impersonation – News Stories About impersonation - Page 2

Viral Video Shows Man 'Outed' as 'Fake' Army Ranger

Shopper 'Outed'
as 'Fake' Soldier
in Viral Video

Dec 2, 2014 5:40 PM CST

Shopper 'Outed' as 'Fake' Soldier in Viral Video

Philadelphia man peppered with questions about his uniform

(Newser) - An ugly encounter between a decorated US military veteran and a guy wearing camouflage fatigues has spawned a viral video—and may lead to federal charges, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports. Ryan Berk, a Purple Heart recipient who served with the 101st Airborne Division in Afghanistan, noticed the shopper wearing fatigues...

Feds Used Woman's
Identity for Fake
Facebook Profile

Oct 7, 2014 12:58 PM CDT

Feds Used Woman's Identity for Fake Facebook Profile

Posted compromising pictures of Sondra Arquiett

(Newser) - A DEA agent used a woman's identity—along with private pictures from her phone—to create a fake Facebook profile without her knowledge, BuzzFeed reports. The government is defending the agent's actions in the scheme to connect with potential criminal targets. In a court filing, officials say special...

French Guy Poses as Pilot, Makes It to Cockpit

Mar 22, 2013 8:07 AM CDT

French Guy Poses as Pilot, Makes It to Cockpit

Based solely on his ... Air France T-shirt?

(Newser) - Apparently Philippe Jernnard thought that donning an Air France shirt and a leather jacket with epaulets on its shoulders would be enough to let him pass as a pilot. Alas, it was not, but it did get him all the way to the cockpit of a US Airways flight before...

Te'o Spent Hours
on Phone With
Guy Playing
His 'Girlfriend'

Jan 24, 2013 10:48 AM CST

Te'o Spent Hours on Phone With Guy Playing His 'Girlfriend'

Ronaiah Tuiasosopo's lawyer says he affected a female voice

(Newser) - You probably didn't think this was possible, but the Manti Te'o story just got even weirder. A source close to Te'o has given ESPN phone records that appear to indicate that Te'o did indeed spend hours on the phone with someone he thought was Lennay Kekua—...

California Rape Law Only
for Married Women: Court

California Rape Law Only for Married Women: Court

If attacker impersonates boyfriend, it's not rape: ruling

(Newser) - If an attacker has sex with a California woman by pretending to be her husband, that's rape. But if she's not married and he's impersonating her boyfriend, it's a different story, according to a state appeals court. Judges unanimously overturned the conviction of Julio Morales, who...

Tweens Hit With
Felony Over Fake
Facebook Page

Jul 31, 2012 8:22 AM CDT

Tweens Hit With Felony Over Fake Facebook Page

Girls impersonated classmate, made threats, cops say

(Newser) - Two middle-school girls in Texas have been arrested after police say they created a Facebook page in a classmate's name—and used it to fire off threats to other students. The girls, ages 12 and 13, face third-degree felony charges for online impersonation, NBC News reports. The messages caused...

Judge to
Lawyer: No,
You Can't Be
Hemingway

Jun 28, 2012 5:38 PM CDT

Judge to Lawyer: No, You Can't Be Hemingway

He rejects odd request with his own literary flare

(Newser) - A lawyer in an upcoming federal trial wanted to make sure he'd get a particular day off in a few weeks—because, as he noted in his request, the "undersigned counsel" is "a perennial contestant in the Ernest Hemingway Look-alike Contest" at Sloppy Joe's Bar in...

Principal Impersonated
Teen on Facebook to Spy

says student

May 9, 2012 11:19 AM CDT

Principal Impersonated Teen on Facebook to Spy

Louise Losos resigns amid controversy after former student makes claim

(Newser) - A Missouri high school principal resigned last week, one month after she was first accused of impersonating a student on Facebook so she could spy on students and parents online. The profile for "Suzy Harriston" claimed she was from Clayton; many of her 300 Facebook friends were from Clayton...

