Latest news with #mistakenidentity
Daily Mail
7 days ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
Man hit with £8,000 energy bill in case of 'mistaken identity' - thanks to his extremely common name
A man hit with an £8,500 energy bill for an address he never lived at claims it was a case of mistaken identity due to his extremely common name. Iain Smith, 35, was contacted by OVO Energy telling him he needed to foot the staggering £7654.77 bill for electric last October. But Iain says he was living with friends for the period the bill covers and had never lived at the address in question. He noticed the credit report listed an 'Ian Smith', spelt differently to Iain and a different bank account to his own. Determined to get the bill scrapped - which has now risen to £8569.21 - Iain complained to OVO but after failing to get it resolved he decided to go to the Energy Ombudsman. The Ombudsman informed him he wasn't liable for the cost and despite an appeal from OVO the decision was upheld and the energy have been ordered to scrap the charge. To date, Iain claims this hasn't been done, and the bill continues to rise. An OVO spokesperson said he has been removed from the account. Iain, a security officer from Leicester, said: 'It has been very distressing - to get an email saying I owed nearly £8,000 was a bit of a shock. 'It's affected my work - I need to have a clear head for my job. To have this all on top of it, they're treating me like scum, really. 'To me, they are thieves, trying to steal money from me. 'I have no connection to this address whatsoever. I didn't have my own property until January this year.' Because he had no fixed address at the time, Iain struggled to provide evidence supporting the fact he didn't live at the address. He said: 'They were adamant I had to pay it. At the time they were sending these emails, I was homeless. 'I contacted them and told them I couldn't provide evidence of where I lived as I was on the streets. 'It was clear to the Energy Ombudsman that something had gone wrong and that I wasn't at that property. 'I have never had a Barclay's credit account, and that's what they had linked on the credit report. 'It was a different Mr Smith, different age, and completely different address. 'You could see the name on the credit report. I'm Iain, and he's Ian, but he has different spellings and middle names.' After the Ombudsman ultimately ruled in Iain's favour, they asked OVO to remove the charge. But Iain claims this hasn't been done. He said: 'OVO appealed and lost. 'The decision was then upheld and became legally binding. 'They were told to remove my name from the account, pay me £200 compensation, send a letter of apology, and remove any markers on my account. 'They were given 28 days to do that and they haven't. I'm shocked that they are treating the public like this. 'Throughout the investigation, they would not stop contacting me for the money, and the debt rose. 'It's now gone silent - the account is still in my name; they haven't removed it.' Iain has now asked the Ombudsman to escalate his case to Ofgem and believes this sort of thing can be avoided with more stringent checks. He added: 'There's a massive issue here. When you set up an electric account, you don't have to prove who you are. No ID required. 'It's an oversight - it opens the floodgates for fraud.' An OVO spokesperson said: 'We can confirm Mr Smith has been removed from the account and have sent a goodwill gesture to apologise for the experience.'
Independent Singapore
26-05-2025
- Business
- Independent Singapore
Woman in LinkedIn post about meeting Piyush Gupta says her social media manager made up the story and demanded S$5K to take it down
SINGAPORE: A woman received a lot of attention after her May 20 LinkedIn post raving about a chance encounter with Piyush Gupta went viral , only for the former CEO of DBS Bank to chime in that it had been a case of mistaken identity. 'Sorry to disillusion you. That isn't me!' he wrote, referring to a photo that Janney Hujic, the founder of Impact-Driven Retreats & Expeditions, had put up. The following day, the man who had actually been in the photo, a 58-year-old Singaporean named Kumar H Subramaniam, set the record straight in comments on a Facebook post from Wake Up, Singapore. On May 22, a message from Ms Hujic's team was posted in the comments to say that she was on an expedition in Vietnam but would tell her side of the story when she returned. She spoke to 8World News, which on May 24 reported Ms Hujic as saying that her social media manager in the Philippines had put up the viral post without permission to generate traffic. The social media manager allegedly asked Ms Hujic for S$5,000 in return for taking down the post after changing the password so Ms Hujic would lose access to it. A screenshot of the alleged messages from the social media manager was shown on the 8World News report. One