Grandma thought she was texting with Robert De Niro — but her granddaughter saw through the scam: ‘I couldn’t stop laughing’

A grandma in the United Kingdom thought that she was talking to young Don Corleone through Facebook messenger.
A grandma in the United Kingdom thought that she was talking to young Don Corleone through Facebook messenger.
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He made her an offer she (almost) couldn’t refuse.

A savvy granddaughter saved her grandma from divulging sensitive information to a scammer posing online as Robert De Nero.

Gina Morgan, a 76-year-old from South Wales in the United Kingdom, got into a lengthy chit-chat on Facebook with someone posing as the “Godfather Part II” star, Caters News reported.

She didn’t seem to be phased by the red carpet and other photos he sent, that the user name was “Robert De Niro page,” or that he was trying to peddle “membership cards,” not unlike a scam that might have been pulled off by the actor’s character Jimmy Conway from “Goodfellas.”

“That is not Robert De Niro!” her granddaughter Shannon Rich, 28, shouts in a video showing the message exchange where Morgan met the faker.

“Well, who is it then?” Morgan replies.

Gina Morgan thought Robert De Niro had been messaging her on Facebook. Shannon Rich / CATERS NEWS
Gina Morgan thought Robert De Niro had been messaging her on Facebook. Shannon Rich / CATERS NEWS

Turns out the scammers were trying to get the senior citizen to shell out $500 for a “VIP fan card” that would falsely promise “every access” to the don — video chats, phone calls and even a visit from the new father, according to Caters.

“There are three types of membership card … I can connect you to my manager about getting it,” a message read.

Rich, however, feels that even if she hadn’t intervened, her grandma would have sharpened up in time before any damage was done. Morgan was skeptical about De Niro’s tuxedo photos, after all.

A grandmother was duped into thinking she was messaging online with Robert De Niro. Shannon Rich / CATERS NEWS
A grandmother was duped into thinking she was messaging online with Robert De Niro. Shannon Rich / CATERS NEWS

“Some people online were concerned about her, but my nan is smart enough not to give out any personal details,” Rich said.

“Nan was showing me the messages on Facebook from a fake Robert De Niro profile, and I couldn’t stop laughing.”

While this instance had a happy ending, romance and cyber scams surged in tandem with the rise of high-powered artificial intelligence.

Often, the elderly are prime targets.