Duane “Dog” Chapman and his team once again warned fans about fake social media accounts using the Dog the Bounty Hunter star’s image. Earlier this month, his team shared a screenshot of an account claiming to be for “selected fans only,” but was actually run by an impostor. As a popular reality TV star, Chapman’s image has been used often by scammers, forcing him and his team to frequently remind fans that Chapman has just one official Instagram page.
Back on Oct. 16, Chapman’s team posted a screenshot of an account called “duanedogchapman657.” It was a private account and claimed to be a “new reach out page” exclusively for only some Chapman fans. It was not real though. “ATTENTION PLEASE. Fake alert,” Chapman’s team wrote. “Again, please be aware of fake accounts. Dog ONLY uses the verified account @duanedogchapman. We have no private our public outreach accounts, no private accounts at all. We have no reach out pages.”
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Chapman’s reps noted that some scammers are asking for fees and gift cards, which they will never ask for. They asked fans to be vigilant and report these fake pages to Instagram. Some fans shared their own experience with the fake pages and hoped Chapman himself would get involved in tracking the scammers down. “Ooohh y’all better not make impersonating accounts or else the Dog is gonna track you down,” one person wrote.
The Dog’s Most Wanted star has been at the center of so many scams in the past few years that these kinds of warnings from his team have become commonplace. In November 2019, his team even exposed a Facebook scammer who was using a fake Colorado ID card with Chapman’s image on it. “Dog will never ever contact you directly on Facebook nor ask you for money, gift cards, or anything else,” his reps said at the time.
There have also been fake reports Chapman has been forced to clear up. In November 2019, there was a fake rumor about Chapman’s death, but he was very much alive. He even shared a photo with TMZ showing himself holding a new copy of The Denver Post with a piece of paper reading, “I’m alive.” The rumor started after a fake report he did not survive a heart attack went viral on Facebook. The rumor continued to circulate to the point that Chapman had to tweet, “PLEASE STOP PAYING ATTENTION TO THE FAKE POSTS ABOUT MY DEATH. I LOVE YOU ALL.”
After Beth Chapman died last year, the Chapman family also had to tell fans to be wary of unauthorized merchandise with Beth’s image on it. “Any t-shirts with Beth’s likeness not from thebountystore.com is not authorized,” Chapman told fans. “Please do not buy these t-shirts, please report these ads and tag Bonnie if you see them.”