part says, 'Post has over 6k engagement. Pay me 5k SGD and I take down… When I get paid, I give you back access.' The infamous LinkedIn post was taken down on May 23, with Ms Hujic's partner allegedly paying the amount demanded. Ms Hujic said that she had hired her social media manager, who was supposed to receive S$1 for every like on LinkedIn and Instagram posts, in March. She added that she knew the man she took a photo with had not been Mr Gupta, but she shared it on a group chat with friends and on an Instagram post merely as a joke. The LinkedIn post was put up after she left for her Vietnam trip on May 19, and she did not realize what had happened until May 24. On another note, the post said that Ms Hujic had told 'Mr Gupta' about her upcoming all-women expedition in Mongolia to support the Goh Chok Tong Enable Fund. The fund wrote in another LinkedIn post that Ms Hujic and her company were not SG Enable's authorised fundraising partners, and it had not endorsed their fundraising campaign. Commenters have had a field day with the story, with some expressing doubts and raising questions about why Ms Hujic would need a social media manager to begin with, if they were really paid the rate she quoted, and whether she's not just doing damage control at this point. 'No one pays a social media manager a dollar per like,' one observed. 'The hole she digs gets deeper and deeper,' wrote another. 'Maybe the social media manager would come out and say, 'That manager is not me!'' quipped a Facebook user. Nevertheless, others pointed out that she's certainly increased her profile, with one writing, 'Good or bad, she sure has gotten tons of publicity on her now.' Others wondered why her partner, who had not been on the Vietnam trip with Ms Hujic, did not release a statement to clarify the matter, but instead chose to quietly pay the social media manager. 'Also, never heard of this feature called 'reset password' where they can use your registered email or your registered phone number to reset your password yourself? Or is it the social media manager also got access to her email and phone?' one added. A Reddit user called the whole saga 'The LinkedIn version of 'my dog did it'.' 'Just say sorry,' another suggested, while one wrote, 'This is getting more pathetic by the minute… just cut your losses, bide your time, and hope that in five to 10 years people mostly forget about it.' /TISG Read also: 'Real-world deepfake' — Woman thrilled at 'chance encounter' with ex-DBS chief Piyush Gupta, but turns out it isn't him
Daily Mail
21-05-2025
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE John Versace family's sad admission after he was executed in a hail of gunfire on the doorstep of their home
The family of the young plumber executed in a 'targeted' suburban slaying has confirmed the hit was 'definitely' a case of mistaken identity. John Versace, 23, was ambushed as he got out of his ute at his family's home in Dalton Avenue, Condell Park in Sydney 's south-west on Monday night. He was cut down by a barrage of up to ten gunshots and suffered four bullet wounds before dying on the doorstep of the home when paramedics couldn't save him. As the manhunt for the gunman continues, investigators believe Mr Versace, who had no known links to organised crime, may have been the victim of mistaken identity. Gangland sources claim the intended target is reported to be an organised crime figure who is said to live on the same street. Mr Versace's sister Deanna Versace posted an emotional tribute to her brother on social media which was reshared by a family friend, Rita Taouk who said the killers had the wrong target. 'It was definitely the wrong person,' she said in response to a comment on whether the young man had underworld links. Members of Sydney's gangland underworld raced to the scene on Monday night amid fears that it was one of their own who was shot. Police are also examining whether the killing is linked to a brazen drive-by shooting in Mount Druitt almost a fortnight ago. It comes as harrowing footage of Mr Versace's final moments on his parent's doorstep emerged. Aerial footage showed Mr Versace surrounded by paramedics trying to revive him metres from the front door as his distraught family helplessly watched on. In another video, gunshots can be heard in from neighbouring streets while in a third clip, the distraught cries of Mr Versace's loved ones can be heard following the shooting. Forensic officers remained at the crime scene on Tuesday as shocked family and friends arrived at the home to console Mr Versace's family. Police have obtained 'good quality CCTV' from the home, which showed Mr Versace returning home shortly before the shooting. He had reversed his ute up the driveway and parked it very close to the garage door. As he was exiting the ute, a small silver hatchback, which police believe was a Toyota Corolla, arrived at the address and parked across the driveway. 