According to a report from 2025, nearly 73.5% of American adults have been victims of online scams, with the FBI estimating total losses of $16.6B in 2024. And the latest victim of the impersonation scam in the golf world is Hannah Gregg. She shared a picture of a fake X account in her name and pleaded with her fans to take action by reporting it for scam/impersonation. The account, as of now, has been suspended. The entire thing may sound innocuous in theory, but it has hurt pros and their fans several times.

Last season, Nelly Korda raised this issue, sharing that she’d never ask fans for their money and that any outreach on her behalf is fake and run by scammers. A few months later, in August, Jennifer Kupcho shared a similar warning via her official Instagram account, warning fans of a scammer. The account spotlighted by Kupcho no longer exists.

However, this type of behavior is not a recent phenomenon. In 2023, for instance, LPGA pro Danielle Kang shared a “creepy” conversation between a scammer and one of her fans, pointing out that the scammer had been using AI and Photoshop to make everything look real. She also said she’s never messaged anyone via a “personal” account.

In 2024, a man in his 60s traveled to the Mizuho Americas Open to meet Zhang, informing the staff that Zhang had booked both a VIP package and a hotel room for him. They have been communicating for over a year, during which he sent her some $70,000. It wasn’t Zhang he was talking to.

Another 68-year-old man lost some $50,000 and traveled from Asia to the United States, believing he was going to get married to pro In Gee Chun. In another incident, a man showed up at the home of golf influencer Hailey Ostrom after losing $50,000 to a scam. But the LPGA pros aren’t the only target.

Popular journalists like Amanda Balionis and social media influencers like Paige Spiranac have often faced similar problems.

This is roughly how the scam goes. As a fan of a particular golfer, you naturally aspire to engage with them, whether through online or offline interactions. So, scam accounts impersonating those pros reach out and start a conversation. These scammers then move the conversation to platforms like WhatsApp to avoid getting caught and offer a chance to meet the pros in real life, in return for money. Often, these payments are made via untraceable payment methods.

The big cryptocurrency scam that bugged Graeme McDowell

“Apologies for the crypto Cybertruck tweet that came from my account. I got hacked. Be careful of suspicious DMs asking you to vote on podcasts or the like. Got one from one of my friends that seemed legit,” wrote Graeme McDowell on his official X account soon after regaining control of it.

McDowell’s account had been hacked, with the scammer (impersonating McDowell) endorsing the advantages of crypto trading. For most of his 600,000+ followers, the message sounded legit, with the post receiving plenty of interactions before McDowell finally got to take it down.

But he is hardly the only pro to face it. Nosfertu, the Official World Golf Rankings (OWGR) guru, faced a similar problem.

So did TGL’s Los Angeles Golf Club, which had to issue a warning after a scammer promised a giveaway prize in its name. Indeed, organizations have been impersonated as well. Back in 2017, the USGA tackled a scam that was targeting college students. The students received emails with “.edu” extensions, promising them money in exchange for personal information for a chance to work at the 2018 U.S. Open.