News anchor’s identity stolen by teen who used it to extort money
Madiha opens up online after Lahore authorities take action
Atelevision news anchor in Lahore, Pakistan, was shocked to find out that a 16-year-old was using her pictures to extort money online. But she chose not to shame him. Instead she shared details the incident on social media, to raise awareness, while keeping the youngster’s identity hidden.
Lahore’s Cyber Crime Reporting Centre (CCRC) took action against the Grade 8 student upon Madiha Abid Ali’s request.
In a June 30 Facebook post, Ali, who describes herself in her account’s ‘about’ section as a journalist who has been in the media industry for 10 years, quoted CCRC’s report: “Here are the activities of a 16-year-old boy. Who had several accounts on digital platforms. This schoolboy was directly involved in extorting money deceitfully from innocent citizens [while] impersonating me.”
Damaging image
The report also stated that Ali’s public image was impacted as a result
“The person is not only making fool of people, but also damaging Madiha Abid Ali’s social life.”
Disclosing why she censored the picture she posted on her Facebook page of the youngster, she wrote: “I am not revealing this boy’s face because I think by doing so, he might have difficulties to complete his education. And I want him to be educated so that he would be able to study law and will never get involved in such activities. This has to be a public service message for all digital criminals.”
In her post, Ali also shared screenshots of the fake profile and her pictures the boy used.