Kate Henshaw has warned social-media users about an apparent scam involving someone using her identity to make fraudulent requests.
The veteran Nollywood actress took to Instagram to alert her followers after discovering that a phone number was allegedly being used to impersonate her.
In the warning, Henshaw identified the number as belonging to a scammer and urged people to block it rather than engage with the person behind it.
The scam relied on Kate Henshaw's identity
The danger with this type of fraud is not necessarily the celebrity herself.
It is the trust attached to her name.
A scammer who impersonates a recognisable public figure can make an otherwise suspicious message appear legitimate. A victim may assume that a request is genuine simply because the person's name, photograph or identity appears familiar.
In Henshaw's case, the warning centred on a number that she said was impersonating her. Social-media posts connected to the warning also urged people to ignore and report accounts or numbers making requests in her name.
For scammers, impersonating a celebrity provides something money cannot easily buy: instant credibility.
The person receiving a message may already know the celebrity and may therefore lower their guard.
The scammer doesn't necessarily need to convince someone that they are famous. They only need the victim to believe that the message is genuinely coming from that famous person.
That is why seemingly simple requests for money, transfers, assistance or personal information can become dangerous when they come through an account or number pretending to belong to someone trusted.
Kate Henshaw has been vocal about online fraud before
This isn't the first time Henshaw has used her social-media platform to speak about online scams and questionable fundraising.
In February 2025, she urged Nigerians to verify medical fundraising claims before sending money after a viral account of a woman seeking cancer treatment raised concerns about whether donations had been genuinely used for the stated purpose. Henshaw advised people to verify medical claims and, where possible, visit the hospital themselves.
That makes her latest warning consistent with a broader message she has previously shared online: don't let emotion replace verification.
The safest response is verification
A familiar name is not proof of identity.
Neither is a profile photograph.
Neither is a WhatsApp display picture.
And increasingly, even a convincing message can be manufactured or copied.
If someone claiming to be a celebrity asks for money, personal information or a financial transfer, the safest approach is to stop and verify the request through an independently confirmed official account.
Do not use the phone number or contact details supplied by the person making the request to verify their identity.
Instead, go directly to the public figure's verified social-media account or official website and check whether the request has actually been made.
The bigger lesson from Kate Henshaw's warning
Celebrity impersonation is ultimately less about fame than it is about trust.
Scammers borrow identities because people are more likely to respond when they believe the person contacting them is familiar, influential or trustworthy.
Henshaw's warning therefore extends beyond her own followers.
It is a reminder that on social media, recognising a name is not the same thing as verifying a person.
And when money enters the conversation, that distinction can be expensive.
Jaiyeorie takeaway: If a celebrity—or anyone else—contacts you unexpectedly asking for money, assistance or sensitive information, verify the identity independently before responding.
