On April 29, on the show LE IENE, a report was aired that once again took stock of the situation of FAKE PROFILES that take advantage of unsuspecting people to take MONEY from them.
The report is hosted by Veronica Ruggeri and Piero Barone is involved in the scam!!
Even though with great regret, because these things MUST NOT happen, I firmly publish this video because we must disseminate these SCAMS as much as possible in order to alert as many people as possible!!!
Thanks to LE IENE for their excellent service!
MAN= She still believes that he is the real Piero Barone, he made her all kinds of promises.
AMALIA= I have definitely spoken to him, I am absolutely convinced.
VERONICA= This sweet lady is called Amalia, she is 78 years old and lives in Palermo (Sicily) and for 6 months she has been convinced that she is the girlfriend of Piero who is 31 years old and is a famous singer all over the world. (in the video: Piero singing Grande Amore)
Yes, Piero Barone from Il Volo.
AMALIA= You are the right woman for me (phrase that the fake Piero allegedly said to her).
MAN= “Auntie, look, Piero Barone is young, he has money and will NEVER ask for money”…….but we can’t convince her!
VERONICA= Mrs. Amalia is the victim of an emotional or romantic-sentimental scam as one might say, one of those scams that have become increasingly widespread in recent years, which first strike the HEART and then empty the WALLET.
Mrs. Amalia has been a widow for 9 years now and since she lost her beloved husband she has not had a partner in her life.
MAN= No, no, nothing, she has always been faithful, very faithful.
VERONICA= At a certain point what happens?
MAN= We saw that the aunt was posting videos of Piero Barone…..
VERONICA= Several videos, and not because she is just a fan, but because a FAKE profile that pretends to be Piero Barone, this one (the profile in the photo), hooked her up 6 months ago and since then she has been convinced she is messaging the famous singer every day.
In fact, listen to how she talks about him on the phone with a dear friend of hers:
AMALIA= “He’s so polite, he’s ashamed, I swear to you….”
MAN= He promised to take her to America to some of his concerts.
AMALIA= He takes me on tour with him.
MAN= And he makes her understand that a certain type of relationship can be established, even a sentimental one.
AMALIA= He wants to marry me one day.
AMALIA ‘S FRIEND (on the phone) = With all the women he has, does he prefer someone like you?”
AMALIA= Because girls are only looking for money, he told me.
MAN= He even suggested phone sex.
AMALIA= He wants to make love, he wants to have sex.
VERONICA= And when friends and family, who luckily Amalia immediately confided in, tried to open her eyes…..
MAN= Auntie, you see that it’s FALSE!!
VERONICA= She reacted like this:
MAN= No, it’s true!
AMALIA= I’m sure it’s him, 100%.
AMALIA’S FRIEND (on the phone) = Amalia, let’s not get our hopes up about all these things.
BE CAREFUL!!
AMALIA = At this point, I have nothing to lose.
VERONICA = Instead, she has lost, indeed! Because the person behind this FAKE profile is a professional scammer who did all this just to get money from her.
MAN = Her children saw these transfers and asked her: Mom, what are you doing?
And she: I’m making payments to Piero Barone because he wants to invite me to one of his concerts, I have to make payments because he has to give me the VIP CARD.
VERONICA = Obviously there is no VIP CARD, but Mrs. Amalia doesn’t know this and agrees to pay.
MAN= More than 2,000 euros (about 2,000 dollars) the last payments were made two days ago of 30 euros each…
VERONICA= For a lady who lives only on her pension.
MAN= She lives on her pension. Let’s say it’s a criminal organization.
VERONICA= A criminal organization that with only the smartphone and writing with the help of automatic translators, deceives and defrauds hundreds, thousands of people all over the world every day.
MAN= Even the tobacconist told her: “Madam, don’t make these payments, they’re fake.”
There was no reason, she goes to the tobacconist at 8:40 in the morning and it’s the first thought she has in the morning.
VERONICA= She’s really in love!
MAN= She’s in love.
VERONICA= And it’s no coincidence that the victims are often people who are a bit lonely.
MAN= She has our affection, maybe she misses what Piero Barone FALSE is making her relive, from when she was young.
VERONICA= But she just can’t go on like this.
MAN= The only attempt that can be made is to have her video call the real Piero Barone, because only he can dismantle this thing, no one else can do it. It’s the only hope.
VERONICA= First of all, let’s get some sweets for Amalia, also to make the revelation that awaits her less bitter in some way.
How these things make me nervous, to death.
(Veronica and the television crew enter Amalia’s house)
MAN= Auntie, let me introduce you to a friend of mine, her name is Veronica.
VERONICA= Hi, nice to meet you, I’m Veronica, I brought her some sweets.
AMALIA= There was no need!
VERONICA= Of course not, come on!
Amalia gets the tablecloth…..
