Oprah Winfrey is a house-hold name in Africa. She has been able to elevate talk show to an art that others have begun to emulate. Oprah has done for the genre of talk show what talented female pop singers – Millicent Small, Diana Ross, Donna Summer – to mention a few, did for music.
African-Americans have continued to cheer Oprah because she has used her wealth and influence to continue campaigning against racial discrimination and bigotry. Africans at home and abroad who appreciate her stand on such issues have great respect for her. But that is not our take, for now. The super-millionaire talk-show hostess has alerted fans to a financial scam hitting social media that uses her name and photo. And coming from such a woman of substance, the world listens.
In a video posted on her Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts, Winfrey says the imposters are asking for money for signing up for an OWN account on Instagram.
“It’s a fraud, it’s a fraud, it’s a fraud!,” Winfrey says. “Don’t believe it. Don’t give up any of your bank accounts or personal information to anybody posing as me, or anyone else, for that matter. And, have a merry Christmas.”
OWN also issued a statement warning of the fraud scam. “Please be aware that social media accounts promising money using OWN and/or Oprah Winfrey’s Name are false,” the statement reads. “We have notified the social media platforms who are working diligently to deactivate these accounts.”
