Former NBA player Eddy Curry has seen and heard enough horror stories in today’s digital age to issue a serious warning to the next generation of players. Speaking recently about the rise of social media scams on the Out The Mud podcast, Curry pulled back the curtain on how “Instagram girls” use advanced catfishing tactics to target and extort NBA players and how even the savviest athletes are falling victim.
“Some pretty girl send you a message, bro. They’ll stalk your account, bro. They got websites that’ll show you everything that you like. They can see the type of girl you like, and they’ll create a profile based off of that. So when they reach out to you, you go and hit them back, bro.”
“And then they like, hey, FaceTime me. And you like, cool, I’ll FaceTime you. Then I know you real. But then you FaceTime them, they screenshot you. They’ll take their picture off and put some child up there, some bullshit, bro. And then they’ll hit you like, hey, if you don’t want this to come out, you got to pay me. And you got to pay them, bro.”
“With AI, bro, this s**t look too real. You got to pay them. You can’t have that s**t on you, bro. And that s**t happening all the time, dog. We did this thing with the rookies this year, bro, where they had a bunch of screens and it was a different Instagram account on every screen.”
“Each of the players had to go through the Instagram account and figure out which one was real, which one was fake, what’s fake about it. And then every one of these accounts really got money from a player, bro. Every one of them was fake. Every one of them really extorted somebody. That social media s**t, bro, that s**t scary, dog.”
Curry’s warning hits on a larger truth about modern sports culture, that fame, money, and access make young athletes prime targets for digital predators. Many players enter the league straight out of college or even high school, suddenly thrust into a world where millions follow their every move online. Scammers know this, and they exploit it with sophisticated psychological manipulation and technology.
Curry, who was drafted into the NBA straight out of high school in 2001, admitted that the digital age has made the game of deception almost impossible to detect. His comments serve as both a cautionary tale and a plea for awareness. For young players, the lesson is clear: every DM, every flirty message, every video call request could be a setup. What might seem like harmless attention can turn into blackmail in seconds.
In an era where image is everything, even the hint of scandal can destroy a reputation, cost endorsements, and derail careers. Curry’s message is simple: don’t take the bait.
For all the glamour and privilege that come with being an NBA player, Curry’s story is a reminder that fame also comes with new dangers, and not all of them are on the court.
