The practice of creating false identities to fool others on social media is so widespread that it even has its own hour-long reality drama on MTV, where duped Facebook users tearfully demand explanations from the impostors with which they’d fostered imaginary long-distance connections. But you know who we never expected to be found guilty of catfishing? Federal law enforcement.
Back in 2010, Drug Enforcement Agency officials took photos from the cell phone of Sondra Arquiett, a woman they’d recently arrested on drug charges. Many of these stolen photos were suggestive in nature; some of which even depicted her son and niece, both of whom were minors at the time. Agents then used the photos to create a fake Facebook profile with the intent of luring in unsuspecting drug dealers, and communicated with at least one known fugitive in her name. Arquiett only found out about the fake profile when a friend asked her about it, as she didn’t have a Facebook profile herself.
via The Mary Sue
January 21, 2015