I’ll help her then….
AMALIA= There’s no need, don’t worry.
Eh old age….
VERONICA= Old age? How old is she?
AMALIA= 7 – 8.
VERONICA= 78 years old, but still in great shape.
AMALIA= Well, anyway!
VERONICA= We explain to her that we are there because her family, a large and beautiful family, is a little worried about her.
Do you know why?
She immediately anticipates us:
AMALIA= Anyway, I blocked everything.
VERONICA= She claims to have already blocked the numbers of the FAKE Piero Barone, but only to make her children and grandchildren happy.
AMALIA= I am convinced that I definitely spoke to him, I am absolutely convinced of it.
VERONICA= Often children and grandchildren do not know how to help, because when a person is experiencing love, it is difficult to make them understand that this story can hurt them so much.
Were you in love?
AMALIA= Yes! I say it!
VERONICA= But this is beautiful.
AMALIA= I’m telling the truth.
VERONICA= What did this person here tell you?
AMALIA= That he loved me, that he wanted to take me to his country, he wanted to take me to Paris, he made me go with him to concerts and he made me go on stage.
VERONICA= Behind all these dreams there are constant requests for money.
When was the last time you gave him money?
AMALIA= Last week, maybe. Lately he wanted to make me a passport and so I had to pay for this passport.
VERONICA= But to go where?
AMALIA= To Paris.
VERONICA= To visit him during a concert?
AMALIA= No, no, with him.
VERONICA= The romantic getaway??
AMALIA= Yes, yes!
VERONICA= You liked the young man, huh?
AMALIA= Eh, yes!
VERONICA= You understood!!
Also because he told her:
AMALIA= “I want to marry an older woman because she gives me more love, you are the right woman for me!”
VERONICA= But fortunately Mrs. Amalia does have some doubts about this whole story.
AMALIA= Also because he made me so many promises but didn’t keep them.
VERONICA= What promises did he make you?
AMALIA= That he came here, he came to Palermo and he had to come to me. He didn’t come because he always wanted money.
VERONICA= But do you think Piero Barone needs our money??
AMALIA= No! In fact I even told him: “You send it to me!”
VERONICA= Good!! Good.
The attitude seems right to us and so the time has come.
Now I have a surprise for you!
Amalia has already understood everything and in fact laughs and worries about making a good impression.
AMALIA= If I had known, I would have put a nicer tablecloth! (laughter)
VERONICA= Everything is ready, all we have to do is call Piero Barone, the real one, the only one who can really convince Amalia once and for all to stop wasting time and money on those SCAMMERS. (The video call with Piero begins.)
PIERO= Veronica!?
VERONICA= Hello!
PIERO= How are you?
VERONICA= I’m very well, I’m here with a friend of mine, her name is Amalia.
PIERO= Hi Amalia! Nice to meet you.
AMALIA= Hi Piero, nice to meet you.
VERONICA= Amalia, since last October, has been writing to a person who says they are you, so since October she’s been convinced she’s in a relationship with you.
PIERO= Wow! So, I know about these things.
It’s something that unfortunately has been going around a lot lately, IT’S ONLY PEOPLE WHO PRETEND, WHO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF OTHER PEOPLE’S KINDNESS, we don’t write to anyone on Instagram, we don’t contact anyone. Our job is something else, we just have to sing.
VERONICA= He told you that you were going to one of their concerts, and where?
AMALIA= Yes, of course, everywhere he went.
Where you went (she turns to Piero), I went with you.
PIERO= But madam, I have the other two (Gianluca and Ignazio) that I have to take with me, there’s no room on the plane (laughter).
But where are you from, madam, let me understand.
AMALIA= Palermo.
PIERO= Ah, she’s Sicilian like me.
AMALIA= Yes, yes.
PIERO= Now we know each other.
AMALIA= Indeed!
VERONICA= Piero, don’t give her any hope because I’ll come and get you!! (laughter)
PIERO= Let’s look on the bright side, Mrs. Amalia, we understood that it’s a scam, I hope you didn’t spend a lot of money, but I’ll take advantage of this to officially invite you and your family to one of our concerts.
VERONICA= For real this time, eh!
AMALIA= Look how many of us there are (the video shows all the relatives who are there listening – laughter)
RELATIVES= Hello!
PIERO= I take back what I said! (laughter).
VERONICA= Amalia seems to have taken it very well, but when we hang up, she gets a little emotional.
Does it make you want to cry?
AMALIA= Yes!
VERONICA= My love. (they hug each other)
AMALIA= Of course, I feel bad, because I hoped it was really him, never mind!
VERONICA= What did you like about him?
AMALIA= Everything! He spoke to me tenderly, very sweetly.
VERONICA= It’s right to look for it and want love.
AMALIA= I found it with my husband!
VERONICA= Exactly.
