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Remember when Trump fell for a fake account posing as his sister? (If not: He did.)
Well, I figured out who was behind it: a 21-year-old DoorDash driver and Trump supporter in Mechanicsburg, Penn.
And hoo boy, it's quite a tale. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/08/technology/trump-family-impersonator.html
Well, I figured out who was behind it: a 21-year-old DoorDash driver and Trump supporter in Mechanicsburg, Penn.
And hoo boy, it's quite a tale. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/08/technology/trump-family-impersonator.html
First, let's recap that, yes, the United States president was duped by someone posing online as his own sister.
Here is his tweet.
The article he's sharing is about a fake Twitter account posing as his older sister, Elizabeth Trump Grau. https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1329771800369225729
Here is his tweet.
The article he's sharing is about a fake Twitter account posing as his older sister, Elizabeth Trump Grau. https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1329771800369225729
I wrote about it. Then I got to work figuring out who was behind the fake.
Eventually it was pretty clear: a 21-year-old Trump supporter named Josh Hall. So I called him up -- and he fessed up.
“I was like, ‘Oh, my goodness. He actually thinks it’s his sister,’” he recalled.
Eventually it was pretty clear: a 21-year-old Trump supporter named Josh Hall. So I called him up -- and he fessed up.
“I was like, ‘Oh, my goodness. He actually thinks it’s his sister,’” he recalled.
But Elizabeth Trump was not Josh's first fake.
I discovered that this year he has posed as five Trump relatives on Twitter, including Barron. He also impersonated Dr. Deborah Birx and Kamala Harris's father. His accounts collectively amassed more than 160,000 followers.
I discovered that this year he has posed as five Trump relatives on Twitter, including Barron. He also impersonated Dr. Deborah Birx and Kamala Harris's father. His accounts collectively amassed more than 160,000 followers.
Using their identities, he spread QAnon misinfo and other crude lies, like claiming Biden and Fauci are pedophiles, Michelle Obama is a man, and Romney has a gay sex tape.
“There was no nefarious intention,” he said. “I was just trying to rally up MAGA supporters and have fun.”
“There was no nefarious intention,” he said. “I was just trying to rally up MAGA supporters and have fun.”
But the fake accounts had another purpose: Asking for money.
He used them to promote his GoFundMe for “Gay Voices for Trump," a political group that -- he admitted to me last week -- doesn't exist. He brought in $7,384.
He told me he didn't take the money. GoFundMe said he did.
He used them to promote his GoFundMe for “Gay Voices for Trump," a political group that -- he admitted to me last week -- doesn't exist. He brought in $7,384.
He told me he didn't take the money. GoFundMe said he did.
Josh told me he had remorse: “I should have used better judgment and stuff. But I didn’t deliberately try and dupe people out of money.”
He is another example, a la Steve Bannon, of a Trump fan who capitalized on Trumpmania to trick and profit off fellow Trump supporters.
He is another example, a la Steve Bannon, of a Trump fan who capitalized on Trumpmania to trick and profit off fellow Trump supporters.
And while he is a small-timer, we wrote about him because he represents a larger problem with fake accounts.
Here's my sidebar explaining why the issue persists, despite social-media companies taking down billions of fakes every few months. https://www.nytimes.com/live/2020/2020-election-misinformation-distortions/why-cant-the-social-networks-stop-fake-accounts
Here's my sidebar explaining why the issue persists, despite social-media companies taking down billions of fakes every few months. https://www.nytimes.com/live/2020/2020-election-misinformation-distortions/why-cant-the-social-networks-stop-fake-accounts
But really, the above tweets are just a taste of this wild story.
Come along down the fake-Trump rabbit hole with me: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/08/technology/trump-family-impersonator.html
Come along down the fake-Trump rabbit hole with me: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/08/technology/trump-family-impersonator.html
