A hunky British fireman has proven good looks really can be a curse, after a string of men have stolen his pictures in a bid to win Tinder dates.
Lewis Croker, 25, first hit TV screens last year, when he was invited to take part in reality TV show Ready To Mingle with his girlfriend, Shannon, 25.
But his TV debut appears to have sparked an obsession, not just from women, but from ‘catfish’ men who are stealing his pictures in an attempt to win female attention.
Happily-smitten Lewis initially thought it was funny when a friend sent him a link to an Instagram account pretending to be him under the name ‘Lewis Millard’, a few months ago.
But since then, the fireman from Bridgwater, Somerset, has noticed accounts pop up on Tiktok, Snapchat and dating app Tinder - some of which have even tried to organise dates with his girlfriend’s mates.
Lewis told The Mirror : “When I first saw it I thought it was a bit weird but I just thought it was a bit of a joke. I had a laugh and sent it to some of my mates.
“I do try to see the funny side rather than let it annoy me but this fake Instagram account has even more followers than I do!
“My girlfriend hates it because they’re messaging other women under my name and face.
“She’s had some of her friends from back home text her and tell her that I’ve matched with them on Tinder or been asking them out on dates when it's obviously not me.
“There’s three Tinder accounts I know of but there could be more.”
The firefighter has reported ‘Lewis Millard’ to Instagram as a phoney account, but the impostor regularly changes his handle from @mrmillard_ @millard97_ and the latest @lewismills24
Genuine Lewis has even sent a picture of himself with his driving licence to the social media platform to prove he’s the real deal.
But so far, he claims nothing has been done, and the fake account is still up and running.
Although he tries to take a light-hearted approach, he admits the situation became more concerning when the hoaxer started pinching pictures of his mum and family, and even took images from Shannon’s accounts.
He said: “At first my family made jokes that it was a compliment to my good looks.
“It wasn’t until this fake account started using pictures of my family, my home and my car that I started to get more concerned.
“I thought they were using my pictures to try and pull women or something.
“But it is almost as if they are trying to live an entire double life they have created.
“I’ve reported it to Instagram, not to the police because it hasn’t got that serious yet, but it is starting to head that way.
“My mum said this week that she had been told the account was trying to scam people out of money which is obviously committing fraud but under my face and name.
“I am worried about it and the impact it could have on my career.
“I’ve told work about it so they know it’s not me but it’s still concerning.
“At the moment I just keep telling everyone I know to report the account to Instagram as a fake but whoever it is still hasn’t been taken down.
“They have a Snapchat, another Instagram fitness account and a Tiktok with 45,000 followers, it’s just crazy.”
Lewis, who has worked with Devon and Somerset Fire Service for over two years points out that the fakes are easy to spot, as some hoaxers have edited a beard onto his face in their pictures.
In reality Lewis isn't allowed to grow a beard due to safety regulations within the UK fire service.
A spokesperson for Meta, which owns Instagram and Facebook, said: "Fraudulent activity, which includes identity theft, is not allowed on Instagram.
"When we identify this kind of activity we take action, which includes removing content and disabling accounts as necessary.”
Follow the real Lewis on Instagram @lewiscroker_