'A male exited the rear driver's side of that car and made his way up the driveway towards the victim,' Superintendent Rodney Hart told reporters. Mr Versace saw the man approaching him, dressed in black, wearing a hood and with his face covered. The young tradesman backed towards the home and found himself pressed against the garage door and an existing wall. The gunman raised his right hand and opened fire with a Glock-style weapon - shooting up to 10 bullets at the victim. Police believe Mr Versace suffered at least four gunshot wounds. Following the shooting, the gunman returned to the hatchback, which was last seen travelling eastbound on Dalton Avenue. Emergency services later received reports of a car alight 12km away in Fairfield Heights. Police believe the car was stolen in December. 'Upon that vehicle being extinguished of the flames and a cursory search, a handgun similar to that of a Glock-style pistol was located in that vehicle,' Supt Hart said. 'We believe it was driven there, it was torched, and those offenders were there, then got into another car and left the scene. But at this stage, I don't have the details of that second car.' Mr Versace, who lived with his parents and adult sisters, worked for his father's western Sydney plumbing company. The heartfelt eulogy penned by Deanna Versace and shared by Ms Taok said she was 'heartbroken' by the death of her brother. 'John, no words can describe the pain we are all feeling and will continue to feel for the rest of our lives,' she wrote. 'You were the world's greatest brother, son, grandson, cousin and friend. We are so lucky and blessed to have had the time we had with you but your life was cut too short. 'You did not deserve this. You're at peace and with Jesus now. We love you so much John. Our angel forever. This world wasn't good enough for you. Life will never be the same.' Mr Versace was not known to police and did not have a criminal record. 'I want to assure the community that at this stage we believe that this is, although an extremely brutal and violent execution style murder, is a targeted attack,' Supt Hart said. 'Now, although this victim at this stage, we believe, may not have links to organised crime or something in the way of drugs, we believe that this has the hallmarks of a targeted execution. (It is) very brutal, very distressing. 'So I want to reassure the community that we are treating this not as a random attack. His family members do not have criminal records, and he at this stage, I believe, has one traffic offence. 'We need to look at who he is involved with, who he knows, what he did leading up to this attack on him - to get an idea of exactly what has happened and resulted in this brutal murder.' On Wednesday evening the community are due to gather at the Monastery of Saint Charbel Lebanese Maronite Order in Punchbowl to offer their condolences to the Versace family. Police urge anyone with any information, dashcam or CCTV footage from the surrounding areas to contact Crime Stoppers.
Daily Mail
11-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Celebrity twins! From Jessica Chastain and Bryce Dallas Howard to Margot Robbie and Emma Mackey, all the A-list stars who look so alike even their own mothers mistake them for each other... but can YOU tell who is who?
They might be some of the most famous faces in the world, but even the A-listers get mistaken for the wrong person at times. Many famous actors, actresses and singers have found themselves with a celebrity twin with many stars joking how they have fallen victim to mistaken identities. Jessica Chastain and Bryce Dallas Howard have admitted they were confused for each other before their careers even took off and before Katy Perry hit the charts she would often pretend to be Zooey Deschanel to get into clubs. Meanwhile Margot Robbie has more than one celebrity twin with both actresses Emma Mackey and Jaime Pressly bearing striking resemblance to the Aussie star. Margot even cast Emma in Barbie after her and director Greta Gerwig thought it would be 'funny' to put them on screen together. So which Hollywood stars have their own celebrity doppelganger, and can you tell who is who? Margot Robbie and Emma Mackey Since the British star hit screens in Sex Education, she has been endlessly compared to the Australian Oscar nominee thanks to their similar bone structure, blonde locks and edgy vibe. Despite rising to fame in her role as Maeve, who had blonde and pink hair, Emma has now gone back to brunette, but their resemblance is still striking. Margot and Emma then joined forces after the latter played one of the Barbie's in the box office blockbuster in 2023. Speaking to Buzzfeed, the Oscar-winner was what it like to finally work with her doppelganger, Emma Mackey? as Margot explained: '[Mackey] plays one of the Barbies in the movie pretty much because Greta and I thought it would be funny. 