Damian Barrett reports:
More than 40 AFL players have had their identities stolen on social networking websites, with one footballer so concerned he has reported the fraud to police.
North Melbourne’s Robbie Tarrant has endured a false Facebook profile for the past two years and is considering his legal options including pressing charges under the computer crimes division or electronic stalking.
Tarrant and his manager Paul Connors last week asked South Melbourne police to investigate the fraud.
“We have reached the point of sheer frustration with this and were left with no option but to go to the police,” Connors told the Herald Sun yesterday.
“It’s happening to a lot of footballers. To pose as someone you’re not and then make some seriously disgusting comments about people is when you have to say enough is enough.”
“We have spoken to the AFL Players Association at length, it’s frustrated too, and is behind what we are doing,” Connors said.
Read more in the Herald Sun.
Is this type of situation really best described as identity theft or stolen identities? I wouldn’t use those labels for this type of thing as the individual’s identity really hasn’t been stolen because someone poses as them online. It’s upsetting and troublesome, no doubt, as I experienced myself years ago when someone started posting homophobic statements under my name to try to get people to harass me, but stolen identity? I don’t think so. What do you think?