From scam buster to victim: Ore Oduba in tears after online fraud

TV presenter Ore Oduba, popularly known for warning viewers about scams, has confessed to falling victim to an elaborate online scam.

Oduba shared an emotional six-minute video on Instagram, admitting he was “ashamed and embarrassed” after believing he had been contacted by US motivational speaker and bestselling author, Mel Robbins.

“I reposted my Loose Women interview and tagged Mel Robbins everywhere,” Oduba, 39, explained. “Then I got an email through my agent from what I thought was the Mel Robbins podcast team. I could have cried, they knew who I was!”

Oduba said the scammers used his admiration for Robbins, whose self-help book The Let Them Theory became a global hit, to lure him in.

He described how the supposed “Mel” invited him onto her podcast, which he believed could change his life. “I lost it,” he said, recalling breaking into tears on a train journey, thinking his dream collaboration was coming true.

The reality is that the email came from a Gmail account  with Robbins’ name misspelled. A quick check with her official PR team confirmed his worst fears.

“I used to present Claimed and Shamed a show about fraudsters and yet, here I am,” Oduba confessed. “AI makes these scams terrifyingly convincing. I never thought I’d be the person who gets scammed.”

The TV star stressed he didn’t lose any money but admitted he almost did because he “wanted to believe.”

In his caption, he warned followers: “Listen to your gut. If something feels too good to be true, it probably is. Don’t get scammed — it’s no fun.”

Robbins’ team has since responded, confirming the email was fake. Meanwhile, Oduba says he still admires the motivational guru, despite the ordeal.