Argentina: CFWIJ Alarmed At Virtual Identity Theft Of Journalist Sandra Borghi
Location: Argentina, Buenos Aires
Date: October 19, 2021
Journalist Sandra Borghi was targeted by imposters who stole her identity on social media. The attackers, who remain anonymous, created a Facebook profile in her name, published her photos and contacted her colleagues. Through their conversation with her colleagues, Sandra fears that the attackers might have attempted to steal personal information in her name that can be misused going forward. She has since registered a complaint with the law enforcement authorities.
Sandra found out that her identity had been stolen online when a colleague, whom she had not contacted before, messaged her implying that they should continue their conversation. When she inquired further, the colleague told her she had been contacted by Sandra on Facebook regarding a project. A quick investigation into the matter made it apparent that a stranger had created a parallel profile on Facebook, uploaded her photos, and stolen information from her colleagues. Alarmingly they wrote only to other women journalists.
“When they started calling me…. I figured something was wrong. That he had been the victim of a cyber scam. My colleagues were struck by the fact that I contacted them by Facebook, then they decided to write to me on WhatsApp. If they didn’t alert me, I wouldn’t have noticed. They are already warned, but the worrying thing is how many others are chatting with this scammer and did not realize it. That is why I decided to make it public, beyond making the formal complaint,” Sandra told a local publication.
Sandra has registered a complaint with the Computer Crimes Unit of the Police of the City of Buenos Aires about the incident and an investigation is ongoing. The organization has issued a list of preventive measures that can be taken by the victim of such a crime. Officers have advised those targeted to not delete the profile, not lock it and not send it any messages until they have made the corresponding complaint. They also suggested that the victims put up Facebook stories to alert their followers so that they do not engage with the fake profile.
The Coalition For Women In Journalism is extremely concerned regarding the incident and urges Argentinian authorities to secure not just Sandra’s data but also the data of those women journalists who have been targeted through Sandra’s fake profile. The virtual space has become increasingly dangerous for women, especially women journalists whose profession does not afford them the luxury of staying anonymous online. Incidents like these don’t only pose a threat to the journalist whose identity was stolen but also their entire social circle. We hope those responsible for this attack will be held to account.
The CFWIJ strongly condemns the police brutality against journalists. We demand the immediate return of the press cards seized from the security forces. Policies to intimidate journalists should be abandoned, and journalism should be practiced under the criteria of freedom of the press.
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