Celebrity scams are nothing new, but the number of impersonators targeting Hallmark Channel fans has reached a fever pitch, prompting the network in 2025 to release public service announcements featuring some of Hallmark’s biggest stars, all imploring viewers to be careful and not to fall for the latest scams.
It’s a challenge filmmaker Jen Silliman wasn’t expecting as she began production on a documentary about Hallmark superstar Tyler Hynes’ fandom, known affectionately as “Hynies.” But as Silliman and her team began collecting sweet stories from smitten fans around the world, they also started to hear from Hynies who been swindled by imposters posing as Hynes.
Silliman shared via social media on January 20, 2026, that the stories they’ve received from fans tricked by scammers were so heartbreaking that her team has published some of them with permission and created a guide to help other fans steer clear of phonies.
Hynes told EntertainmentNow how heartbreaking it is each time he learns of another fan taken advantage of, noting that this ongoing issue “is very real and it’s very understandable how it happens.”
Documentary Filmmaker Started an ‘Awareness Campaign’ to Help Weed Out Scam Artists Targeting Tyler Hynes’ Fans
In a video posted to Instagram, Silliman told followers, “I’ve always believed that documentary films should do more than just entertain. They should make an impact. And every film has a villain — and this documentary is not different.”
Silliman said she’s heard from “dozens” of victims who’ve fallen for scammers claiming to be Hynes or his management, only to learn later that they’d been swindled out of money or lured into a fake relationship.
“It’s absolutely, positively heartbreaking,” she said, which is why the team behind the Hynies documentary — which will be released in 2027 — has begun an “awareness campaign,” highlighting the stories of “courageous” fans who were willing to share what happened to them, as well as websites running scams that claim to be selling access to Hynes.
One woman shared with Silliman’s team that she “texted back & forth for almost a month” with someone who “had me convinced” he was really Hynes, and who even complained about scammers to her. After building up trust with her, the imposter got the fan to provide him with personal details, including her driver’s license info, and nearly convinced her to send money for a plane ticket so he could come visit her. Fortunately, she figured out it was a scam before sending any money, but she was understandably heartbroken to realize it was not the real Tyler Hynes.
Silliman said that moving forward, her documentary team will tag social media posts about such stories and scams with the hashtag #NotTylerNotThem so people can easily find and recognize alerts about fraudulent activity. She also pointed fans to a new online resource page with guidance and examples of how fans have been manipulated.
Tyler Hynes Responds to Latest Scam Stories, Noting That the ‘Most Lovely People Can Be the Most Vulnerable’
Hynes is notorious for going above and beyond to connect with his fans through live group chats, in-person events, and by spending extra time with those who’ve waited in line to meet him. Despite attempts by Hynes and Hallmark to block scammers and dissuade fans from engaging, the frauds can be extremely convincing and clever.
“In this time of cultural and technological transition, it seems the most lovely people can also be the most vulnerable,” Hynes told EntertainmentNow on January 22. “I’ve had the privilege of meeting many of them and when they realize the truth that they suspected, that who they’ve been speaking to is in fact not me (or any public figure)…well, that moment stays with me in ways I don’t think many can understand until you experience it.”
“I realize this subject may feel foreign to some but to many, myself included, it’s very real and it’s very understandable how it happens. These are good people. The kind of people we should all be so lucky to have in our lives and thankfully do.”
Hynes asked that all of his fans protect one another, to “please keep an eye out” for anyone they notice may be engaging with an imposter, and gently help them see what’s happening.
He told EntertainmentNow, “They need our perspective. They need to feel like it’s safe to share something they may feel is personal or even embarrassing. It is not embarrassing. It is human nature and it’s a moment of history where we can hopefully show how we care for one another.”
Hynes concluded, “Please be safe. Please be kind. And please know you are not alone.”
Notably, the “Christmas Above the Clouds” star is not immune to confusion created by scammers. On January 21, he shared in his Instagram Stories that despite the fact that dozens of fake Tyler Hynes profiles exist on X, his verified account had just inexplicably been suspended.
Hynes’ official social media accounts are here: on Instagram (@tyler_hynes), on Facebook (@officialtylerhynespage), on TikTok (@tylerhynes), and if or when X/Twitter reinstates his verified account, that can be found at x.com/tyler_hynes.
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Tyler Hynes Weighs In as Hallmark Fans Tricked by Scammers Bravely Share Their Stories (EXCLUSIVE)