'We were gonna do this whole joke about us looking similar.' However she admitted: 'But once we got all dressed up as our Barbies, we were kind of like, "We don't actually look that similar". 'Like, when she's got her brown hair and I've got my blonde hair, we don't look that similar, so we didn't put that joke in the movie.' Meanwhile speaking last year, Emma told Total Film: 'It's just funny. And I think Margot has had the grace and humour to be able to play on that, and allow me to be in the same film as her – bless her. 'It's just a joke in real life. I'm like, "We don't look anything like each other." I don't mind it. It's Margot Robbie. 'Are you kidding me? She's the best. I look up to her so much. I don't mind the comparisons. But it would be nice to move past that.' Margot Robbie and Jaime Pressly However Emma isn't Margot's only doppelganger. The I, Tonya actress also sparks an incredible resemblance to My Name Is Earl's Jaime Pressly. Despite their 13 year age gaps, the pair have incredibly similar features and fans have often wondered if they could even be the same person. However the two finally met each other in 2017 and were in the same disbelief as fans as they were seen gasping in shock. Jessica Chastain and Bryce Dallas Howard Jessica Chastain and Bryce Dallas Howard could easily play sisters, and it's not just their red hair that gives them their likeness. Bryce has admitted she finds the comparison 'flattering' as she discussed the many similarities between herself and the Molly's Game star during her appearance on The Graham Norton Show in 2018. The Jurassic World star, 44, detailed how she had been confused for Jessica, 48, long before their acting careers even took off and conceded that the pair 'could be sisters'. She explained: 'It's very flattering for me! It's odd because it all started long before we were famous. 'I went to NYU and she was at Julliard and there were many times – in the likes of Starbucks and other places – that people were certain we were one and the same person.' Despite the long-running joke, the Black Mirror actress said their first run-ins with confused fans was a 'little unnerving' but did admit that she can see where people are coming from, adding 'we could be sisters'. It's not the first time either A-List actress has discussed their uncanny resemblance, with Jessica taking to her Instagram account in May 2015 to set the record straight in a hilarious snap. After being mistaken for Bryce during her promotional tour for Jurassic World, Jessica shared a photo of the actresses chatting, with the caption: 'True story. #BryceDallasHoward is in #JurassicWorld'. Zooey Deschanel and Katy Perry Zooey Deschanel often gets mistaken for popstar Katy Perry, and the singer has even admitted that before she found fame, she used to pretend to be Zoeey to get into nightclubs. While Katy has experimented with her hair style and colour over the years there is no denying that when the pair both have their dark locks they strike an uncanny resemblance. The pair even capitalised on their similarities in Katy's 2020 music video Not The End Of The World where aliens mistake the New Girl star for the singer and abduct her. Speaking at the time Katy explained: 'When I moved to LA, maybe 18 years ago, I was pretty much a nobody, and you [Zooey] were like just getting so huge at that time, it was like Zooey Deschanel ran the world. In that moment, I was so complimented to look like you. 'I have to admit something to you. When I first got to LA I went to the club. A lot. And I wanted to get into the club, but I had no money, I had no clout, I had nothing, and sometimes I would pose as you to get into the club'. Natalie Portman and Kiera Knightley Natalie Portman and Keira Knightley also have a striking similarity and their lookalike quality even secured Keira a role as her doppelganger in Star Wars. Natalie played Queen Amidala's in Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace and the British actress was cast to play her handmaiden Sabé, with reportedly many having trouble telling them apart when they were in full costume. Keira confessed to The Telegraph in 2014: 'Our mums did actually confuse us on set,' while Natalie told Vanity Fair that people still mistake her for Knightley. 