Actor, comedian and director Tyler Perry has made a boatload of money during his career. But a series of online posts claiming the “Madea” franchise creator is giving some of his bounty away are not true.
Perry has long been plagued by the problem of scammers using false giveaways and promotions with his name and image, and has previously reached out online to warn fans about them.
As far back as 2014, he posted on Facebook that “People who do this are some of the lowest in my book. There are some scams going around the Internet asking people to pay money to have an audition for me. THAT IS NOT TRUE. You never have to pay for an audition. I, nor any professional company, will make you pay for an audition. DONT GET SCAMMED.
“Also, I DO NOT HAVE A SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM. Do not let anyone tell you that I have a scholarship program that you have to pay to be a part of, ok? Thats NOT TRUE! I have put a lot of kids through college but its not something you can request or pay me for. They have been gifts, so dont let these folks trick you.”
He concluded: “Do not give anyone any money in my name. This is all a SCAM. I HOPE THESE PEOPLE GET CAUGHT.”
In his latest attempt to squelch the problem, Perry didnt provide any specifics. But he claimed that his team has shut down as many as 30 promotions a day that asked for personal information.
Perry said he has given cars and houses to favored employees and some friends, but added that theres no public giveaways in his orbit.
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