Presenter Amanda Holden has spoken of how scammers used her name and image to commit a "romance fraud" by attempting to con a vulnerable man out of thousands of pounds.
Holden is appearing in a special episode of the BBC's Scam Interceptors to highlight such crimes after the con artists tried to persuade the man to sell his house, as he was told by the scammers that he would live with her in the future.
Holden said: "I was part of what the police called a 'romance fraud'.
"I later found out that relatives of a vulnerable older man contacted the police to ask for help, as they were so worried.
"They wanted to stop their uncle from putting his house on the market because he believed that the proceeds of the sale were then going to come to me and we were going to live together.
"Obviously, this was never going to happen. The first I heard about it all was from the police. The scammers were going to pocket all his money."
Britain's Got Talent judge Holden said she found the situation "shocking", adding that she "felt personally responsible for his wellbeing so tried to help the police in every way I could".
She said: "Brilliantly, he saw sense just in the nick of time and did not sell his home.
"He realised that there was no relationship with me directly.
"It made me realise that my profile is out there being used for all sorts of bad reasons, so I thought if I can use my profile for good, and draw attention to the week of scam programming [on the BBC], then that could only be a positive thing."
The special episode, which will be shown as part of BBC Scam Safe Week, will see the team use the same remote access technology that scammers rely on to "hack the hackers".
They will monitor their operations in real time before confronting them and stopping scams before they happen.
Holden said she got to meet "Scamanda", one of the scammers pretending to be her, and "gave them what for".
She added: "I can't stand injustice.
"My family and friends say I'm always ready to fight a cause or someone's corner, so I thought this was something I would be quite passionate about having had some recent first-hand experience.
"I'm thrilled to be part of Scam Interceptors - seeing all the drama unfold as it happens? Yes, please! Scammers, consider this your warning - Amanda's watching."
Holden said it was "mind-blowing" seeing how quickly money can be stolen from people's accounts.
"I just wanted to stop them or scream at the individuals that they were being scammed. I realised that every minute counts and every small win is a big win."
She advised people to never answer the phone to a number they do not recognise or to withheld numbers.
"Never, ever give out bank details, pin numbers, or transfer money is what I say. Hang up and call into your local bank branch or call their official number on the back of your bank card."
Viewers can watch Celebrity Scam Interceptors from 2pm on Monday, 24 November on BBC One.
Source: Press Association
