I’m seeing from various Twitter posts that the Derek Griffiths account – complete with Blue Tick verification – has now been closed due to it being not the great man himself, but an imposter, a fake, a scammer. It looks like many people might have been conned out of money via bidding for charity lunches, plus celebs and artists have been persuaded to hand over goods and services for ‘charitable causes’. Fake Facebook and Insta accounts have also been suspended, it seems.
It’s not yet clear how far the damage goes, but possibly worst of all for AWers is the fact that the real Derek may not be the D. Griffiths credited with backing vocals on I Am The Walrus, something that was ‘confirmed’ by the Twitter account holder in July.
Goodness me.
Alleged victims include a man who spent 3 months researching the rights to release a Playaway DVD, and someone who donated ££s worth of Bod merchandise.
This is bonkers.
“someone who donated ££s worth of Bod merchandise.”
That was me. Yes, I feel stupid.
I wasn’t told I was giving to charity, but just a couple of t-shirts and phone cases* to Derek himself and his mate. I figured it was the least I could do, given how much joy he’d provided to me in my childhood (and now to my baby daughter* – not yet four months old and already a Bod fan). Plus (and this is why I don’t deserve sympathy, in the same way those who thought they were giving to charity do) I asked if he’d send me a pic of him wearing the t-shirt, thinking it would be good advertising for my t-shirts. “Absolutely”, said ‘Derek’. Obviously the picture never came.
The whole thing is grim on several levels. Lots of people conned out of money (much more than me). Good name of (the real) Derek Griffiths besmirched. Complete collapse of any confidence in Twitter’s “blue tick” verification system (the fake DG had a blue tick). Probably lack of willingness of victims to trust people apparently doing good things in future. Potential loss of future income for charities.
On a personal level, my mum has advanced Alzheimer’s and I am awaiting testing/diagnosis for autism spectrum disorder, so learning that people have been conned out of money in the name of charities related to these conditions is pretty upsetting.
Listening back to tonight’s Iain Lee radio show, it’s been suggested the scammer is “severely autistic”. Obviously I have sympathy with this (see above), and it may go some way to explaining his actions, but it can’t wholly excuse them, surely?
(*He talked me into adding the phone cases after I’d already told him I could only really stretch to a couple of t-shirts for him, as I was a bit skint at the time, due to having to buy lots of baby stuff, a couple of months before the due date.)
How dreadful.
Do feel free to post a link to your site, @Nik. We like t-shirts here at the Afterword, and we generally pay for them too. 😊
Thanks. 🙂 It’s http://niktshirts.com – it’s a bit niche and culty!
Just knowing that there is a Schools TV clock ‘How We Used To Live’ T shirt out there in the world put a spring in my step today. Well done @Nik
Nooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!
Just shows once again what a waste of space Twitter is. It will shatter your dreams, kids …
Who’s Derek Griffiths?
He used to present Playschool in the 70s/80s.
Vimto man..
This all seems very odd. Wouldn’t the real Derek Griffiths have been aware of this scam account?
Fake Derek liked the fact I pickrd up his Heads & Tails LP in a chazza shop. I feel dirty….
Besides, it was The Sammes Singers on I Am The Walrus (and Good Night and much of the Let It Be album).
There is D. Griffiths credited.
Derek Griffiths’ Fake Twitter Account is a shoo in for the next Half Man Half Biscuit release.
I was thinking something similar: ‘Derek Griffiths’ Twitter Scam’ – three more from them later.
It also sounds like a racehorse from On the Hour or The Day Today, along with Christ’s Chin, Novelty Bobble and Epileptic Fridge Boy.
Ditto this recent headline from thegrauniad;
‘Derby bishop warns of ‘pop-up brothels’ in Peak District’.
It’s too late. I will always believe that DG is on Walrus just as I will always believe that the Nanette Newman on You Can’t Always Get What You Want is the Fairy Liquid hitmaker.
But it was Delia who baked the cake
Nanette washed up afterwards.
Washing up after the Rolling Stones in 1969? That’s a two-bottler!
Actually Nanette Workman
On my crappy 1980s Let it Bleed CD it said Newman. I’m taking the first answer only.
https://www.discogs.com/Rolling-Stones-Let-It-Bleed/release/6661895
You’ll be telling me there’s no Santa Claus next. Do you expect me to believe that my wife put that Chocolate Orange in my stocking? Pur-leeeze!
PS. on that CD Al Kooper is also credited with piano, french horn and organ…. I smell a rat!
Listening to Iain Lee’s radio show tonight and its got curiouser and curiouser . Allegedly the guy running the Derek account was running accounts connected to the guy who won Strictly and Jenny McAplone from Corrie\I’m A Celeb. Scammed many people as @minibreakfast said – got memorabilia from other celebs for auctions – said was raising money for autism charities.
There is still a small group of Playschool conspiracy theorists who believe that the real Derek Griffiths died in late 1966/early 1967, in a papier-mache related road accident. They point to a 1975 episode of the programme where Griffiths’ ghostly visage appears fleetingly, through the arched window.
Confusingly, the lookalike chosen to replace Griffiths, also went by the name of Derek Griffiths. He’s not credited on Walrus, but he did contribute backing vocals to Glass Onion, along with a young Dave Gedge.