A woman who was catfished by a scammer pretending to be Gary Barlow has now met the real singer, after he saw her story and reached out to help.
Janet Smith, 62, from Colchester, Essex, genuinely believed she was talking to the Take That singer for about a week after she added him as a friend on Facebook.
The fake Barlow bombarded the pizza restaurant worker with compliments and messages and said he had ‘split up’, which Janet took to mean from his wife.
But when he started asking Janet for money, she grew suspicious and convinced the scammer to reveal their true identity.
The cheat was unmasked as a 24-year-old man from Nigeria. He told Janet he was sorry for lying to her, but said he really did love her and praised her dancing in videos.
After hearing about what had happened, the real Gary Barlow invited Janet to Take That’s Carrow Road gig in Norwich on May 28.
Photographs taken before the gig show the pair sharing a cuddle, as Janet gifted him a box of Milk Tray ‘for the boys’.
Janet Smith, 62, pictured with the real Gary Barlow, who invited her to a Take That concert in Norwich
Before the concert, the real Gary gave Janet a hug and asked her is she was okay
Janet from Colchester, Essex, was chatting online to someone she believed was Gary Barlow but was actually a scammer
Janet said: ‘Gary came running down the corridor saying hello and gave me a hug.
‘He said he was so sorry about what happened and asked how I was – it was lovely.
‘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.
Janet is now speaking out to raise awareness of online scammers – and warn older people to be alert
The cheat said he was actually a 24-year-old man from Nigeria and was sorry for lying to the pizza restaurant worker from Colchester, Essex
The fake Gary bombarded her with compliments and messages and said he had ‘split up’ – which Janet took to mean from his wife
Screenshots show how the scammer told Janet ‘my heart chooses you’ and asked her to keep a secret
The scammer insisted Janet would ‘know me very well’ but claimed his management was monitoring him
‘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.’
Janet said the whole experience had left her feeling ‘really guilty’ and has shared her story to help others spot similar scammers in the future.
‘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 managed to persuade the scammer to reveal the truth by telling him he could have her WhatsApp number in exchange for his true identity.
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 also asked if Janet was a journalist during their initial conversations
After a few days, Janet started to get suspicious and realised the man she was speaking to couldn’t be the real Barlow
‘He is very poor. He’s on WhatsApp and he’s texting me saying, “I’m sorry, I’ve done fraud but we come from a poor family.” I do admire Gary Barlow, I like singing and I like his songs.’
The man confessed his love for her.
Janet said: ‘He said, “I thought you would be able to help me and my family but it’s sad that you can’t.”
‘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.’
Janet told him she was ‘not in a position to do that’, but says that the whole experience has left her feeling ‘really guilty’.
Now, Janet said that she is sharing this story to help others avoid such scammers in future.
She said: ‘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.’
