Protecting Yourself Online: Insights from Ashley Wineland on Avoiding Scammers

Between Me & You, nothing gives me a bigger headache than the persisting and ever-evolving issue of scammers. This is why I hope to educate you on the problem and answer some of the questions left in my comments every single day.

What are the Real Ashley Wineland Pages

Here are a few special things to note:

1. I do not have any private or personal pages on social media. I only have 1 active page per platform.

2. I have one officially sanctioned Fan Group on Facebook: Winelander’s United

3. This page’s admin is Ms. Kiki, who is a member of my team. She oversees the screening process to get into this group.

4. Ms. Kiki frequently posts on old and new scams as we learn about them to keep you aware.

I am blue checkmark verified on: Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and Youtube.

1. I have an official TikTok: @AshleyWineland that is not yet verified. Tiktok has strict guidelines for verification that I am working on meeting to secure this

What Are The Red Flags to Look For in Scammers

There are many red flags and warning signs to look out for. Here are a few tips and pieces of information to help you discern between me and a scammer.

• I, Ashley Wineland, do NOT privately message, call, or text with anyone. All communications done via email or through social media are screened and handled by my team. We implemented a no private message or cellphone interaction policy years ago to help others know the difference between a scammer and the real team/Ashley. Scammers want to get your communication into a private forum so they can capture your information and take advantage of you.

• I, Ashley Wineland, do NOT hang out, visit, or talk with individuals outside my familial circle or business setting. We get many inquiries about people wanting to meet with me in a private setting. Engaging in those practices is a major issue for my safety and well-being. Scammers love to promise these exclusive experiences to manipulate you emotionally into giving out information or to pay for these experiences

• I, Ashley Wineland, do NOT engage individuals online in pursuit of romantic or sexually entertaining relationships.

• I am not on social media to engage in these types of exchanges with people. I am on social media to promote and grow my career as a country music singer/songwriter. My community exists as a common ground for those who enjoy my music and want to help support my career.

• I, Ashley Wineland, or any members of my team will never directly reach out to you to ask for money to be a part of a private Skype call, be in a music video, get VIP passes, or access to the Fanclub. If you are offered any sort of opportunity like this, it is a scam.

• Scammer Profiles will look like:

• Misspelled user names

• Messages written in Broken/Improper English

• Random selection or minimal use of videos/photos from various years

• They will ask to follow you or ask you to “friend” them on social media so they can get to know you better.

• There is a specific kind of scammer I frequently see: Bots. They will typically be profiles with pictures of attractive, younger women, with random names, who will respond to a comment or DM you asking for a friend request/follow so they can get to know you better. Do not engage with these accounts and please report them, as they are scammers too.

What to do if You Encounter or Get Defrauded by a Scam

Firstly, I do not want you to be hard on yourself! Scammers are extremely devious and are constantly coming up with new ways to take advantage of people in order to gain money or steal identities.

Here are some action steps for you to follow:

1. DO NOT engage with the profile. Do not answer any messages, comments, etc.. If you have already held conversation with them, STOP RIGHT AWAY.

2. As soon as you know it is a scam, please report it to the website or app you found it on.

3. In the instance you have lost money or have experienced identity theft, immediately report the crime to your local authorities and contact your banks and other sources at risk from the scam. These are the individuals that CAN help you in these situations.

This unfortunate problem is one that many folks in the public eye are experiencing. From major celebrities to internet personalities, and everyone in between, there are countless operations and bots pretending to be them and flooding the internet in all spaces to try and take advantage of people who follow them. As technology evolves, so does the capability for these types of crimes to grow and become more believable.

I pray that everyone in my community is aware that the level of scammers is out of my control, and that my lack of control over the crisis is not a reflection of my level of care for my community. I created this post as a resource to protect you and everyone else in our online space. It breaks my heart to read the number of people who got lied to and taken advantage of all because they enjoyed my music and wanted to connect with me further.

In the instance you want to support me, the best ways to support my career are by engaging with my social media posts, joining my fan club, buying or streaming my music, purchasing official merchandise through my website or at shows, coming to see my live performances, and using the gift features during live streams to show your support financially.

I cherish you deeply and want to thank you for taking the time to educate yourself on this topic so you and our community can be safe and continue to enjoy our space online together.