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Just Be Yourself_Or Someone Else Will

By Peggy Roalf   Friday November 27, 2020

Imposters on social media are so commonplace that it makes media reporters yawn. That’s why I’m writing this post about my Instagram imposter—if you can call spilling chronological bullets writing. This will probably happen to you at some point, and this is what I did:

Wednesday, November 25, 11:30 am:  
• A colleague in the arts emailed me with screenshot of an IG communication in which I am advising a student [an actual student in my online Present Yourself course] about applying for a nonrestrictive $6000 grant.

• I go to @_peggy.roalf_ [the fake me] and find my photo and lots of stuff I’ve posted to @peggy.roalf [the real me]. 

• I look again at the screenshot of the DM on @_peggy.roalf_ and notice the language. A loud click inside my head alerts me that this might be the work of someone in a sub-Equatorial former British Colony. I laugh.

• Later in the day a friend in France, who was similarly hacked, sent some good advice, which I began following, ignoring the disoriented dizziness that had set in.

• After reading more tips from said friend in France, I began making messy “posters” to post on IG, showing the imposter’s work with my scribbled lettering [right]. 


Thursday, November 26 [Thanksgiving Day]
• Repeat. Repeat. Repeat.

• Then I became aware, from the outpouring of advice that began to fill my IG account [the real one], that I needed to report the imposter to IG.

• IG being part of the Zuckerberg empire of deceit and disclaimers, you can imagine how difficult it is to find the right page to file said report. Tip: you must know that Imposter is a sub-set of Trademark violation. Thanks, Mark.
• Filed the Imposter Report, using a selfie of [the real]  me holding my passport [big enough photo and text to be readable]. Done.
• Moved on to Giving Thanks.

 

Friday, November 27
• Checked out additional tips DMd to my [real] IG account. Thinking: what I’ve done might work until,
• I find that the fake me has blocked me from their account; I can no longer see what the imposter is up to. Trying to figure out a workaround for this, I get the
• Thunderbolt: My passport is in my birth name, Margaret Roalf. My IG is in my common name: Peggy Roalf. Not surprised, I

• Find article on subject on CNBC that tells me what to do next. Done. Hoping that the holiday will have delayed IG-sters in getting to my report and that it will be acted upon.

• Find an article in NYTimes about testing the efficacy of IG and Fb in handling reports such as mine. The report is not encouraging.

• Check my [unused because I loathe Fb] three Fb accounts; delete most of the profile info.
• Find the fake Facebook page that the fake me has directed my real student to in order to apply for the unrestricted $6000 grant; figure out how to report this fraud.

• Receive info from a colleague on reporting the above mess to the Federal Trade Commission https://ftc-identity-theft-affidavit.com
• Continue giving thanks and “write” this post.

So I’ll keep you posted in the coming days. For now, I’m wondering: What would Andy do? In fact, I think he would have already invented the future alternative to IG, Fb and Twit. PRinterview


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