What to Do if You’ve Been Scammed by Someone Who Looks Like Me

For the last few years, scammers have been using my photos to defraud people on the Internet.

They’ve taken those pictures from my social media pages and my website, and they’ve placed them on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, other social sites and on a wide range of dating sites in countries from Brazil to Germany.

They’ve given those photos different names— Michael Campbell, Kurt Walter, Jackson Ryan, for example—and sometimes they’ve even used my real name. It’s happened hundreds of times and it happens on a daily basis.

They’ve given these profiles new jobs. Sometimes they claim to be a doctor, or an oil rig engineer, or a soldier posted with the US military in the Middle East. Their messages and their profiles are often filled with spelling mistakes and poor grammar. Sometimes they’re written in a language other than English.

It looks like me. But it\’s most definitely NOT me behind these profiles.

They create entire Facebook profiles using my photos.

They will swipe my instagram photos and create new profiles.

And they will use Google Hangouts.

The scammers use those profiles to target vulnerable women around the world. They build a relationship with them over months. They tell these women that they’re wonderful, and that they love them. They’ve even been known to speak to their victims using Skype or Google Hangouts while running their own audio over my videos.

Once they’ve built trust, there will be an emergency. They’ll need money to treat a kid’s illness or resolve an adoption crisis or some other sudden problem. Once they get the money, they disappear, taking their victim’s money with them.

None of those profiles is me. They have nothing to do with me. I’ve been battling for years to get the social media sites and the dating sites to take them down. Sometimes they do. Sometimes they don’t.

Even if they do, another one just pops up and takes its place. It’s like playing whack-a-Joel to keep them at bay!

It’s been unbelievably frustrating for me. I’m sure, too, that it’s been terrible for the poor women they’ve scammed, whether they’ve taken their money or stolen their hearts.

If you’ve been scammed by someone who looks like me, I’m sorry… but I can’t help you.

I’m a victim of identity theft. You’re a victim of a scammer. We’re both victims of the same criminal and I’m sure that we’d both like to see that criminal get the justice he deserves.

We both have to live with the fact that it’s unlikely to happen.

How do you know that I own the photos you are seeing?

Check my profiles on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. The accounts that are mine have a VERIFIED blue checkmark next to them.

So what you can do now—what you must do now—is report the profile to the website you found it on. Every site should have a way for you to report a profile. I can’t guarantee that the site will take it down. I’ve had some pretty mixed experiences with these sites. But that should be your first move.

I may be able to assist in removing the fake profile. Here\’s how you can help.

1) Be brief and message me with the USERNAME of the fake profile. Please understand what this is before contacting me.

On Instagram this would be the name that appears at the top of the profile. In this case, the scammer is going by @julius_judge16

On Facebook, it can be a bit more confusing. Scammers will use fake names that have nothing to do with the actual username.

For example, the user below is using my name on his profile, but if you look in the url bar you will see a completely DIFFERENT name from the one he is presenting. I need the name in the URL bar, please.

2) What NOT to do.

– Please do NOT send me photos of myself. I know what I look like and it\’s not helpful.

– Do not send me email addresses, phone numbers or other information that won\’t help me remove a profile. I can\’t do anything with these.

– Do not expect conversation with me. I\’m sure you are a wonderful person but I deal with this EVERY day of my life and it is exhausting. I don\’t have time to engage in discussion with every one who has been scammed. It\’s very sad and I wish it didn\’t happen. But it does and the best thing is to inform me of the faker and I\’ll try to have it removed.

Next, if you’re in the US, you can report the scam to the FTC at  www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov. If you’re outside the US, you should be able to find a similar agency near you.

You can also check out forums like RomanceScam.com, ScamWarners.com, and ScamVictimsUnited.com. They’re filled with other people who have been taken in by online scammers. They can help you to recover emotionally, and you’ll realize that you’re not the first person to be scammed like this—and sadly, you won’t be the last.

But the last step is to move on. I can’t help you do that. If you gave the scammer money, I can’t help you get it back. I’m afraid that’s gone.

All I can do is wish you luck and hope that you really do find what you’re looking for.