GARDEN ROUTE NEWS - Identity theft is on the rise and because it is a silent crime people usually only find out afterwards. This is according to a leading site on Cyber Crimes.
The latest victim is Kyle Hans from Plettenberg Bay, whom George Herald recently featured as the social media favourite for Mr South Africa 2020. On Kyle's Facebook page he has many photographs where he shows off his well-built body and tattoos.
It was one of these photographs that was stolen and used under a different name on Facebook.
He first learned of it when he heard a girl mentioning to her friend that she was in a relationship with him. In this instance the name with the photograph was Justin. "I brushed it off at that stage. The following week I had four girls sending me messages on Facebook saying that someone was using my photos on WhatsApp to catfish* and to elicit nude pictures from girls."
According to Kyle, the girl who told him reported the theft to Facebook and the profile was removed. He told George Herald that 'Justin' is however still active on WhatsApp using his photograph as profile.
"I decided to post about it on Facebook to make possible victims aware of this person and to set the record straight that it was not me," said Kyle. He wants to highlight the dangers of social media and emphasises that he would never do anything like that to jeopardise his chances of becoming Mr South Africa.
"This is not my character, I have respect for women and want to build awareness about cyber-related issues." He is also very happy in a committed relationship. Kyle has laid a formal complaint at the police.
* To catfish someone is to lure someone into a relationship by means of a fictional online persona.
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