We love feeling close to our favorite athletes, and smartphones are the easiest way to achieve that. After all, it feels so special when they reply or share a personal photo. But this digital closeness can be harmful. Golf is witnessing a growing trend of online scams, and pros are raising awareness about it regularly. The most recent one to fight the digital ghost is Danielle Kang.

“ONCE AGAIN… I DO NOT HAVE FACEBOOK. DO NOT. NOT. NO FACEBOOK,” Kang wrote on her Instagram story, as she wanted to make sure nobody fell for the dangerous trap. “I can’t shut that person down, so if you can report it, I’d appreciate it.”

A fake Facebook page, mimicking her real life, exists, and it has 17,000 followers. This imposter recently posted a tempting job offer for a personal assistant with a salary of $1,400 every single week to workers.

“I’m looking for a personal assistant. This will be a $1,400 weekly position, and I’m accepting interest for both part-time and full-time roles. If you or someone you know is reliable, organized, and looking for an opportunity, please comment “YES”* to be added to the list for enrollment and details,” the post read.

Now, we all know Kang isn’t alone in this battle. Charley Hull has time and again warned fans of her fake accounts. Just recently, she posted a photo from her car with a serious warning: “I DO NOT HAVE A TIKTOK ACCOUNT. They are all FAKE! Please REPORT.” This wasn’t her first time either.

In December 2024, when a scammer exploited a fan, she warned the community through social media. “I mentioned this a few weeks ago, but after an incident at a tournament recently, I feel the need to speak out again. I will never ask for money or gift cards in exchange for meet and greets or fan club membership. These clubs are fake and run by scammers. My team and I only use my official social media accounts, @charley.hull (Instagram), @hullcharley (X) at ALL times, there are no exceptions. I am not on TikTok. There are SO many fake accounts out there claiming to be me. If you contact them please please report. Let’s stick together so we can beat the scammers.”

And the worst thing is, these two stars are just the tip of a massive iceberg.

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The digital trap is catching more than just a few victims

#2 Nelly Korda deals with nearly twenty fake accounts daily. The Athletic even proved this by creating a fake fan named “Rodney.” A scammer messaged “Rodney” within twenty minutes pretending to be Korda. They even used AI-altered videos to trick him into sending money. Korda feels, “It’s been taken out of my hands to be able to communicate freely with fans. Because I don’t really know their intentions.”

The situation with Rose Zhang is even more heartbreaking and costly.

A Pennsylvania man in his sixties drove hours to meet her personally at Liberty National Golf Club in Jersey City for the Mizuho Americas Open. He thought Zhang had left a VIP package for him and booked him a hotel room. He told Zhang’s team he spent $70,000 on the relationship. And it was a lie. Zhang had no idea who he was. A man even traveled from Asia to a tournament in the United States in the same manner. South Korean golfer In Gee Chun also faced some incidents when a 68-year-old man from California attended several tournaments to see her and spent $50,000.

Michelle Wie West has screamed about this for years and constantly reminds fans that she only has one verified account. Jennifer Kupcho also shared a screenshot of a fake profile recently and begged people to ignore messages from anyone posing as her. The 2022 Chevron Championship winner warned, “This is not me. I’ve reported it, but if this person messages you, please ignore and report!🙏 Just a reminder, this is my only account!!”

Golf influencer Paige Spiranac deals with this nightmare regularly.

And this digital plague attacks stars in every single major sport today. A scammer used AI to clone Lewis Hamilton’s voice and sent voice notes to a fan asking for money. Tennis legend Rafael Nadal faced a deepfake video scandal as well. Carlos Alcaraz also had to warn his fans about similar traps. Even Tom Brady has thousands of fake crypto profiles using his face.