Boston star TOM SCHOLZ is urging fans to beware of impostors passing themselves off as members of the band for intimate solo shows - after learning one cheeky musician pretended to be him and swindled a club promoter out of $5,000 (£3,125).
The guitarist insists he wasn't the Tom Scholz from Boston who was booked to play a recent New York-area show and has called on fans to alert the band's website or publicist if they are unsure whether or not planned performances are for real.
A statement from Scholz reads, "The most upsetting part of this is knowing your name has been used to swindle people out of their hard-earned money. Over the last few years, I've seen countless examples of con artists trying to make deals, pass themselves off, or sell tickets to unsuspecting fans by using the name BOSTON but this is the first time I've seen someone actually use my personal name as a come-on.
"If anyone has doubts about an advertised appearance by BOSTON, or anyone claiming to be performing as a part of BOSTON, they should check our website, BandBoston.com, or contact Agency For The Performing Arts, or our publicist, Gail Parenteau."