Loving again, dear Amalia, is possible indeed, even at 78 years old.
So if it happens to you again, if ALBANO writes to you, I’ll name you at random, first go to your nieces and ask if it’s the real ALBANO or the fake ALBANO?
We need to be careful about this.
Are you calm now?
AMALIA= Yes, of course.
VERONICA= Didn’t I hurt you by telling you this?
AMALIA= No, no. In fact, you helped me feel better.
VERONICA= How sweet! Can we eat now or have you lost your hunger?
AMALIA= While I was with him, I wasn’t hungry.
VERONICA= Weren’t you hungry?
AMALIA= I was stuck.
VERONICA = It was love, of course!
Also ACTA, Associazione Contro Truffe Affettive (Association Against Affective Fraud), and Lotta al Cybercrime, took an interest in the case, publishing the video from LE IENE, with this comment:
AMALIA at Le IENE: LOVE HAS NO AGE—> Amalia, a seventy-eight-year-old woman, has been believing for six months that she is the girlfriend of Il Volo singer Piero Barone.
Congratulations to Veronica Ruggeri who with empathy and simplicity makes Amalia understand that she has been yet another victim of an emotional scam by making her speak to the real Piero Barone. Veronica Ruggeri is an example to be imitated by those relatives of victims who act with arrogance, thus making the victim close up like a hedgehog. Amalia has been subjected to hypnotic manipulation and certainly does not need that arrogant and judgmental attitude that so many superficial people have.
This matter is really incredible, but unfortunately we know well that every day many people are enticed by these FAKE PROFILES who promise affection and kindness, to send MONEY.
Please be careful, none of Il Volo or their staff or their families need our MONEY, this is interesting for the FAKE PEOPLE who pass themselves off as them!!!!
Just before the Easter holidays, our editorial team received an email (another one unfortunately) from a kind fan who was scammed. We asked her if we could publish her email, here it is!!
April 13, 2025
TO: Il Volo Staff
I experienced this fake profile of Piero and his so-called manager. Both were asking me for money. One wanted iTunes cards. And the other one wanted $10,000 to meet with Piero, so he could stay with me for a month. Of course, in between his concerts. There were so many red flags. The only problem is, I did send iTunes cards.
The only time he’d get upset was when I said, no, I’m not sending you anymore cards. Otherwise, he would over-do the “I love yous “.
He sent many, many photos of Piero and some of his family and ones of his many cars, etc., those kind of things you can get right from the Internet, which he probably didn’t realize I knew. I was a fool but I learned my lesson. This all started when I sent a message on Instagram to Piero, expressing how much I loved the Trio. I was probably only on Instagram for a month. I never really followed Il Volo before. Then I got caught up in a fake. This all started around March 30 through March 31 and I just ended it on April 13, 2025. I told him I want my money back and I’m going to report him.
Piero even sent a video (or who I thought was him at the time) – it had his exact face and voice saying he would never hurt me or do anything to me, I love you. The face was Piero. But, It had to be AI (Artificial Intelligence).
Today, April 13, 2025, I received a voice message, and he said he loves me, and, I could immediately tell it definitely was not Piero. I could tell the difference. This man was trying to act like Piero!
He said my VIP card was in the mail but it never arrived.
He also sent me gifts of: a framed photo of Piero & I, a t-shirt with a picture of Piero & I, and a stuffed pink teddy bear. I received these items on the 12th of April. I did not go for that. I told him that the real Piero Barone would never have time for all this. Is there anything I can do to report this? Federal Trade Commission??
These people owe me approximately $6000-$7000 in iTunes cards, which I know I won’t get back.
Thank you for your time. I know this not Il Volo’s fault. I just wanted people to be aware. I am a widow and he took advantage of me.
Sincerely: Deborah.
Dear Deborah, we are all on your side, we are very sorry for what happened to you, luckily you realized the deception!!!
Thank you for sending this testimony of yours and for allowing us to publish it, I hope it can help to pay more attention to the trust that is often stolen by these shady individuals.
Be smart, open your eyes.
Piero, Ignazio and Gianluca do not answer any fans and above all they do not ask for money!!
There are no words for these despicable actions, the internet can be dangerous, so only trust serious and well-known sites or pages.
BEWARE of those who offer you private contact.
Trust is very important and should only be given to serious people.
A hug to all of you!!
Daniela 🤗
Credit to owners of all photos and videos.
Honestly, I couldn’t bear to read this all the way through. These are three guys who do nothing but bring music into our lives and whose kindness is legendary. It’s so twisted to take that reputation and use it to scam people. It makes me so angry I had better not say what I think of the horrible criminals who get away with it.
Leider gibt es mehr als 1200 Fakeprofile von IL Volo, also von Gianluca, Piero und Ignazio, vor allem von Piero weil er Single ist.
