The city of Detroit has had to ask one question: “Will the real Slim Shady please stand up?”
The question is not just a song lyric but was asked by a man who almost got scammed when an Eminem impersonator tried to get money from him.
The fake Marshall Mathers acted like he was from the Marshall Mathers Foundation, a real nonprofit organization started by the Grammy Award-winning artist.
According to Detroit News 4, an Allen Park-based man named Frederick Mclelland said he received a call after his grandson was in a severe car accident.
After the bills started piling up, an associate suggested Mclelland call the Marshall Mathers Foundation, which is Em’s real foundation. But the person he spoke to was not affiliated.
A few days later, a person claiming to be Eminem called and started asking for personal information and, eventually, cash.
In addition to this man, Local 4’s “Help Me Hank” producer said on October 27th they had received several emails from people claiming to have been contacted by someone from Eminem’s foundation who needed donations for Toys for Tots in Detroit.
The con artists asked if they could not provide toys, to please give them their credit card numbers so they could do the shopping for them.
The Marshall Mathers Foundation nor Eminem have released a comment about the fraud, but officials are clear the scammers were not connected to the platinum-selling artist.