Two San Diego-based real estate agents are dealing with a case of identity theft after their online photos were used as the faces of a fake company, unbeknownst to them.
For realtors like Will Fagan and Dan Becker, social media is a powerful tool in their mission to sell homes.
But, as Fagan and Becker recently discovered, that online presence can be a double-edged sword. Recently, both realtors – who are each active on social media platforms – had their photos swiped online.
Those photos were then used to create fake profiles on the professional networking website, LinkedIn, the names of the realtors changed.
Both men were listed as the heads of a company called Asenqua Ventures – a company Fagan and Becker had never heard of, let alone worked for.
“I have no idea how they came after me or chose my photo,” said Becker.
The fake firm was supposedly headquartered in New York. But Fagan and Becker said they have no connections whatsoever to the company, or to its founder, who was convicted of financial fraud.
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Both realtors received phone calls from a LinkedIn contact telling them about the fake profiles, which have since been removed from the website.
“You could have knocked me over. I was blown away [by the identity theft],” Becker said.
And, while they’re no longer being misrepresented, Fagan told NBC 7 he believes he’s now dealing with some repercussions of the bizarre case.
“I’ve recently been hacked through email,” he said.
He worries that his face was associated with a fake business lacking integrity when integrity is the most important part of his real job.
The scam has left the realtors with concerns about their reputations.
“For me, as a small business owner, my reputation is everything to me,” said Becker. “All my business comes through people who know me, or word of mouth. So if that’s tarnished or diminished in any way that can affect my business and my livelihood.”
Becker told NBC 7 he has been using his unfortunate experience to educate friends about tools like Google’s Reverse Image Search, which can help you see if your image is being misused.
That very tool is recommended by the Identity Theft Resource Center. If you find your picture is being used inappropriately the center recommends reporting it to the social network. There may also be legal options available as well.