'All the time, all the time. Keira Knightley. Very flattering,' she said. Natalie Portman (L) and Keira Knightley (R) also have a striking similarity and their lookalike quality even secured Keira a role as her doppelganger in Star Wars Taylor Swift and Napoleon Dynamite A slightly less flattering comparison, Elon Musk joked that Taylor Swift somewhat resembled Napoleon Dynamite. Taking to Twitter with a side by side snap of the pair, the singer's face structure and teeth looked strikingly similar to the character's (played by Jon Heder). Resharing the post which read: 'When you realize Taylor Swift is actually Napoleon Dynamite in drag', Elon wrote: 'Am TS fan - of course- but how do we know for sure they're different people?' Stanley Tucci and Mark Strong Remove Stanely Tucci's iconic glasses and the actor is the spitting image of Mark Strong. With their bald heads and angular jaws the actors have also been mistaken for one another. In 2024, Stanley told Magic Radio: 'I get complimented on Mark Strong's performances all the time.' Amy Adams and Isla Fisher Bryce and Jessica aren't the only two famous red heads mistaken for one another as Amy Adams and Isla Fisher are also doppelgangers. Speaking to the Project in 2020, Isla said the mistaken identity hadn't happened 'for a while' due to lockdown - but in regular times it happens all the time. 'I haven't had it for a while, but I think I've been inside my house in COVID for a year,' she joked. 'We laugh about it because Amy has blue eyes and I've got brown, our husbands have laughed about it, too,' she added. Even celebrities have confused the two, with Isla admitting Lady Gaga mixed the pair up. Speaking to Jimmy Kimmel about the 2017 Vanity Fair Oscar party, she explained: 'I was there all fancy and dressed up at the bar and schmoozing with showbiz types, and the crowds parted and there was Lady Gaga,' 'She's heading right towards me and she says, "Thank you. Your performance in American Hustle, Amy, was…'" Deciding not to correct her, she explained: 'I love her so much, I [didn't] want to tell her the truth. So I just gracefully thanked her [and] bowed my head.' But Gaga wanted to discuss the performance, and Isla knew she was in trouble. 'I [looked] over [Gaga's] shoulder and there's Amy Adams walking into the party,' Isla told Kimmel. 'So I said, 'There's Isla Fisher. She's not even nominated for anything, what's she doing here?' Meanwhile in Isla even swapped out a picture of her for Amy on her family holiday card. Posing in a snap with her then husband Sacha Baron Cohen and their children, she swapped out an image of her face . . . with one of Adams's. 'I cut-and-pasted Amy Adams's face over mine, so it was Sacha, Amy, and the kids, and then we said, "Seasons greetings from Sacha and Isla" . . . And no one noticed. Everyone was like," Oh, your card was so cute." I was like, it was a joke, "it's not me, it's Amy!'' Zoe Saldaña and Thandiwe Newton Zoe Saldaña has admitted even her own mother mistakes her for British actress Thadiwe Newton. Speaking in 2019, the Emilia Perez actress told The Late Late Show with James Cordon her mother told her: 'Your show is on HBO!' Zoe asked 'Which one?' and her mother answered 'Westworld!'. Zoe replied 'When are you going to understand I am not Thandie Newton!' The confusion began all the way back in 2004 with Zoe's mother thinking her daughter was in Crash. Ironically, Zoe misspoke and confused Crash for 2000's Traffic during The Late Late Show interview. 'I'm like, "Years ago, you thought that I was in Traffic." I'm like, "Mom, you did not give birth to Thandie Newton,"' Zoe joked. Thadiwe has also revealed that Victoria Beckham was 'mortified' after confusing the pair. The British beauty explained to Graham Norton that she was attending a SoulCycle class in Los Angeles when she realised that Victoria had confused her with the Guardians Of The Galaxy star. The actress explained: 'We were chatting away when she said, "It's so great that you are here when you are pregnant." I said, "I actually had my baby a couple of months ago." 'We carried on chatting and it was obvious she thought I was someone else so I said, "Do you think I am Zoe Saldana?" Victoria was absolutely mortified! 'It was actually okay as Zoe is a rare beauty, but really? up close? Come on! And, I am British!' Daniel Radcliffe and Elijah Wood Daniel Radcliffe and Elijah Wood became instantly recognisable due to their roles in Harry Potter and as Frodo in Lord of the Rings respectively. With their dark hair and bright blue eyes, the pair are even a similar height with Daniel standing at 5ft 4in and Elijah at 5ft 5in. During an appearance on The Drew Barrymore Show, Daniel opened up about the few times it's happened. Revealing he has sometimes been mistaken by the fellow actor he said: 'That happened a couple of times. You just don't want to ruin someone's day.' He said it first happened at an event in Japan and the fan didn't speak English. He recalled: 'I was on a red carpet in Japan, and the guy who was offering me a photo of Elijah Wood was Japanese and did not speak English, and I don't speak Japanese. 'I think I signed Elijah Wood, or I maybe wrote, 'I'm not Elijah Wood — I'm Daniel Radcliffe.' On another occasion a fan mistook him for The Lord Of The Rings actor as he shouted from his car 'Hey Frodo, I love the Lord of the Rings movies!' Daniel explained: 'And at that moment, you go like, he's going to have a really nice day if he thinks he met Frodo, so it's just like, "Thanks man! Have a good one!"'
