Sandra Bullock Joined Social Media to Fight Scammers ‘Using My Name and Likeness’ to Defraud Fans — Not Just to Promote ‘Practical Magic 2’

Sandra Bullock revealed on the “SmartLess” podcast (via People) that she was forced to join social media to combat scammers ripping off her likeness in order to defraud people out of money. The Oscar winner joined Instagram in April and has since amassed 6 million followers. While many assumed Bullock was joining social media simply to promote “Practical Magic 2” (and the majority of her 14 posts so far have been related to the sequel), she said the primary reason was far more serious.

“About a year and a half ago, I had to because there were people that were using my name and likeness to scam money out of people,” Bullock said. “My sister would have people reaching out to her saying, ‘Your sister took thousands of dollars from me.’”

“The harm that it was causing, families going ‘We don’t know how to tell this person it’s fake,’ and I would have people call them saying ‘It’s fake, it’s not real,’” she continued. “I had no intention of ever going on social media. It was never my calling. And then once I did that, it stopped a little bit, but it doesn’t really. It’s just never-ending.”

Bullock had been dealing with scammers for well over a year by the time she launched her Instagram. She told People in February 2025 that “my family’s safety, as well as the innocent people being taken advantage of, is my deep concern, and there will be a time when I will comment more, but for now our focus is helping law enforcement handle this matter.”

“Please be aware that I do not participate in any form of social media,” she said at the time. “Any accounts pretending to be me or anyone associated with me are fake accounts and have been created for financial gain or to exploit people around me.”

Bullock is currently starting her press tour for “Practical Magic 2,” which marks her first movie role since 2022’s “The Lost City” (she did have a small supporting role that same year in “Bullet Train”). The film opens Sept. 10 from Warner Bros.