Now everyone knows what "photo fraud" and "catfishing" are, but there is such a woman in New Zealand, Natalia Burgess, as early as 23 years ago, when people did not know what Internet fraud was, began to "hunt" young boys online.
图左为Natalia Burgess,图右为她诈骗时盗用的网红照片
Burgess's youngest victim was only 13 years old, and some even committed suicide because of her, while now at the age of 40, she is still active online, "at large", and the people whose photos she stole are miserable.
23 years of living in lies
Natalia Burgess' career as an online masquerader began in 2001 when she created herself as a drug-addicted prostitute on forums.
In 2006, at the age of 22, she forged proof of her pregnancy and went to a maternity shelter in Wellington, owing $1,400.
Beginning in 2008, she started creating different Facebook and social media accounts to post photos of teenage girls, which were all stolen.
At this time, her character is a beautiful girl aged 18-20.
She used different false identities to connect with teens online, including teenagers aged 13-16, in an attempt to obtain their social media and banking information.
They never met and only communicated by phone and social media.
Between 2008 and 2011, Burgess created about 12 different characters, 10 of which had their own phone numbers.
Whenever she gets bored, she will make the character "pass away" and create a memorial page to get another kind of attention.
Some boys are so grief-stricken that they even try to commit suicide after the "death" of their online girlfriends.
In October 2010, a boy who had been in a relationship with Burgess committed suicide, and his mother claimed that Burgess was partly responsible.
In 2013, Burgess was charged with obtaining illegal benefits through fraud and computer crimes, and was eventually sentenced to two years and two months in prison at the Manukau District Court.
In 2016, she was wanted by the police again for violating the conditions of her parole, and she continued to keep in touch with her previous victims, also stating that she was "just friends".
Influencers who have stolen their photos are in trouble
Before Burgess was imprisoned, a reporter had contacted her and said that in reality, she had a lively and charming personality and a relaxed and happy conversation.
Her personality is likable, but the biggest problem is that she can't accept what she looks like.
Burgess told reporters that the photos she stole and the characters she created were her ideal self.
The most recent photo she stole was Crystal Jenner, a New Zealand living on Australia's Gold Coast, a successful woman with a cleaning company and fashion boutique, an online presence and living the life Burgess ideals.
然而Crystal Jenner本人却不堪其扰。
"She's been using my photos to trick her from 2014 to now. I have been contacted by 4 men and 1 woman in the last 4 months. Jenner said.
Her fashion store needs her to be active on social media, and every time she posts a post, she fills Burgess' stock library.
Jenner had called the police for this, however, the police told her that they had not found any money from Burgess and would not take action.
In this regard, criminal lawyer Chris Patterson pointed out that the law of 10 years ago no longer applies to the current situation, and the daily life of the person whose photos she stole has been greatly affected.