Think about me too Jill, I’m angry at having to repeat endlessly that those scammers are not Piero, Gianluca and Ignazio, but if this can serve to warn some fans, let’s do it.
Good morning Daniela I’ve read this article probably three or four times sent it on to several people. I don’t know what it is about us as we get older. We want to believe that our dreams can come true. I think we wanna believe that for once in our life, we are special to someone as well. When the only person we really need to be special to is our self we need to believe in ourselves, we need to find joy in ourselves, listening to their music and I do every day I start my day off with it. That’s when I get my housework done. It’s loud and proud and blaring through my house. I love to watch their videos at night And I enjoy reading about where they’ve been what they’re doing so much and I think about the time when I was scammed, I think we all need to find something better to do with our lives now I’m delivering meals some wheels. I’m also working as a mentor to kids at school. Anything to keep my mind active and busy and not think about these crazy scammers because they come out of the woodwork Unfortunately I think we’re gonna have to run these articles and Ignacio‘s video where he asked people please don’t send us money just give us your love over and over again because when they get rid of some of them more come out of the woodwork and more people are now learning to love the guys Only way to protect everybody is to let them know these guys don’t talk to us so sending love, blessings and thank you for putting that article out and I will continue to try and tell people their scammers as well. I hope you have a wonderful day and a wonderful day and let’s cheer the guys honest as they continue on this crazy schedule of theirs Happy Il Volo music to everybody
Liebe Cindi, leider folgen mehrere Fans den Fakeaccounts, obwohl sie wissen, dass es Betrüger sind. Sie sagen, es macht ihnen Spaß. Ich kann das nicht verstehen. Ich blockiere alle Freundschaftsanfragen von den falschen IL Volo
Thank you very much Cindi and Daniela too. Trying to keep us safe.
Thank you again and IL VOLO FOREVER AND IL VOLO FLIGHT CREW TOO !!!
Linda-Pittsburgh
I agree Jill. I lost my husband 71/2 yrs ago and in 2022, still grieving, I was approached by “Gianluca” who was sweet, loving, thoughtful to me and offered me affection I was missing since Charlie had past. I sent gift cards and iTunes cards to the tune of about $2,000! W hen my kids started to check on FB and INSTAGRAM, they hit suspicious of what might be happening. My son is a musician and he gently told me that he was fake, that there was no way someone so successful was asking me for money….first for my” VIP CARD” and then because he wanted to visit me! My girls got involved then my grand children…. Was a mess, they were livid with Gian to the point if not ever wanting to listen to or watch them. They were all very tender with me and I was a MESS.
This is a horrible crime and believe we widows are prey for them. I was also 78 at the time! They must have script and follow the guys closely because they are very convincing. My advice to these women would be to stop FB & INSTAGRAM COMMENTING UNLESS YOU CAN BE SURE ITS THEM! it’s tricky because the blue check can be purchased by anyone…. Don’t know how but apparently it can be done!
Be vigilant, I lost money and my pride (for awhile) and felt like a fool……don’t let it happen to any of you!! Carol 🤬🤯😳
Carol, my story is a copy of yours! As I look back on that part of my life, I can not believe how stupid I was! My work experience was 30+ years in banking and I broke every rule in the books, just to send money to scammers! Never for a second did I question WHY… I came so close to losing my daughters love, respect and to this day it still hurts, but it is my cross to bare! Originally I thought I could never talk about the experience! Now I tell everyone as the more people know about these creeps, hopefully it will save someone from making our mistakes! Enough said, now onto OUR BOYS ! Love them to bits and I thank my lucky stars to have seen them in person! I will see them again, don’t know where or when but it will happen!
Hugs and love
I am still hoping they will come to the UK this year, but it doesn’t look very likely. 🙁
The scammers say the same to everyone, where are u from ? How long have you been my fan. I’m the real Gianluca etc.
Now so predictable.
It makes me sad and angry.
I doubt they will come to the Uk this year as they are full on with concerts through Europe after S. America. I just hope 🙏 that they visit Uk next year for more than one night. We don’t seem as popular as the US or others.
It’s not enough just to see on videos.
Let’s hope.
Fenella x
So sorry to read this Carol. It’s so upsetting, when I read about you and the sweet Italian lady Amelia. How can these people live with themselves. I have had fakes asking me for my WhatsApp details and asked for money and said I wouldn’t be able to to concerts unless I paid etc but fortunately I didnt fall for it.
I hope that these people will be found.
Il Volo are too nice to do these things.
Warm wishes Fenella a big fan. Xx
The trouble is it isn’t just a few, it is hundreds, possibly thousands of them. They work for gangs and are taken to what amounts to a lock-up shop. In a way they too have been scammed after being offered a very good job, blah, blah, blah. What happens in reality is that if they don’t earn a certain amount of money they are beaten.
