In 2001, Destiny’s Child warned us all: we weren’t “ready for this jelly.” Fast forward 24 years later, and one-third of the group has another not-so-fun warning for her fans.
On Thursday, Kelly Rowland reportedly caught wind of a scam being done in her name, by a shady Instagram account with the username @iam.kellyrowland. The con artist messaged at least one fan while pretending to be Rowland, according to a screenshot the real Rowland shared on Instagram, People reported.
“Hey, this is Kelly Rowland from Destiny’s Child,” the scammer wrote. “I have lost my credit card and need money for a plain ticket so I can fly to your city to perform. Can you send me money?”
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Presumably hoping to cash in on fans’ nostalgic longing for the trio, the scammer sweetened the deal, promising to “bring Beyoncé” along for the ride, People reported.
Then the user replied, “Hello this is Beyoncé,” insinuating that the “Crazy In Love” singer was in on the chat.
In a now-expired Instagram Story, People reported, Rowland took a screenshot of the message and wrote over the text, “Be careful out here!” She also made sure to point out the glaring typo of “plain” and cheekily asked her fans, “And don’t you think I know how to spell “P-L-A-N-E.”
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And just in case anyone was still unsure, she also captioned the screenshot: “FAKE AF!!”
Scammers have been trying this tactic for years, and not just with Rowland. DMs from sketchy fake celebrity accounts are so commonplace that they’ve become something of a meme; screenshots of fake DMs from Lady Gaga, Queen Elizabeth II and Timothée Chalamet have all made the rounds online.
Fans can rest assured that the “Like This” singer has better things to do than DMing random people for cash — such as supporting former bandmate Michelle Williams in her Broadway debut of “Death Becomes Her.”