Social media fraud exploits Parkland victims
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Impersonators on social media are posing as the Parkland shooting victims and their family members — trying to dupe the public, discredit the victims or profit from deceit.
“That’s so sick,” said Marie Laman, whose 15-year-old son, Kyle, is among the wounded Marjory Stoneman Douglas students to recently be impersonated on Twitter. “Who does that?”
These fake social-media accounts spread after tragedies that attract worldwide attention, and the Parkland school massacre is the latest lure, experts say.
Scammers spin a story to make it appear credible and target people’s “emotional buttons” to make money, said Gleb Tsipursky, a professor at Ohio State University who studies the circulation of fake news on social media.
The contentious gun debate in the U.S. might make the matter worse.
Kyle Laman has been through three surgeries to repair the damage of a bullet that tore into the top of his ankle and faces two more operations. One of the Twitter impostors asked for money under his name, leading other Twitter users to notify Kyle’s family.
It’s unclear whether any of the Parkland impostors profited. FBI spokesman James Marshall said he didn’t have specifics about the Parkland cases, but he called such scams “common and costly.”
If caught, fraudsters face a variety of criminal charges, including identity theft, said Sarah Schall, spokeswoman for the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
The Florida Attorney General’s Office has received about a dozen complaints and questions about potential fraud related to the Parkland shooting.
The office helped get a fake video removed from YouTube, one that claimed to show a Parkland victim’s funeral service. Someone notified the attorney general, concerned it was fraud. YouTube removed the video for violating its policies on harassment and bullying.
“We review and, when appropriate, actively work each complaint we receive to ensure that fraudulent or suspicious campaigns are shut down,” said Kylie Mason, spokeswoman for Attorney General Pam Bondi.
Victims of other tragedies across the U.S. have dealt with similar impostors.