The Catfishers are pulling out all the stops. I got an email this morning from a victim who was communicating with someone supposedly named Michael Carlos Hughes. Apparently on LinkedIn I am a petroleum geologist at Chevron

screen shot from LinkedIn for Michael Carlos Huges, who has a very handsome face. Mine.
The woman sent me many photos of me that “Michael” sent her- this one is really insidious, look at the note he sent (I have blurred her name).

I am sorry, but I do not have a wife. And my name is not Michael
I had some trouble finding this photo with Google image search, luckily Keri did
@cogdog @dlnorman https://t.co/ZbDSZuc3JF
— Keri Morgret (@KeriMorgret) November 11, 2015
Dear Michael, how do you explain this?

flickr photo shared by cogdogblog under a Creative Commons ( BY ) license
The victim started finding this same image on several linked in profiles, doing the google reverse image search, look how many people I am! I am only sharing fraction of the profiles she found that sport my photos on other people’s identities.

Am I Sam? Mohammad? Scott?
What would you do? Would you be happy reporting this as instructed and being told it is not a violation? Would you be happy if in turn the scammers turned the tables and reported your profile?
Please report these fake LinkedIn accts https://t.co/1NRcSvogvm https://t.co/Ggvah0hdFO https://t.co/CoReiZRmEB https://t.co/Cl14K81oII
— Alan Levine (@cogdog) November 11, 2015
Unlike @Facebook, Linked in did respond.
But the only recourse these companies who are growing profitable off of your activity is to report profiles.
Why does LinkedIn even allow multiple people to create profiles WITH THE SAME PHOTO? There is image matching technology out there.
Reporting is trying to stop a flood with one stone at a time. The scammers running these are using brute force attacks, weapons of mass profile impersonation.
And Facebook and LinkedIn are not only doing nothing, they are silent.
Meanwhile, I am furiously messaging my short list of influential people, pleading someone with a public voice to take this one. I am pushing out examples. I am not doing any of my work.
I am Alan Levine and my identity has been p0wned. My photos are in some criminal networks file server, being sprayed out like candy as fake profiles.
You could be next.
Share this.
Teach people how to use reverse image search. If you become friends or romanced by anyone online, stop and investigate them. You are a fool and a potential next victim if you don’t.
Do not let Facebook and LinkedIn keep accruing profit without being accountable for their part in fostering catfishing spawning pools.
Meanwhile, I am keeping a new flickr album updated
That’s about all I can do, asset my identity.
Because F*** knows that Facebook won’t.
Top / Featured Image credits: flickr photo by cogdogblog http://flickr.com/photos/cogdog/22328418744 shared under a Creative Commons (BY) license – my re-edit of my own licensed photo at https://flic.kr/p/62wwE4
Love you, Michael! When are you coming home, you ramblin boy?
They never warn in you in those social media classes that holding up a piece of paper is the kiss of death.
I must have missed class.
Plus that was like 2009.
All the organizing campaigns asking supporters to post selfies with messages would make quite a pool. I should send this link next some group asks me for one. Usually I send the taking a selfie while being eaten by an alligator message.
Anyway, I now post links from the catfished serie to my timeline (where FB cautionary tales are already a staple)
The awareness is that when meeting people first online, no matter how sincere their words and presence how warmly attractive we feel, we must carry around a question “Are they real?” And we need several points of validation; image search, their established presence elsewhere, and who in our trust circles might be able to confirm them. And thus we question ourselves if we start with skepticism, that’s not the heart’s attribute.
Of course, people did fake personas before the internet, it was just much harder to do.
I think this offers a partial answer to the question “Why does Facebook even allow multiple people to create profiles WITH THE SAME PHOTO?”
It’s not in their immediate interest to stop it, as long as it contributes to others paying for advertisements.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oVfHeWTKjag
Of course this pollutes their profiles, but I bet they could _easily_ remove them all as soon as it becomes a widespread problem (or at least one people are aware of). Not that long ago they purged 9% of Facebook profiles as fake in one swoop.
CAUTION … WARNUNG !!!
With your link :: http://cogdogblog.com/2015/11/11/i-do-not-know-who-i-am/
to everybody via FACEBOOK
hope they will share.
these crimminals oparate worldwide !!!
attachments :: some opening mails via linkedin with the profilephoto of alan.
we are victims please TAKE CARE !
after just a few mails via linkedin they change to viber, than the story goes on with lots of photos from alan, and also a faked video via skype … they create storys to get your money becouse they are in trouble. after paynent the fake will come to you asap …. NEVER SEND MONEY!
thank’ god i do not lose any money. i ckecked it and by the way i find alan to report him.
#1 mail
# 2
#3
#4
#5
Thanks Bea, for contacting me initially with the photos of fake Michael, and also sharing the messaging and the process.
The part about moving off of a public space to viber or WhatsApp means that it goes to a grey area (and the part where they fake videos via Skype is disturbing).
I am glad you were skeptical and started investigating; this is the best thing people can do is to learn how to see through these ruses.