Catfished teen gets £10k after photos used for fake dating profiles
A 19-year-old woman has been awarded £10,000 in compensation after a four-year catfishing campaign where her images were used to create fake dating and social media profiles. The perpetrator admitted to the impersonation, which caused the victim significant distress and harassment.
Why it matters
The case underscores the growing legal recognition of digital identity theft and the real-world harm caused by online impersonation.
Image caption, Fake accounts pretending to be Sasha-Jay gained 81,000 followers on TikTok and 22,000 on Instagram
A 19-year-old woman whose images were used to create fake Tinder, TikTok and Instagram profiles leading men to believe she was their girlfriend is to be paid compensation.
Sasha-Jay Davies from Aberdare had her identity stolen by Elha Mai Weston who posed as the teenager to strike up romantic conversations on social media.
Weston amassed more than 100,000 followers, leaving Davies fearful to leave her home because she was being approached by men who thought they were in a relationship with her.
She apologised and admitted the four-year campaign and agreed to pay Davies, a student, a reported £10,000 in compensation.
Weston engaged in a "sustained campaign of online impersonation", known as catfishing, the court was told.
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