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Online Scammer Posing As Cody Johnson & Chris Young Steals Money From Texas Man With Intellectual Disability
You hate to see this.
We’re really entering into some scary territory when it comes to online scams. Now, with the addition of artificial intelligence into the mix, even the most skeptical people can be bamboozled. And to make matters worse, scammers evidently have no shame whatsoever, and take no issue with targeting the elderly and the mentally disabled.
A Central Texas resident by the name of Anthony McAlfney is one of the latest people to fall victim to an online scam that uses the likeness of country music stars to pull people in. The man, who has an intellectual and developmental disability, told KCEN News that he’s been getting messages from scammers claiming to be Chris Young and Cody Johnson for months.
In typical scammer fashion, the people posing to be the country music stars built trust with McAlfney before asking for personal and sensitive info:
“When I started talking to them, they would ask my age. They would ask for my Social Security information, disability information, bank information.”
McAlfney’s family eventually found out that he had lost money to the scammers (which wasn’t disclosed). They stepped in to help and more closely monitor the Central Texas man’s online activity. Since this has happened, the family and McAlfney himself have advocated for better protections for adults with disabilities who are online.
The moral of the story here is to stay vigilant when it comes scammers in this day and age, and especially keep an eye out on behalf of some loved ones. Scammers often single out lonely, vulnerable people, so if you know someone like that in your life that also happens to be a fan of country music, keep an eye out.
And remember that celebrities aren’t ever going to ask regular people for money, or offer up money with no strings attached. If you think this doesn’t happen often, you’d be wrong. Back in July of 2024, a story about a Massachusetts woman sending a fake Vince Gill over $350,000 went viral.
In an attempt to get ahead of some of these scams, Cody Johnson put out this statement back in July of 2025 warning people to stay alert when being asked to transfer money online, and know that he’d never ask fans for money:
“We’ve been made aware of fake accounts and individuals pretending to be Cody Johnson on social media. Please know Cody Johnson and his team members will NEVER ask you for money, gift cards or personal information—not in messages, comments, on the phone or via text message.
Be suspicious of anyone claiming to be Cody Johnson, or any other public figure, asking for donations, participation in investment opportunities, or exclusive access to Cody Johnson in exchange for money.
Look for verification badges on all social media platforms to be sure you’re following the official Cody Johnson page/profile and be wary of any requests for personal or financial information. Report any and all suspicious accounts or messages to the social media platform directly and consider reporting the incident to relevant authorities like the FTC.”
You can view the news story about this particular, disheartening incident below:
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