Golf influencer Hailey Ostrom has shared a chilling experience involving a stalker who showed up at her home, shedding light on the risks of fame and the dangers of online interactions.
Ostrom, a professional golfer and social media personality with nearly 1 million followers on Instagram and over 586,000 on TikTok, is known for her glamorous golf content. However, the 30-year-old has had to confront the darker side of her growing fame.
In an Instagram video, Ostrom opened up about the unsettling incident. The situation began when a man appeared at a golf course she frequents, asking for her. The golf club reached out to Ostrom about the encounter, but she didn't recognize his name and dismissed it as just another fan.
What happened?
Things took a more frightening turn when the man showed up at her home on a Friday night, having allegedly used his job to track down her address.
"It was a very scary situation for me, and I have never had anything like that happen before," Ostrom explained in her video.
She immediately contacted her parents and asked them to call the police. Fortunately, the man left without making any threats.
It was later revealed that the man had fallen for an elaborate scam. He had been communicating with a fake account impersonating Ostrom, which asked him to send $50,000 before going silent. Furious and confused, the man tracked down the real Ostrom, thinking he was corresponding with her.
"I don't know his intentions," Ostrom admitted, expressing her fear.
"Because of past experiences with some followers, I was very skeptical and scared and not going to take any risks."
Ostrom also criticized Instagram and TikTok, saying she has reported "hundreds" of fake profiles posing as her, but the platforms have done little to address the issue.
"I never want to feel scared or feel like my privacy has been taken away ever again," she added, reassuring her followers that she is taking extra precautions to stay safe.
She also used the opportunity to warn her fans about scams.
"I would never message my fans from other accounts or ask them for money."
"I really appreciate all of my followers who don't do anything crazy like that."