Scammers Impersonate Terry Gross And Fresh Air
Scammers are using the name of Terry Gross and Fresh Air, heard on WAMU (88.5), weekdays from 1- 2, to target writers, celebrities and other potential guests. According to The Philadelphia Inquirer, comedy writer Bruce Vilanch was recently contacted by someone pretending to be Gross and inviting him to appear on the nationally syndicated public radio program. The emails included interview topics and other details convincing enough that Vilanch initially believed the invitation was legitimate.
The scammer eventually asked Vilanch for money, supposedly to support NPR amid cuts to public broadcasting funding, and later scheduled what appeared to be a virtual Fresh Air interview. Vilanch realized something was wrong when Gross never appeared on the call. WHYY in Philadelphia says it is aware of fraudulent emails impersonating Gross, co host Tonya Mosley and other members of the Fresh Air staff.
WHYY says it never charges guests to appear on its programs and does not pay people to be interviewed. The station says any message asking a prospective guest to pay a fee, or offering payment for an interview while claiming to represent WHYY or Fresh Air, should be considered suspicious. The public broadcaster says it is working with law enforcement on the scams. You can read the article here. (Behind a paywall).
