May 20, 2011
by
Robert Siciliano
Brand and Trademark Protection, Identity Theft, Online Reputation Management, Social Media
Comments Off on Teachers Social Media Identity Stolen on Twitter
In Panama City Florida a local and respected teachers’ identity was used to create a fake Twitter profile which spouted off derogatory comments about autistic students. The teacher works with special needs students and had no idea this was going on until she was informed by officials questioning her and the profile.
The Twitter profile included the teachers name, photo, and town along with the derogatory comments. People all over the world started contacting local officials demanding her be ousted after they saw what “she” was writing.
When this came to the attention of the school they immediately brought her in for questioning to determine if she was the author. Their initial questioning led them to believe she was not the author; however they made her bring in her laptop and examined her hard drive for further investigation.
As I’ve said before, identity theft is the only crime I can think of where you are guilty until proven innocent. Once something like this happens it can quickly and easily damage your reputation.
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Florida, Identity Theft, Panama City, Social Media, social media identity theft, teacher, Twitter