'Don't use my name': Tillotama Shome exposes impersonation scam using film image

Actor Tillotama Shome has called out an impersonation scam after discovering someone was misusing her identity on WhatsApp to approach people with false requests. The individual allegedly used a still from her Bengali-language film Shadowbox (Baksho Bondi) as their profile picture while pretending to be her.

Shome took to Instagram on Monday to alert her followers, posting a screenshot of the fraudulent account and warning others not to fall for the scam. “This is not my number,” she wrote. “The photo being used as the DP is of our film @bakshobondifilm. It was since removed. To whoever you may be, please don’t use my name to ask the people I know for things. STOP.”

The scam highlights a broader issue of identity theft affecting public figures online. With the growing reliance on messaging apps and social media, impersonation has become an increasingly common method used by scammers to exploit trust and extract favours or information.

Shome, known for her critically acclaimed performances in Delhi Crime, Angrezi Medium, Lust Stories 2, and The Night Manager, recently appeared as a senior police officer in the Amazon Prime series Paatal Lok.