Kid, 17, Dupes Fla.
Hospital, Snags ER Job

Sep 4, 2011 7:45 AM CDT

Kid, 17, Dupes Fla. Hospital, Snags ER Job

Police say Matthew Scheidt wore lab coat, examined patients, gave CPR

(Newser) - A 17-year-old boy has been arrested on charges of impersonating a physician's assistant and working in a Florida hospital's emergency room for a week, reports the Orlando Sentinel . Police say Matthew Scheidt dressed in a lab coats and surgical scrubs, conducted physical exams, and reportedly even gave CPR...

Syrian Ambassador: That Wasn't Me Who Quit on TV

Jun 8, 2011 8:04 AM CDT

Syrian Ambassador: That Wasn't Me Who Quit on TV

Ambassador says she was impersonated, network disagrees

(Newser) - Syria's ambassador to France, hours after apparently announcing her resignation during a telephone interview with news network France24, now says she was impersonated. Lamia Shakkour appeared on camera on another French TV network and said she plans to sue France24 over its "campaign of falsification of information and...

Fake Soldiers Scam Facebook Users

Feb 28, 2011 2:02 PM CST

Fake Soldiers Scam Facebook Users

Military warns women to beware of impersonators looking for love

(Newser) - Facebook users need to watch out for a shameful scam that appears to be becoming more widespread, military officials warn. Con artists have been using the photos and details of real soldiers to strike up romances with women on the social networking site, the AP reports. The phony soldiers declare...

How a 'Slimy' Facebook Prank Took Over My Life

OPINION

Feb 5, 2011 12:00 PM CST

How a 'Slimy' Facebook Prank Took Over My Life

Susan Arnout Smith couldn't get 'disgusting' profile removed

(Newser) - Susan Arnout Smith is a writer of thrillers, plays, TV movies, and NPR essays. But for a long time, if you looked her up on Facebook, you would find not the respectable website of a published author, but an obscene, pornographic site of a fake persona “trolling for sex,...

Fey Wins
Emmy for
Impersonating
Palin

Sep 12, 2009 10:40 PM CDT

Fey Wins Emmy for Impersonating Palin

(Newser) - Tina Fey took home an Emmy tonight for her dead-on impersonation of Sarah Palin during the campaign, reports the Hollywood Reporter. Fey's work on Saturday Night Live won a Creative Arts Emmy—these honor guest spots and technical achievements, preceding next week's main ceremony—for best guest actress in a...

Critic Fights Copycat for Twitter Identity

Apr 22, 2009 11:46 AM CDT

Critic Fights Copycat for Twitter Identity

Lawyers pursue blogger who spoofs restaurant reviewer

(Newser) - A restaurant reviewer and her lawyers are after a man who’s been tweeting and blogging under her name, the New York Times reports. Adam Robb Rucinsky has been spoofing New York Daily News critic Danyelle Freeman, aka Restaurant Girl, imitating her distinctive style in posts using both her monikers....

Twitter Dumps
Fake Dalai Lama

Feb 10, 2009 6:00 AM CST

Twitter Dumps Fake Dalai Lama

Gained 20,000 readers in 2 days

(Newser) - Twitter has suspended an account that falsely claimed to belong to the Dalai Lama, AFP reports. Billing itself as the spiritual leader’s “official” Twitter feed, the account emerged Saturday and quickly drew a whopping 20,000 followers. The account’s web page included a photo from the Dalai...

No Misunderestimating
Ferrell as Dubya

THEATER REVIEW

Feb 6, 2009 1:05 PM CST

No Misunderestimating Ferrell as Dubya

(Newser) - It’s not quite a landslide, but critics mainly agree that Will Ferrell gets his mission accomplished in lampooning the 43rd president with his Broadway show, You’re Welcome America. A Final Night With George W. Bush. Though Saturday Night Live viewers will see the “retread” in Ferrell’s...

Phony Cop, 14, Fakes Out Police 'Co-Workers'

Jan 26, 2009 1:56 AM CST

Phony Cop, 14, Fakes Out Police 'Co-Workers'

Fooled even partner on patrol

(Newser) - A 14-year-old boy posing as a Chicago traffic cop rode in a patrol car with a partner and completed five hours of a shift before anyone realized something was wrong. The teen turned up at a South Side police precinct in full uniform and fooled everyone except a single sergeant,...