BBC News
08-05-2025
- BBC News
Killer 'should have been arrested before murder, watchdog finds
A Merseyside criminal who shot dead a 20-year-old man in a case of mistaken identity should have been arrested months before the murder, the police watchdog has Rainsford was killed in his family home in Litherland after gang member James Foy opened fire through a window on 7 April 2020, in search of revenge against a rival Independent Office for Police Conduct has upheld a complaint from Mr Rainsford's father Michael, who argued Foy should have been arrested by police previously after his DNA was found on a handgun. A Merseyside Police spokesman said the force was considering its response but repeated that it did not possess sufficient evidence to arrest Foy before the murder. The force knew a DNA profile matching Foy had been found on the magazine of a handgun seized during in a raid at a property in Bootle in November 2019. But detectives did not arrest Foy or seek charging advice from the Crown Prosecution Service until after Mr Rainsford's IOPC has now concluded there had been "no reason to justify" delaying then 18-year-old Foy's arrest.A case reviewer wrote that the decision "then allowed for a series of events that has resulted in the death of the complainant's son". One detective sergeant had a case to answer for misconduct, the watchdog said, but it recommended the officer be dealt with through a "reflective practice review process" rather than face a disciplinary hearing that could result in dismissal. The case reviewer said in a letter to Mr Foy, seen by the BBC, that: "Whilst it is my view that [the detective sergeant] could not have reasonably foreseen the murder occurring, it does not diminish the harm that this has caused to the complainant and his family." Foy was in fact convicted of possession of the firearm found in November by a jury at the same time he was convicted of the killing. The IOPC concluded that no new evidence had been found after the murder that had not already been available for Police had told Mr Rainsford Snr and the IOPC that one reason they had not arrested Foy before April 2020 was because his DNA was on a removable part of the gun, which they argued could present difficulties in proving the possession charge. However, the IOPC case reviewer said: "It is my view that the presence of Mr Foy's DNA located on the magazine of a firearm would have been sufficient to provide reasonable grounds to suspect him of having had possession of the gun at the time."CPS lawyers had also said the location of the DNA was sufficient evidence to charge Foy. Mr Rainsford's father told the BBC the IOPC's findings were "still sinking in".He said: "It's been my campaign since two weeks after Michael was murdered, when I didn't get the very first answer to the first question to Merseyside Police, it's been a mission to get justice for Michael."What happens next I don't know. Ultimately, what I want is accountability and transparency so no other family has to go through this." The victim was in the kitchen of his family home in Harrington Road, Litherland, gathering snacks to take to his girlfriend's house when two bullets were shot through a window at 23:10 BST. Mr Rainsford collapsed in the hallway as his family desperately called 999. It later emerged Foy and his brother Michael Foy had been seeking revenge after someone smashed a window at their family home in Rossini Street, Seaforth. The two men were both connected to a local gang known as the Linacre Young Guns, and believed members of rivals the Kirkstone Riot Squad were responsible. Detectives concluded Mr Rainsford, a college student with a passion for skateboarding and photography, had no links to any gangs and was not involved in organised crime in any form. It is believed the Foy brothers targeted the address as it was in an area considered the territory of the rival gang. Both brothers denied being involved but were convicted of murder and jailed. After his conviction, James Foy's barrister announced in court that his client wanted it to be known he was in fact the gunman. Mr Rainsford previously said: "You just can't move on and you try your best. You do limp on but life is never, ever the same." After the shooting, when police confirmed Foy was being held on suspicion of more than one set of offences, Mr Rainsford began to question why the earlier firearms charge had not been progressed sooner. A formal complaint followed, and Merseyside Police conducted its own internal investigation, which found there was not enough evidence to arrest Foy before the Mr Rainsford appealed to the IOPC, which asked the force to reinvestigate elements of its response to the grieving father. This week the watchdog contacted Mr Rainsford to confirm it agreed with what he had been claiming for five Rainsford said: "I'm very pleased that I'm right and I have always been right, it's very difficult to find the answers when one party holds all the cards." Listen to the best of BBC Radio Merseyside on BBC Sounds and follow BBC Merseyside on Facebook, X, and Instagram, and watch BBC North West Tonight on BBC iPlayer.
