'Dirty trick' Ian McKellen duped by Russian scammers posing as Volodymyr Zelensky

express.co.uk:

Ian McKellen, 83, was approached by someone claiming to be Zelensky, who was seeking "substantial aid for Ukraine" and LGBT rights in the troubled nation, only to find out when he took the call that he'd been pranked.

Unsurprisingly, Ian didn't find the joke funny - and the Lord of the Rings actor then told all on Twitter."I'm not a politician, so I was surprised some weeks ago to receive a message that appeared to come from the Ukrainian Embassy in London, inviting me to participate in 'a private discussion with President Zelensky'," the Hamlet star began.He elaborated that genuine contacts he had in Ukraine encouraged him to go ahead and take the call.However it quickly became apparent that he had been duped, after he found himself "chatting, apparently, with the President"."As it soon turned out, it was not Zelensky or any Ukrainian official, but one of a pair of Russians who call themselves comedians," he continued."I understand they're popular in Russia, which is surprising because [their] jokes aren't funny."The duo targeted the actor's sexuality to try to appeal to his conscience, as Ian came out as gay back in 1988, and asked if he would provide help and funding for LGBT rights in the war-torn country.He added: "I played along with things they suggested but was frankly bewildered that they seemed to think I might be in a position to provide substantial aid to Ukraine."Once I realized it was all just a dirty trick, I declined to cooperate any further."The actor, whose career has spanned seven decades, did not reveal the identity of the pranksters.However his possible near miss with the scammers comes just two months after JK Rowling revealed she too had been duped in a similar way.She had been targeted by Russian.