Scam uses bogus governor’s social media page

(CNS): The governor’s office has issued a statement about a bogus LinkedIn account pretending to be that of Governor Martyn Roper to con people out of cash. The public is urged to watch out for messages from the account entitled “Governor at Cayman Islands”, which is wholly fabricated and is contacting people requesting contributions to support a charity. “If anyone receives this type of communication from an account by that name they should ignore it, especially any correspondence which suggests donating money to a fund,” officials from Roper’s office said. “The governor would never use social media for such a purpose.”

The governor confirmed that he does have a genuine LinkedIn account set up some years ago that carries his correct title and has over 500 followers, which is available here.

The false account has been reported to both LinkedIn and the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service, which reminded people to exercise caution when using any social media platform, including LinkedIn.

People are urged to be generally wary of requests from public figures which seem suspicious, especially if these include solicitations for financial details or other personal information.

Anyone who may have received such messages should contact the Financial Crimes Unit at  RCIPS.FCU@gov.ky