Earlier this year, a story made the rounds about a 72-year-old Outlander fan who was scammed out of nearly $13,000 and her engagement ring by someone pretending to be Sam Heughan, who plays Jamie Fraser on Starz's time-traveling romance epic. Heughan has cautioned fans before to be wary of these sorts of schemes, which have been going on for a while; apparently impersonating Heughan is a popular tactic. “Please be careful on social media. So many scammers," he wrote on his Instagram Story this week, according to The Daily Record. “I will never reach out or message on Instagram/Twitter/WhatsApp/Google hangout/etc Or ask for money. If it’s not verified it’s not me. No will my agent/family/publicist etc… Or Telegram!”
Heughan has posted this same message in years past, but with new episodes of Outlander coming out later this month, it bears repeating. He also shared a screenshot of a message from a scammer calling themselves Sebrina. “Hello, It is an honor to reach out to you on behalf of Sir Sam Heughan, who has personally recognized your exceptional dedication and enthusiasm as a fan," the message reads. "As a gesture of his sincere appreciation for your unwavering support, he is extending to you a rare and meaningful opportunity to engage in a personal dialogue with him.” Obviously, the scammer wanted the mark to act "as soon as possible" and ended by thanking them for "your longstanding support, "which means so much to both Sir Sam Heughan and the entire team.”
Heughan's helpfully superimposed the word "FAKE' over a screenshot of the message. “And not very bright…” he added.
Richard Rankin (Roger) thinks fans will "love" the second half of Outlander season 7
So if someone messages you claiming to be Sam Heughan, know that it's not real. But if someone messages you claiming to be Richard Rankin, who plays Jamie's son-in-law Roger, that's probably legit.
Not really, obviously. But speaking of Rankin, the actor talked to TV Insider about recently wrapping on the eighth and final season of Outlander, which has left a hole in his schedule and his life. "It was such a big part of our lives for up to a decade. It has always been this constant," he said. "We don’t really question it until it’s gone. Now that it is gone, it feels missing in a weird way. I think it feels strange. It’s like part of you isn’t there anymore. I don’t think it has sunk in yet for many of us because we’ve always had to go back to it. Now it’s not going to be there again. It leaves a void I’m sure we’ll feel. It leaves the potential for other things. Without sounding cliche, it really does lead to a new chapter for me. We film that show for nine or 10 months out of the year. Sometimes the whole year. That has happened. That leaves you with little time to do other things. Maybe six or five-episode miniseries or theater work, but you are primarily engaged in that show. There is not the prospect of going out and doing another big show."
But we don't need to talk about the eighth season just yet; right now, fans are looking forward to the second half of season 7, which premieres on Starz on Friday, November 22. "I think the second half is some of the best Outlander has ever been," Rankin said. "I think a lot is going on. I think all of our storylines see the characters on great big adventures. I think fans are going to love it."
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