Poverty is rife in Nigeria, which is where the scams began originally. Not just Il Volo or other well known people either.
Scams come in many guises. For instance there is the “Hi mum I’m using someone else’s mobile as I have lost/broken mine. Can you send me £3,000 (or whatever) to buy a new one?”. There is the phone scams where they pretend to be from Amazon and need to have access to your computer for various reasons.
There are others from Inland Revenue regarding a problem with tax. Others where they ask you to transfer money to another account as your account has been compromised.
I have a funny story about the latter. Just before Christmas I bought two gold sovereigns. The cost was roughly £1028. Now bear in mind I have bought from this company several times before, so I knew they could be trusted with my hard earned cash. But nope, my bank wasn’t happy, I had to practically jump through hoops before they would let me purchase my gold. Not that I blame them, but I would have thought that particular company would have been on the ‘good guys’ list, not as a potential scammer!
Yes I know, there are so many scams, I have several trying with even deliveries which I haven’t even ordered. We have a TV licence saying they have lost my bank details. It’s becoming a nightmare.
But fortunately I’m aware now.
As long as we are aware. Social media isnt fun at all. But that’s life now.
Thank you for your story.
Fenella x
Fenella, unfortunately these people have no scruples and there is nothing that stops them, so we ourselves must raise the alarm as much as possible.
Absolutely i agree. The fakes seem to know who is vulnerable and elderly, which does upset me. I’m not too elderly and fortunately I can deal with it.
Thank you again and warm wishes Daniela.x
They do have a script Carol. I could read it to you word for word.
Hi, how are you?
What is your name and where do you come from?
How long have you been a fan of mine? Note the mine, not ours.
Sometimes they are very quick of the mark in asking for money. In the beginning it was a phone card, then something was broken and needed repairing instantly. Followed by the VIP card. Oh and we must not forget the fake ID’s.
I could write a book on scammers.
There are so many Roz, and they are very sneaky, they look for your emotional key and when they find it (that is, you have taken the bait) they no longer let go of their prey.
Then there are infinite scams also with people who call you pretending to be the police or trusted people, in short you have to be very careful.
So sad your story Carol, unfortunately these people take advantage of moments of sadness and the voids left by loved ones.
But now Carol you have found many friends here at Flight Crew that you can rely on! 😘
Daniela thank you for printing this sad but necessary warning for everyOne!🤗😘❤️🙏
My heart goes out to Amalia. I was scammed by a fake Ignazio. It does seem very real for awhile and hard to accept that it is not real. Now I can only repeat Be safe! Be aware! Be careful!
I’m very sorry Ginny, but now you’re out of it, even with regret, thanks for now alerting the others!
This is so upsetting. It made me cry. I can’t believe how these fakes can be so cruel. I feel sorry for this sweet lady.
I have had a several fakes saying they were il Volo etc and said I couldn’t go to their concerts unless I paid for a membership.
Fortunately I know that is not true, plus another wanted me to give my WhatsApp details or telegram.
As I had seen the video of Ignazio saying about the fakes and the fact that the boys do need need our money and wouldn’t ask for it either. He did say we can follow on Instagram with the verification blue tick, but that is all.
Thank you Daniela for putting this video and showing the conversation. I hope that Amalia will see Il Volo in concert and have a great time and except that the real Piero is not a con artist. I hope fans will learn from this.
Thank you again.
Warm wishes Fenella xx
Ah yes, the famous or even infamous WhatsApp. Only peeps I really trust get that as it means they have access to my phone number. The same applies to Telegram, although having read how unsecure that is I am not even going to try it.
Fenella, you were a victim too, but luckily you understood the deception.
We need to spread our voices so that many people understand that there are too many scammers and the thing that bothers me the most is that these fakes have understood well that the fans of Il Volo love these guys a lot and therefore they are easy prey.
Yes I realise. That’s why I have tried to comment and say please please do not fall for these horrid people. I’m pleased we the fans are united in this problem. X
Dear Daniela, this story truly needed to be told. Every day, countless elderly individuals fall victim to heartless scams. These perpetrators are cruel, preying on the lonely without a second thought about the pain they cause. It’s deeply tragic.
This article is outstanding—it captures the issue perfectly. It’s a powerful piece of journalism that I’m sure resonated with many, just as it did with me. Thank you for shedding light on this important subject. May God bless you for all the work you
do for Il Volo and for bringing this story to the fans! You are a superb journalist and Il Volo’s top fan. And above all you are my special friend. Love you, Susan
Hi Susan! I’ve missed you! On a more pleasant note note I’m moving back to Ct. 5/10 and a month from that I’ll be moving to Bridgeport to Watermark on Park Senior Living. This past year was difficult an so decided to bite the bullet and go, it’s around the corner from my daughters. It’s beautiful and I have a lovely apartment that I’m trying fit my life into. I’m selling my condo in Sarasota furnished and hope it sells soon, real estate is really tough down here currently. Between the Canadians don’t want to come down to US and tariffs and TOO MUCH BUILDING, everything is down and taking longer…..I’m doing a lot of praying to St. Francis and my agent has buried him head first in my entry garden! So far no help😏,!! Hoping to see you while I still have my car, let me know when you’ll be up here.?
