some money to get some food in Nigeria.”‘
When Janet asked how much he needed, his response was: ‘I don’t have the power to tell you how much you will give me, only you know in your heart.’
The experience has left her feeling ‘really guilty’ as she said she was ‘not in a position’ to give him money.
Rather than be embarrassed about the potential con, she wanted to tell her story in order to help others who might be targeted.
‘Elderly people are going to be adding these ‘celebrities’. They’re going to be conning these old people,’ she said.
‘I understand that they are poor and they have to get money for their family, but people might lose a lot of money over this. It’s also giving celebrities a bad name.’
Janet added: ‘There were 20 Tom Jones and Michael Barrymore has been coming up. When they send a message, it’s similar.
‘I think a lot of these foreign people are doing this because their countries are poor, but people think they’re real celebrities.’
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