Clarke Gayford has warned people not to be conned by an escalating number of online scams using his likeness.
Gayford shared a myriad of screenshots on his Instagram of the recent influx of scams, which he said have been appearing on Facebook.
Referencing a TikTok meme, Gayford said he was "looking for a man in finance, trust fund, 6 foot 5, blue eyes" before adding they had "probably been running a scam like this".
Modelling a moustache and some oversized glasses, the former First Man said he had been "laying low, incognito" before saying: "It's been brought to my attention that these are actually being taken seriously by some people. And if you're asking, as some have - some have accused me of being involved in it - why I haven't done anything? I have approached a lawyer and she said it's like this giant game of whac-a-mole.
"If you go and push one down or kick back, it just propagates and pops up on another website."
Gayford ended his video urging people not to "click on that", saying: "Like everything on the internet. Just ignore it, starve it of attention and it should go away."
However, the commenters were less interested in the scam information and more concerned with Gayford's top-lip shenanigans.
The Rock's announcer Andrew Mulligan bluntly told Gayford: "The only thing you're scamming us with is that moustache," a comment which drew hundreds of likes and even prompted a response from Gayford's wife, former Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern.
"I appreciate your support on the moustache ‘situation’," she said.
But Gayford was quick to reply, saying he had "got married and just let myself go".
