Kriti Kharbanda has raised an alert after becoming the latest celebrity victim of identity theft. The Housefull 4 star took to Instagram to warn her followers about an imposter messaging people on WhatsApp
while pretending to be her.
Kriti Kharbanda exposes WhatsApp imposter
Kharbanda shared a screenshot of the conversation on her Instagram story, calling out the impersonator. “Not ok. Not cool. Not my number. Pretending to be someone you’re not is a clear case of identity theft. Be warned,” she wrote. The screenshot showed the imposter casually texting someone, and when the recipient pointed out, “This is not her number,” the impersonator responded, “I messaged from this baba.”
Check it out:
While the reason behind these fake messages is unclear, Kriti urged her fans to stay cautious and verify any communication claiming to be from her. Identity theft has become an increasingly common issue in the entertainment industry, affecting numerous celebrities in recent years.
Kriti Kharbanda’s career
Kharbanda, who began her career as a model, made her acting debut in the Telugu film Boni (2009) and her Kannada debut with Chirru (2010). After a few unsuccessful films, she gained recognition with her performances in Googly (2013) and Super Ranga (2014), winning the SIIMA Critics Award for Best Actress – Kannada for the latter. She earned further acclaim for portraying an IAS aspirant in Bruce Lee: The Fighter (2015), receiving nominations at both the Filmfare and SIIMA Awards. Other successful Kannada films include Tirupathi Express (2014), Belli (2014), and Minchagi Nee Baralu (2015).
Kriti made her Hindi film debut with Raaz: Reboot (2016) and gained wider attention for her role as a PCS officer in Shaadi Mein Zaroor Aana (2017). Her other notable Bollywood projects include Yamla Pagla Deewana: Phir Se (2018), Housefull 4 (2019), which remains her highest-grossing release, Taish (2020), and 14 Phere (2021). She received praise for her streaming debut with Rana Naidu (2025) and recently appeared in its second season.
In addition to acting, Kriti is a popular brand ambassador and supports various social causes. She is married to actor Pulkit Samrat.
Looking ahead, Kriti Kharbanda will next be seen in the film Risky Romeo.
Other actors who fell victim to identity theft
Meanwhile, Kriti is not the only celebrity facing impersonation issues online. Recently, Rakul Preet Singh warned her followers about an imposter messaging people on WhatsApp. Similarly, Sunny Leone and Abhinav Shukla revealed that fraudsters have used their identities to secure multiple loans.
Speaking about the dangers, Shukla said, “Fraudsters are evolving faster than we do; they have a new trick up their sleeve each time. Even though I’m a public figure, I’m an introvert at heart, so I don’t end up sharing too much online, but in such cases where people are impersonating you, no matter how careful one is, you end up getting trapped in these scams. All one can do is try to be vigilant and avoid sharing personal information online.”
