Park Avenue plastic surgeon fights ‘dozens of imposters’ catfishing patients online

August 04, 2020

Famed Park Avenue plastic surgeon Dr. Andrew Jacono is dealing with a multitude of imposters who are pretending to be him on social media, catfishing his patients to wire money — and even carrying out consultations.

The pretenders have been trolling Jacono’s Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp accounts, then getting the e-mail addresses of his followers, who believe they’re talking to the real Jacono. The imposters then bill them for advance deposits for surgeries, demanding payment through an online portal.

This week, a deceived patient sent one charlatan a 20 percent deposit of $20,000 to secure a face-lift. Jacono told Page Six, “It is unbelievable how bad this has become. This isn’t just one person; it is dozens of imposters.”

Jacono explained, “They create fake accounts of me on Instagram and then reach out to my followers to catfish them. The imposters are even setting up fake consultations by phone, asking for deposits for procedures to be wired to secret accounts.”

Plus, he added, “the second Instagram takes down a fake account, another one pops up. The situation is so out of control that they’ve even set up a fake profile for me on a dating Web site.”

Jacono — who carries out his famed deep-plane face-lift for an array of celebs and wealthy clients — said he can’t call the FBI because it is not illegal to set up fake accounts on social media. It only becomes illegal when there is a fraudulent financial transaction.

Jacono — who does 1,300 face-lifts a year, including recently for “Real Housewife” Sonja Morgan — told us he and his attorney have been told they “don’t have any recourse, and these platforms will not release information [about the imposters]. Only the patient who sent payment to them has recourse, as she was defrauded. She is going to file a complaint with the FBI.”

He added, “I want to warn all of my patients and clients about these scammers and fake accounts in my name. They must be careful if asked to wire money.”

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