Tyler Perry Warns Fans and Parents About MySpace Celebrity Impostors

Lorraine Hayden
Lorraine Hayden, Yahoo! Contributor Network
Aug 8, 2007 "Share your voice on Yahoo! websites. Start Here."
Monday, playwright, director and actor Tyler Perry warned parents about the dangers of celebrity pretenders on MySpace.com in his latest email newsletter. Anyone who has browsed MySpace can see there are plenty of celebrity profiles, some legit and others are straight up phonies. In Perry's case, his bogus MySpace.com page came to his attention after reading message board post from fans on his official website. Worried that young children may be leaving personal information in the hands of strangers, he had this to say in his newsletter:

"...I started getting a lot of messages on the message board at tylerperry.com saying that some people had sent very private messages to my MySpace page. This bothered me because I DO NOT HAVE A MYSPACE PAGE. So a lot of people where sending personal information to a stranger who was pretending to be me. I became very worried because I did not want this person setting up meetings with people or communicating with your children as if they were me or represented me in some way. I do think MySpace corrected the problem...I sure hope so anyway. Again, I do not have a MySpace page."

This incident inspired Perry's newest episode of the television show he produces on TBS, "House of Payne" to be aired Wednesday night at 9 p.m. eastern time.

"I think that every person that has kids that are using the Internet should see this show. It teaches such a valuable lesson to children about the dangers of the Internet," Perry says in his newsletter.

Perry is not the only famous person to address celebrity MySpace identity fraud. Last season, television's Judge Mathis addressed the issue of his phony MySpace page after a litigant on the show mentioned she came across his page. He made it clear to the television audience that he is not responsible for the page on the popular social networking website.

Recently, News Corp owned MySpace removed 29,000 sex offender profiles. With pressure from various state attorney generals, law enforcement officials and concerned parents- the website began sharing information with officials in May. According to a report last month on MSNBC.com, North Carolina attorney general Roy Cooper's office found 100 cases of criminal incidents this year where child predators were using the website to meet underage individuals.

SOURCES:
Tyler Perry's Official Website: http://www.tylerperry.com/2007Home/

Tyler Perry's email newsletter sent

Published by Lorraine Hayden

I'm a freelance writer, wife and mother.  View profile

71 Comments

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  • Jasmine R.1/30/2011

    I will be back on the internet next week, but if not you can write me on facebook at- Kapponita Darden@yahoo.com

  • Jasmine R.1/30/2011

    TYLER PERRY I JUST WANT YOU TO KNOW THAT I AM A HUGE FAN. BUT I WOULD LOVE TO SPEAK WITH YOU ABOUT A MOVIE IDEA. YOU ARE A GOD FEARING MAN AND I KNOW THAT I CAN TRUST YOU. IM FIFTEEN YEARS OLD AND I HOPE YOU WILL GET BACK IN TOUCH WITH ME. THANK YOU

  • danielle loftin5/27/2010

    hi tyler,this is danielle from ohio i think that all of your movies and every thing is so great,also i was reading the message and i think there are lots of sick minded people in this world.i especially liked 'precious',b'cuz that movie,i think is just such an inspiring movie 2 me and other people in the world who have at least gone thru some of the things that(precious)has been thru in life.i luv u, keep going,never give up on what ur doing!

  • normankaguri@ymail.com5/24/2010

    thanks for the inspirational movies and plays they are so touching and mr perry u truely are my personal hero my life has taken meaning cos of ur touching,inspirational well polished productions we may have been brought up in the ghetto but we are thinkin outside that little box i now personally have seen tha light.Thank u so much Mr PERRY

  • Deborah Salone/ Houma La.5-15-20105/15/2010

    Tyler i thank God for the wisdom and knowledge He has blessed you with, and how you use it to bless others. MAN OF GOD,KEEP PRAYING, FIGHTING THE GOOD FIGHT OF FAITH,AND LOVING GOD. May i say to you that GOG IS WELL PLEASED with YOU. GOD BLESS. Deborah Salone Houma La.70363

  • cortney cleveland9/4/2009

    i sure was about to share this infomation thank you sir.to whom this may concern . I would like to introduce an invention that i have. This is a working model rim lighting.this is a rim lighting that is different from anything on the market today. You will prfit from this greatly. they are hypnotizer's.I have a video on facebook,and myspace name cortney cleveland.These fixtures are water proof. I been trough hail,stormy rain,also fog.your rims will not go unnoticed. during the day rims sparkling. What about early morning,night also darkness of stormy weather. The rim lighting have functions also like thunder.These can fit with any size rims no extra cost to the customer cortneyc901@gmail.com,931-378-7690 house,901-216-0255 cellular. I would like to sell the idea with a contract for a discussed amount of years with royalties.

  • Lora Smith 5/15/2009

    I just want u to know how great u r. keepovies and the plays coming okay your # one fan. I love u as a brther

  • brenda ellison e-mail bje48@hotmail.com4/18/2009

    i would like for mr. tyler perry to send me that sofa,loveset,and chair in the play The Marriage counsledor that they had in it 613Jewelflower Dr. Desoto Tx 75115 please I really love it could really useds it thank about it please

  • haydee mercado4/17/2009

    hello tyler its haydee mercado do u remeber me? hope u have been good.

  • Nicole Fuller3/10/2009

    Hello Tyler, I love all your movies and plays. I just wanted to send you a suggestion on a movie that would be something I think some of us would love to see. I was at the hairdresser last night and we was talking about your lastest movie Madea goes to jail. A few year back I said what if Jason met Freddie and guess what? They brought out a movie as such. What about if Madea met Big Momma (Martin Lawrence) or Rasputia (Eddie Murphy's Norbit)and the character Mo' Nique played in Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins. Just a thought. I live in South Georgia and the people here would love you to write something with some characters like that meeting Madea. Please email me at nicoleaf2002@yahoo.com

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