A mum says she was left shaken after being targeted by a conman pretending to be award-winning singer Sam Fender.
The mother was sent disturbing messages on WhatsApp, including demands for cash and sexually explicit posts, from a fraudster purporting to be the North Shields star.
The woman, from Wallsend, told ChronicleLive that her daughter, a big fan of Sam, was turning 16 in April.
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The teenager, who has been having mental health difficulties, was unable to get tickets for his concert. So her mum wanted to give her daughter a nice surprise on her birthday.
She wanted to see if Sam could come along to a pub, where the family were planning to have a meal, and wish the teenager a happy birthday, if he happened to be in Tyneside at the time.
To this end, the woman contacted someone who was leaving posts on Sam Fender's Facebook page using the name Drew Michael.
The mum thought this was Sam's drummer Drew Michael and asked if a visit from Sam could be arranged.
The person asked for her number, saying Sam would be in touch and she would be able to communicate with the star privately to arrange a "meet and greet".
The victim then received messages on WhatsApp from someone pretending to be Sam Fender, even using the star's photo on his profile.
The fraudster demanded £1,500 to come and say happy birthday to her daughter, later dropping the figure to £500.
When the demand was refused, the conman sent a raft of unsavoury messages, suggesting they have an affair and asking for pictures of the woman and her daughter. Some of the posts were sexually explicit.
And the trickster also managed to get a photo of the teenager from a Facebook page, which disturbed the family.
The incident, which took place on February 13, was reported to the police and now the family want to warn others, urging people to be aware of such frauds.
Neither Sam Fender nor his drummer Drew Michael were involved in the events described.
Speaking of the experience, the mum told ChronicleLive: "It was sickening. I was shaking after reading the messages and my daughter was scared.
"I thought I was reaching out to Drew Michael, Sam Fender's drummer, who said he would put me in contact with Sam to try and do something special for my daughter's 16th birthday.
"She loves Sam Fender and I wanted to see if it was possible for him to pop to the pub to say happy birthday, if he happened to be in North Shields at that time.
"I started getting messages from someone I thought was Sam Fender. I explained the situation and I was told it was going to be £1,500 to say happy birthday to her.
"That rang alarm bells straight away. He started asking for photos of me and my daughter. I asked why and he said it was so they knew who he was going to say happy birthday to. I said you don't need a photo for that.
"I was then told it would be £500. I refused and didn't want anything to do with it.
"Then I started getting dirty messages. They were disgusting. I told him I was a happily married woman but he still continued. He somehow managed to get a photo of my daughter and I didn't know what he would do with it.
"I reported all this to the police and blocked the number. We were scared and in tears."
A Northumbria Police spokesperson said: “Shortly before 9.50am on February 13, police received a report of attempted fraud via social media.
“It was reported that a victim and her 15-year-old daughter had been communicating with someone they believed to be a celebrity before being asked for £1,500 for a meet-and-greet.
“The pair realised the fraud before sending any money and reported it to police.
“Anyone who thinks they have been a victim of fraud should report their concerns to Action Fraud via their website or by calling 0300 123 2040.”
