Let's get this out of the way: Kevin Costner is not sliding into your DMs asking for money.
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The world-famous actor is not offering you an investment opportunity. He's not converting your gift cards into crypto. He's not stuck in a foreign country and suddenly short on cash. The guy made over $1 million per episode of Yellowstone. He's not about to Venmo you a sob story.
And yet, one woman in Evanston, Illinois, fell for exactly that.
Costner Impersonator
According to the Evanston Police Department, the woman sent about $62,000 to a scammer pretending to be Costner over a six-month stretch. The money wasn't sent via check or wire transfer. Instead, she bought and mailed gift cards -- yes, gift cards -- to the imposter after connecting on Telegram, a messaging app often used by scam operations.
The scammer convinced her that the cards were going toward "investments," and that Costner himself was turning her generosity into crypto magic.
You might be wondering how someone could fall for this. But scammers are calculated. They prey on emotion, trust, and most of all, loneliness.
And in this case, they struck gold.
No Arrests, No Refunds
So, can the victim get her money back? Not likely.
Evanston police told her to contact her credit card companies, but as they noted in a public statement, most gift card purchases can't be reversed unless the buyer wasn't physically present for the transaction. She was.
Their final line? "Due to the nature of the crime, an arrest is highly unlikely."
In other words, the scammer is gone, and so is the money.
Growing Problem
Unfortunately, this isn't a one-time thing. If you think it's rare, think again.
Back in July 2024, a Massachusetts woman sent $350,000 to someone pretending to be country star Vince Gill. Same playbook. Different celebrity.
In fact, these scams have gotten so common that the Federal Trade Commission issued a warning back in 2018. In it, they reminded the public:
"Some celebs do raise money for legitimate causes. But you want to be sure the cause -- and the person asking you to support it -- are real."
They called it what it is: an imposter scam. A person pretending to be someone you trust, trying to take your money.
That includes "celebrities" who suddenly show up in your inbox with financial advice or emergency pleas. It's not real. It's never real. Especially if they say they're Kevin Costner.