Love, Carol❤️🤗😘🙏☮️🦋
Hi Carol! So happy to hear from you! I’ve been out of commission for a while. I had surgery last week and I am now recuperating! I’m so happy to hear you are coming home! It will be great to see you. I should be in CT for a board meeting in June! I’ll be sure to let you know when I have the date. It’s very easy to stop in Bridgeport enroute to Cromwell! Love you and missa you! Susan
Dear Susan, nice to hear from you, I read that you had an operation, I hope it’s a light thing and that you’ll get back in shape soon.
Thank you so much for the compliments, unfortunately when these situations happen, I get very angry because Ignazio, Gianluca and Piero do nothing but repeat that they don’t chat with people and that they NEVER ask for money, but unfortunately these unscrupulous people know well how to act on other people’s feelings. Incredible that certain talents are put at the service of scams, but this is the reality.
Get well soon, a big hug from a friend.
I love you too!! 😘
My first encounter with Il Volo scammers was several years ago on Facebook. It was Piero, but as my first thought was why on earth would Piero be interested in talking to a 70+ year old. So I didn’t take it any further other than to block him.
Then I got to thinking that maybe there were loads of Piero’s on Facebook. Hundreds of them; don’t get me started on Gianluca and Ignazio.
That was when I decided to have a bit of fun and get as many of them banned as I could. In fact several of us teamed up, talked to the fakes, led them a merry dance and as soon as they asked for money, bingo. Not that Facebook are exactly enthusiastic about banning scammers, hence why we have to wait until they ask for money before we report them.
These days I get Il Divo scammers and the occasional doctor, lawyer, etc. Today it was a Frenchman who obviously found my name via the National Rally Facebook page.
Roz, it’s incredible how much these scammers do. Every day I receive friend requests from many Ignazio, Gianluca, Piero, Torpedine, even from Ercole Ginoble and I also had friends who were scammed by fake doctors and even fake actors, in short we are perhaps a little too gullible and now with the help of Artificial Intelligence it will be even worse.
I’m so sorry that Piero, Gianluca and Ignazio get blamed sometimes for the actions of the scammers. They have no control over them. I was embarrassed for Amalia and Piero too. I really hope she is ok. Use common sense everyone please. 🥲
Thank you for posting this Daniela. Veronica was wonderful with this lady. She was so kind and compassionate. I feel so sorry for Amalia and all the other ladies who have been scammed. It is heartbreaking to see these people pray on lonely women. It was so nice of Piero to speak to her. I don’t know what else the boys can do to warn people. They certainly have tried. I’m afraid that as artificial intelligience becomes more prevalent it will be harder to tell the fakes from the real thing. I hope this article will get people to realize they are not talking to the real Piero, Ignazio, and Gianluca.
So sad there’s such evil! Piero, Ignazio and Gianluca are amazing men! They are a gift from God!
I agree Cathy, the report by Le Iene was well done and unfortunately puts its finger on the sore spot. Veronica was very understanding and kind with Amalia and Piero once again tried to stem this ugly problem.
Yes RoseMarie, I too felt very bad for Amalia, but also for Piero, our boys who are always so polite and correct, do not deserve to be made fun of and lose their credibility thanks to some miserable scammers.
I am annoyed to think Daniela – you have had to put up with all this nonsense – how many times have you warned these stupid people – why can’t people grow up!! – what would a young man of 31 years want with an old woman of 78 years – goodness me!! – Piero – Ignazio & Gianluca have something very special about them that is so appealing we all know that –
but they still have their own private lives & it is not to share with gullible old women.
Jude, I understand everything, but how is it possible to think of a love story, even when the fake Piero talked about sex online… my arms literally fell off.
Daniela – all I can say is you must have the patience of a saint what a remarkable woman you are – you are trying to save souls who live in a dream world – they need a reality wake-up call – if you were living in New Zealand – the Governor General would award you for your outstanding services to humanity – much love.
Thank you for the wonderful post about amalia. When I saw it on YouTube I couldn’t believe it. I watched it many times and feel so bad for amalia and anyone else who has been affected by this including me. I have blocked and deleted every media site except YouTube . I will not allow myself to answer any more from them.
I love IL volo and I wish them success with upcoming concerts and of course Gabriele when he is born!
Once again Linda, I hope this article will serve as further confirmation for you to not fall into the net of these scammers again.
Be alert!!
