Since Hurricane Irma, Sir Richard Branson has joined a host of other high-profile Virgin Islands residents in raising money for community relief efforts.
But by becoming a face for the cause, Sir Richard has also inadvertently made himself a target for scams.
In a post on his Virgin blog on Tuesday, the billionaire reported that a friend of his in the United States (who he described as a “very successful businessperson” but did not name) had been conned into giving $2 million to someone pretending to be him.
Sir Richard said he found out about the scam only after receiving an e-mail from the friend, asking when he would be able to pay back the “three-week loan” that had been given to “help the BVI communities.”
“They told me that they had received an e-mail from somebody claiming they were my assistant, to arrange a call with me. When the call happened the conman did an extremely accurate impression of me and spun a big lie about urgently needing a loan while I was trying to mobilise aid in the BVI,” Sir Richard wrote. “They claimed I couldn’t get hold of my bank in the UK because I didn’t have any communications going to Europe and I’d only just managed to make a satellite call to the businessman in America. The business person, incredibly graciously, gave $2 million, which promptly disappeared.”
This particular scam, he wrote, could have been orchestrated by the same individual who attempted to steal money from him six months ago.
In that instance, Sir Richard was contacted by someone pretending to be Secretary of State for Defence Sir Michael Fallon, who asked him to contribute $5 million for the ransom money of a “British diplomat.”
He quickly realised it was a hoax, Sir Richard wrote on his blog, after speaking with the real Sir Michael’s secretary.
Sir Richard noted the prevalence of similar fake aid relief schemes in the aftermath of Irma and Maria and urged readers to stay vigilant.
“I’m very sorry for this incredibly kind man and incredibly grateful that they were willing to help us after the hurricane. If only their money had gone to the people of the BVI, not the conman,” he wrote.
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