Will Mellor lost over £10,000 after a gang stole his identity.
Will Mellor
The 'Coronation Street' star, who is currently starring as bad boy Harvey Gaskell in the soap, was targeted by criminals over a year ago, who were able to steal his mail after following his postman and used the letters to open bank accounts in his name.
Speaking to his friend and fellow actor Ralf Little on their ‘Two Pints with Will and Ralf’ podcast, Will said: "It was only a year and a half ago. A lovely lady who lives opposite across the road said, 'I just want to let you know there’s been a strange person going into your mail box'. So I checked my CCTV and there’s this lad, he put his hand in my letterbox and took something out. He’s following the postman. They’ve robbed my identity and they’ve opened bank accounts in my name."
However despite having the culprit on video, the 45-year-old actor - who chased the thieves down the road in his car - admitted resolving the matter and closing down the fake accounts proved to be far more difficult than he'd anticipated.
He added: "Do you know what I had to go through to prove who I was? They could open the account online, but for me to prove who I was and go in and close the account I had to jump through hoops."
Fortunately, the former 'Hollyoaks' actor was eventually able to shut down the accounts and his money was recovered in full.
Meanwhile, Will previously revealed that playing evil gang boss Harvey in the ITV soap is "really important" to him because it helps him to promote his work as an ambassador for the community project n:gl, which supports vulnerable youngsters across Greater Manchester.
He said: "We can't give up on these young people - sometimes they just need a bit of guidance and a bit of attention. So, I'm really happy to be playing this character for that reason.
"My character in 'Corrie' attracts people and gets them under his wing.
"He targets people who don't have criminal records, because they can go under the drug squad's radar. That does happen in real life.
"There are people out there who go off the track, never get back on it and their lives are ruined forever."
Tagged in Will Mellor Ralf Little