Yes mam. Thank you and everyone else. Love Il volo forever
Reading all these messages about the scams just shows how the world is changing and it is so bad that this is becoming normal and that we are unable to do anything about it but just ignore and not be taken in. It’s sad as we love to enjoy Il Volo either by going to concerts or watching on videos and following. That applies to other celebrities.
But I do just want to say thank you again to Daniela and other Flight crew for putting these stories and helping us to see the comments.
Warm wishes
Fenella xx
Thanks Fenella but it is our duty to warn fans about these scams, friendship is also useful for this!
Of course, as I have days in my last reply, it’s good that we the fans are united in this horrific problem and agree. X
Thanks Daniela for once again taking up this subject. And yes it is indeed vital to make the fans aware of these scams and over and over tell them not to react and most definitely never ever send money. Apparently the situation has escalated the last couple of weeks and some imposters have found new and ”smarter” ways to get around it. My feed is now 80% Il Volo scams… and I get several daily “Piero, Ignazio and Gianluca” friend-ship requests. So annoying, but at least I am aware. And yes, I know I could block them, but I find it more important to be aware of what is going on and try to fight it. The latter has, however, become more difficult. Not only does Facebook rarely do anything even though you report the fake profiles over and over. The reporting is based on AI-technique and hence there is no way you can explain the situation in details – and with no human persons going through the reported profiles, no one detect the true situation. I have, however, a few times succeeded in having a profile closed down – only to find a new one opened up few days later… So what to do?
Yesterday, I had none the less than 7 fakes posts (Gianlucca imposters), telling that he could offer tickets for the upcoming concert in Mantua on Thursday (with a fake picture of such a ticket). An easy way to get people to send money…. Even worse in some way, there has also been posts featuring respectively Gianluca, Ignazio and even Gianluca’s sweet nonno Ernesto in hospital beds claiming being ill/injured. This is SOOOO disgusting and unacceptable. This is over the top! A few moments ago I had a long response from a fake “Piero’s mother”, telling about all the scams taksing place and most kindly offering to write to her instead and she would pass it on to Piero – as if… sigh. Many imposters are likewise bringing the scam-issue about ending it off telling that they have now opened up a new account to ascertain you that they are the “real” Ignazion, Piero and Gianluca…. So dear fellow fans, do watch out very, very carefully out there and do never, ever send money, no matter what.
Whenever I stumble across these fake accounts I do normally add a “FAKE PAGE / IMPOSTER” remark in the hope that fans unaware catch sight of it. And – if possible – I do likewise report the fake account to FB – but, with the increasing amount of fake posts, I do simply not have the time to constantly do this. And with the newest set-up, I cannot even report them to FB!!! Have you noted that a lot of primarily Gianluca fake posts have a “double” posting, meaning that a fake Gianluca profile posts a fake Gianluca GROUP picture/message? That means, if you click on the 3 dot options, you are no longer offered to report the profile/post to Facebook but only to report it to the group administrator! And with the group administrator likewise being FAKE, you have no other option to have FB examine it. And how can one prove that a group administrator named i.e. Mike Johnson is an Gianluca imposter? I have found no way of doing that so far – but if any of you are aware of a method to report these new smart imposters, I should appreciate to learn, as I do wish for this to stop.
What a sick place this world has become… fake AI pictures, fake profiles, fake info… I feel so sad and frustrated. Warmest regards – Kirsten, Denmark
Hi Kirsten, I have had exactly the same as you, it’s so frustrating.
I did report one from Ignazio(fake)
Just where it says block and report.
These people just won’t give up.
Also it happens on Tiktok and I have had quite a few from Piero and Gianluca and I keep ignoring and deleting.
And I just say you are not them, and one who was Gianluca got very angry and rude, and I know that Gianluca I’m sure would not be rude.
It’s sad as you can’t say like on the lovely singing etc, without getting a false response.
I am very aware.
I only started following from last year and I absolutely adore Il Volo, they have given me a new interest as sadly my husband died 2 years ago, I’m still young enough to enjoy them but feel I have to be very careful. And so should everyone.
Thank you for your story.
Fenella (Uk)
Some very interesting reading on all comments. It appears to me people are receiving multiple friend requests from all or one of the group!
By now hopefully you all realize contacting FB is a waste of time. Scammers control your requests to FB. THE ONLY WAY TO STOP REQUESTS IS TO DELETE THE REQUEST and DO NOT OPEN IT! I no longer get multiple requests! On Instagram I do not follow any fan pages, only 2 individual il volo accounts, and a few personal friends who likely don’t know this group!
PLEASE DONT TRY TO OUTSMART THE SCAMMERS, I GUARANTEE YOU WILL NOT. They can follow every keystroke you make!
While I’m at it, I no longer use WhatsApp, Telegram or any other chat line.
