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.

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.

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.