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Nobody is safe from online threats--not even IT professionals. I was recently subjected to being impersonated
online which, while unpleasant, was also educational.
Online impersonation isn’t the same thing as having your social media account hacked and commandeered; it
involves a malicious individual setting up a wholly different account similar to your name and with your existing
profile picture.
Why would someone do that? The goal is routinely negative: Either someone is trying to con your social media
contacts into doing something that benefits the attacker (e.g., giving them money), or the person wants to harm
your reputation in a revenge/cyberbullying ploy.
A PERSONAL ACCOUNT
My experience with online impersonation started when I was sitting by the pool with my teenage daughter,
who casually asked if I created another Instagram account. I told her “No,” adding that I rarely use mine, but I
recently liked a couple of her photos. I assumed she saw that activity and got confused.
Within a few minutes, I got a message from my niece, an avid Instagram user, warning me that someone
created a fake account in my name and was messaging her about a grant.
This person had copied my profile picture and set up a bogus account matching mine, with the exception of an
underscore (_) at the end. He then proceeded to follow several of my followers -- including my daughter and
niece, with the obvious intent of getting them to follow him back.
I resolved the issue in short order. Afterwards, I came up with 10 tips for handling these types of situations.
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10 TIPS FOR DEALING WITH AN ONLINE IMPERSONATOR
After solving this problem, I culled from my Facebook friend list the three-to-four people I considered
potential suspects -- or at least individuals I no longer wanted to access to my information and knowledge of
my activities. Do this in advance with any connections you’re not 100% sure about.
2. Be proactive
In my case, I immediately posted to Facebook AND Instagram several warnings to my friends and followers
that someone was impersonating me and to immediately block his account.
However, it’s worth sending out an advance announcement to tell people you will never create an alternate
account to connect with them and to be wary of any such requests or attempts. Inform people to contact you
directly at your existing account if this ever occurs; this will help reduce the risks to all involved. If people
know your existing social media account is the one you actively use, they won’t be fooled by connections/friend
requests from new ones.
What’s the number one reason people create additional social media accounts (without entailing negative inten-
tions)? They forgot the password to their existing account and password recovery efforts failed. Don’t let this
happen use a password manager like KeePass to securely store your credentials.
Be careful, however, not to pay so much attention that you take seriously false notifications from unknown
individuals that your account has been compromised. We all get “urgent notices” in our email accounts advising
us to “click here to reset your account.” Never follow this advice blindly; check carefully the sender’s details
and hover your mouse over the link to check the website address they’re quite likely trying to lure you to.
4. Stay calm
It’s extremely disturbing to see someone pretend to be you online. An imposter can pose a risk to your
reputation, friendships, and even your career. Throughout this grim process I had to fight to stay focused on
not become mired in “What if.”
It’s important to stay calm and proceed with caution, yet also work rapidly in order to solve the problem.
5. Get screenshots
Take screenshots of the imposter’s account and all related activities they may engage in. This can come in
handy if they block you or the bogus account is removed. Do this via your phone or computer (look up
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10 TIPS FOR DEALING WITH AN ONLINE IMPERSONATOR
While I’m sad to say this sort of evidence isn’t likely to ever be used in court -- at least not in the case of
anonymous random scammers in unknown locations -- it is possible that these screenshots can help in a
criminal or civil case against a known individual deliberately targeting you.
It might even be worth calling close friends/family members to let them know what’s happening, as they will
likely be the first targets of a scammer (witness how the imposter tried to prey upon my niece with a ploy
involving a grant).
Never do such a thing; it only encourages the scammers. I refused, stating I would not help a thief and sternly
ordered him to delete the fake account. He grew hostile and started calling me names. He then proceeded to
gloat about all the scamming he intended to do as I began hurling some invectives in return.
The conversation was clearly a waste of time, and I’m quite sure while he was distracting me he was steadily
attempting to lure my Instagram associates into some kind of gimmick. I blocked him, terminating the
discussion.
The process will vary among other social media platforms but should be similarly straightforward (you can
always Google the process for the latest details). I reported the user for using a false profile impersonating me
and submitted the report.
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10 TIPS FOR DEALING WITH AN ONLINE IMPERSONATOR
The fake account was removed within the hour. Since I blocked him I could not see this for myself, but I
checked this via my daughter’s Instagram account and had other friends confirm as well.
In retrospect, it would have helped to request my Facebook/Instagram friends to also report the scammer, as
they would likely have hastened his removal even more rapidly.
9. Follow-up later
Just because one fake account was vanquished did not mean there might not be more. Someone with an axe to
grind might just keep at it for an hour, a day, a week, or even later.
Remain vigilant (don’t go vigilante) and search for your name across the social media platforms you use (and
even the ones you don’t). Ask a friend to do so as well in case the scammer blocked you from seeing the fake
account.
The beauty of swatting imposters is that by definition they have to be easy to spot. After all, they’re trying to
use your name (or some permutation thereof), and your picture to capitalize on the trust of your friends or
contacts.
Ergo, locating these fraudulent accounts is quite literally child’s play and social media platforms are willing and
responsive in combating these degenerates. It’s not just because of altruism, after all, it helps their bottom line,
financially, to keep their environments hospitable and secure.
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