Hope this helps you, it sure helped me get this issue under control!
Sheila
I agree with you Sheila, our efforts to report scammers are really in vain. You have to ignore them, don’t give them any leverage.
Now there’s also the scam where they post old photos of Gianluca with Eleonora, so that all the fans comment saying that now he is no longer with Eleonora but with Claudia… but the scam is exactly this, triggering comments that in their posts are translated into money!!!
Kirsten is a really big problem, a plague that continues to produce pus, reports and trying to take action are useless.
I saw an article that talks about an entire town with high walls where the inhabitants are all scammers connected to personal computers and their job is to find new contacts among fans and extort money from them. They certainly realized that Il Volo fans are very fond of the boys and therefore very sensitive to contact with their idols.
Unfortunately for now it is the reality, you have to ignore them completely, it is useless even to put angry faces, for them they are worth a like.
Totally agree with you.
Sad that scammers try to get money. They should get a job if they are that desperate instead of praying on innocent people.
Regards
Fenella x
O war erg ,ja ik heb ook zovaak fake,s gehad en erbinnen ingeprapt ,maar steeds zei ,jullie moeten merkenrecht ik ben bekent bij II Volo en het was gelijk klaar ,ik hoop dat er snel wat aangedaan kan worden,heel veel sterkte voor de mensen die het dupe zijn geworden
Het spijt me heel erg Andrea, vertrouw mij alsjeblieft niet. Als je nieuws over Il Volo nodig hebt, volg dan onze site of andere serieuze pagina’s. Vertrouw niemand die zich voordoet als Ignazio, Gianluca Piero of Il Volo zelf.
I’m very sorry Andrea, please don’t trust me, if you need news about Il Volo follow our site or other serious pages, don’t trust anyone who pretends to be Ignazio, Gianluca Piero or Il Volo itself.
I am truly sorry for these fans. I make it my business to warn people that Il Volo do not personally interact with fans or have accounts on Facebook, when scammers appear following comments and I block each scammer I come across. However, even I have to constantly remind myself because some of the scammers are so good at what they do. It is not always easy to spot the more ‘professional’ ones. New fans are particularly vulnerable and I feel that longer standing fans should do what we can to inform them.
Yes Christine these scammers are very good and professional, that’s why it’s so difficult to distinguish these fake profiles from the real ones and that’s why our three young men continue to say that THEY DON’T ANSWER ANYONE AND THEY DON’T ASK FOR MONEY. 😉
It is the only way that they can protect both themselves and the fans, Daniela, no matter how we may yearn for some personal interaction.
Yes that’s what I do. Just block. Or just ignore. The scammers are clever but hopefully fans will become more aware and realise. It is very sad and annoying.
I’m sure Il Volo do know but they can’t do anything.
Everyone be careful out there.
Fenella
Yes, it almost happened to a friend of mine on here but she blocked every single one of the frauds before they got any money out of her.
I started talking to some when I first fell in-love with the three guys I share with you ladies. That was last summer after I’d booked a trip to Italy in April 2024 for Mar 2025. I couldn’t get enough of their faces, videos and MUSIC!!!! 😵💫 But as soon as I was asked to send money, I knew they were imposters…SCURVY DOGS!!!!! I’m 75 (this past Feb 10) and this is not my first rodeo. I know (rodeo’d with) several celebs and they do NOT ask their fans for cash and/or gift cards.
Sorry, I’m from the south and talk a lot. I’ll shut UP!!! All you sister of IL VOLO please be careful out there. Don’t fall for their garbauge!!!! Hahaha
I haven’t seen our guys in concert. They were here when I was in Italy. But you can bet your BLOOMERS I will see them when they come back to the US!!!
WE ALL WILL SEE THEM!!!!!!! Sorry this is SO long!!
Penny in AR (Arkansas..NOT Arizona) 😂😂
Yes you can tell. As I know they don’t respond to fans. You can follow on Instagram. Can you imagine if they responded to everyone. And for sure genuine Il Volo would not ask for money.
Well done to you.
I love them they are amazing.
I hope to see them one day.
Warm regards
Fenella UK x
Penny, so good to see your comment. I don’t think you talk a lot! 😀 It not too long and there is certainly no reason for you not to comment here. We love reading what everyone thinks about our guys! 💗
I need help how do l stop these dreadful dreadful people?
This has been going on for ages. You have to ignore them, just block or delete. I have had lots asking to send a private message to their telegram and asking questions.
But I just delete. It’s really difficult.
Ignazio has said on his video that Il Volo do not use social media just on the verification blue tick on instagram to follow them. They don’t want money just love.
I know it’s hard.
Warm wishes
Fenella
I hate to say it I have been scammed also….. it has broken me in pieces 💔 😢 Scammers , have no mercy. They are on you like bees on honey for your money.
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