Online Impersonation

[poll id="26"] If you haven’t, Catfish is a TV show that uncovers stories of online romantic relationships in which one person is involved with (and has usually sent money to) another person they have never seen. Some of the “couples” will have communicated online for several months without having ever seen one another, and the investigation usually reveals that the person on the other end was not who they claimed to be. The show gave rise to the popular term “catfish,” which Merriam-Webster defines as the act of deceiving someone by creating a false personal profile online. Though it may be the most common, catfishing is merely one form of online impersonation. While many people may find it entertaining, catfishing and other methods of online impersonation can come with serious consequences. What is online impersonation? Online impersonation refers to the act of creating an online presence or profile using the likeness of someone else. Although social media sites have created policies to prohibit impersonation, the act itself is not illegal. Many users create parody accounts of celebrities, public figures, and organizations, such as those pictured here. Other users may choose to create accounts using an entirely fictitious persona.   While the parody accounts are created purely for satirical purposes, many other accounts are created to anonymously engage in malicious activity. Most commonly, users behind these malicious profiles save public photos of an unsuspecting person and use them to create a fake (but seemingly authentic) account to lure their target. Victims of [...]