“Hi Mike!
I got an invitation today from a person who claimed to be you. A person who said they wanted to be my friend and give me money. Is it true, Mike? Do you want to be my friend? Do you want to give me money?” Fran Kleebe
Well Fran, as James Garner once said, a man can never have too many friends. So yeah, I’d love to be your pal. But no, that wasn’t me asking to be your virtual buddy. Nothing personal, but I just don’t do that. Sorry. Nor do I give money away, unless it’s in the form of a work ethic scholarship, for which you’re welcome to apply. What you saw I’m afraid, was just another scam artist pretending to be me.
Obviously, I wrote to Google and asked them to shut it down, since Google owns and controls Blogspot – the site where the scam lives. Their response? I’ve posted a screenshot below, verbatim. It’s an eye-opener, especially the first sentence.
“We have reviewed your impersonation claim and have determined that we can not take action because the blog you reported does not qualify for impersonation.”
It’s a baffling conclusion that leads to an obvious question: If this doesn’t qualify as an impersonation, what does?
Notice the face. (Mine.)
Notice the name. (Mine.)
Notice the logo. (Mine.)
Notice the improper use of a comma, where a decimal point should be. (Not mine.)
Trust is a fragile thing, made all the more tenuous by common thieves who steal people’s identities. I sincerely hope Google reconsiders their policy, and shuts these scammers down. In the meantime, all I can do Fran, is encourage you not to click on my face. Trust me – it won’t take you anywhere you want to go…
Mike