Reform UK has warned members not to send donations to a fake Nigel Farage after supporters were defrauded by an online scam.
The party issued an emergency email on Thursday evening after a fraudulent Telegram account bearing Mr Farage’s name told members to donate money to it to become a “VIP member” of the party.
Fraudsters appear to be attempting to take advantage of Reform’s soaring membership, which has risen by nearly two-thirds in two months.
Reform has reported the profile on the online messaging platform to the police and urged any party members who were contacted by it to do the same.
Beware of Scam
“This is a scam and if you or anyone you know have been contacted then please report this to the party who are in contact with the police,” it told members.
The account, which bears the username “Am_Official_Nigel_Farage”, claims to be Mr Farage’s “private profile”.
Reform said the profile had been in contact with at least one member before being identified and reported.
“We have been made aware of attempts to defraud members of the public including party members on the messaging platform Telegram,” the email sent to members read.
“If you use this app please beware of attempts under the guise of our leader ‘Nigel Farage MP’ to contact you and ask you to make a donation in order to become a ‘VIP member’.”
Four Million Votes
It added: “At present we are only aware that this scammer is working on Telegram, however we are acutely aware that they could be operating on various other social media and messaging platforms.”
Reform reached a total of 65,000 members on July 7, just days after it won four million votes and five seats in the Commons at the election.
The party has vowed to “professionalise” and establish branches nationwide in a bid to capitalise on its breakthrough into Parliament.
Nigel Farage ousted his two deputy leaders, Ben Habib and Dr David Bull, on Thursday, merging their roles and appointing former leader Richard Tice in their place.
Zia Yusuf, an entrepreneur who was the party’s biggest donor during the election campaign, has become party chairman, while Lee Anderson is now chief whip.
Gawain Towler, Reform’s spokesman, said that the “criminal fraudulent endeavour” demanded members pay £200 to become VIPs.
“We have informed the entire supporters base of Reform UK that somebody pretending to be a private Telegram account of Nigel Farage is trying to scam people out of £200 in order to become members of what they claim is a VIP membership organisation,”
Mr Towler said. “This is a criminal fraudulent endeavour and we are getting in touch with Telegram and the police to have it shut down. We have not heard of anybody falling for the scam, but it does well to be vigilant.”