A mum has told how fraudsters stole her identity to sell cryptocurrency to her friends online.
A Nigerian hacker gained entry to JoJo Fraser’s Instagram account last month. He locked her out of it, while continuing to pose as her, posting messages and updates in her name including photos of her young children.
He has also attempted to sell fake cryptocurrency to her 5500 followers, while pretending to be the Edinburgh mum of two. Despite reporting the crime to Instagram five weeks ago, the social media firm has yet to respond, allowing the fraudster to continue with the swindle.
JoJo also contacted police but they say the only way to stop the fraudster is for Instagram to suspend her account.
JoJo, who runs MummyJoJo.com, a well-being blog, said: “I’m at my wits’ end because I don’t know how many of my followers have fallen for the scam.
“This fraudster, who’s operating in plain sight, is doing a pretty good impression of being me.
"He has clearly researched my life, because he’s posting about things I’ve done, and he’s even adopted a writing style to make his posts sound like mine. He has messaged my followers, trying to fleece them and I don’t know if any of them have fallen for it because I’m unable to contact them.
“I’ve spent weeks trying to alert Instagram every which way, including by phone, email and through their website but so far I’ve had no response.
“It is impossible to get hold of an individual at the company to tell them what’s happening and get them to take responsibility.” JoJo, 38, said she became aware something was wrong in July when a follower of a contact messaged her to warn she hadn’t completed the security check-up on her Instagram account.
“I looked at the guy’s profile and several people I know were followers of his, so I thought it was all legitimate. He attached a screenshot, showing me how to do the check-up, which I did.
“The following day I noticed messages going out from my account which I hadn’t posted. Then, I started being asked by followers if I had been hacked because they were receiving messages from me in which I was trying to push Bitcoin.
“I knew something was wrong but when I tried to access my account, I discovered I’d been locked out and my password had been changed.”
JoJo has since made contact with other Instagram users in Australia who were hacked by the same person and they told her the fraudster is in Nigeria. She said: “They have had to employ lawyers to try to track him down. He’s a very clever guy who now has complete control of my Instagram account.
“He has even accessed pictures of my children and reposted them to make it look like it’s me who’s doing it.
“I have set up another account, in my maiden name @JoJoWintour, but there will be a lot of people who don’t know that and who are continuing to follow my hacked account.
“It is incredible something like this can happen and Instagram fails entirely to engage with me, far less doing something to stop it.”
Instagram was approached for comment.
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