Someone Made a Fake Online Dating Profile with a Photo Stolen from My Blog

I can’t remember a single time someone said to me, “You totally look like so-and-so!” and I agreed. So when a former co-worker sent me a message on Facebook saying “You have a doppelgänger on Plenty of Fish”, I braced myself. He sent the picture and I hesitated to look at it.

“If she’s not as cute as me, I’m going to be offended,” I thought to myself. Of course curiosity got the best of me. I looked.

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Whoa. She was 100% as cute as me.

Because she WAS me!

I remember taking that selfie on Park Avenue! This was no doppelgänger, this was Mary Lane POSEUR! A robber! THIEF! If that picture looks familiar it’s because I took it for and featured it in this blog post: Yankees VS Mets and What to Wear to a Baseball Game.

catfish was using and abusing a selfie they’d stolen from THIS VERY BLOG.

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If you are not familiar with Plenty of Fish, it’s an online dating website. One I myself have never used. But now it was being used for me!

EXCEPT:

  • My name was “Sarah” (not as cool as Mary Lane)
  • I lived in Connecticut (ew)
  • I was 27 (thanks identity thief for thinking I look 2 years younger than I actually am)
  • I was a red head (uh…despite the picture totally showing blondeness)
  • My profession was Teacher (how fucking wholesome)
  • I had “Average” body type (UM–)
Average body type!? Excuse me?? If you’re going to pirate my picture at least call me “Thin”! RUDE.

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I couldn’t help but stare at the profile. I felt like I’d be cast in a role:

“Wholesome girl-next-door, wife-material. Basic, kinda boring, but totally sweet. Fresh out of a long-term relationship. Vulnerable, totallllllllly on the rebound. Suburban man catnip.”

Was this me in an alternate universe where I got in a serious relationship my first year in Manhattan, moved with him to the suburbs, and was now broken-hearted and stuck out there?

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Was this parallel universe Connecticut bitch getting messages? Did people want to date her?

Would I be more successful in dating if I was a generic sports fan who laughed at men’s jokes instead of trying to make them laugh at mine? 

That’s a rhetorical question. I know I would be.

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This picture is actually part of my legit online dating (non-POF!) profile. Taken on the same day as the “Sarah” shot, it much better captures my personality.

It was so weird someone was using my picture. I wanted to know the full story! I am such a sucker for a good story that I created a POF account just to message my picture pirate. I know, I know, kinda crazy.

The picture you are using is actually of me. Seriously, I took the selfie in April and posted it on my blog. It is not meant to be used  for fake dating profiles….I am curious as to why you are using it? Are you a man or a woman? Are you spying on someone? If you have an interesting story, maybe I’ll let you keep using it. Otherwise I’m reporting you.

Hey, if “Sarah” was getting revenge on a cheating boyfriend, I wanted to be there for her! However, my message went unanswered. I realize “Sarah” is most likely a creepy asshole.

But the picture was taken from my blog which makes me wonder….”Sarah” are you a reader??

Plenty of Fish makes it surprisingly difficult to report this kind of issue. I’m working on it, but as of publishing the Sarah88_CT profile has yet to be taken down. If you’re reading “Sarah”, email me at newyorkcliche[at]yahoo.com

What celebrity do people say you look like? And if anyone has a fake online dating profile or catfish story, please share!

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About New York Cliche

NYC lifestyle blog by Mary Lane. Events, adventures, epic mistakes, dating, life, humor. A 30-something trying to make it (and make out) in the city of dreams.

21 thoughts on “Someone Made a Fake Online Dating Profile with a Photo Stolen from My Blog

    1. I have contacted them!! 3 times and 2 different mediums and I still haven’t heard a response. It’s really frustrating. I’m considering bringing the story to HuffPo or another media outlet…if the story gets more exposure maybe that’ll force them to address this? So fucking frustrating.

  1. I’ve heard of that happening. Kind of creepy. And why didn’t she (or possibly he) use the bottom picture with your hat on backwards? That’s just, OK, at least they didn’t use your name!

      1. hahaha I think they wanted the most basic photo…the hat backwards one has wayyyy to much spunk. But that’s your favorite? Should I use it on my LEGIT NOT CATFISHY profile?

    1. Oh it just gets more creepy. It’s almost 2 weeks later (ugh I’m so bad and replying to comments) and none of my attempts to contact this company have been answered. Sarah is still on the site! I don’t even know what to do.

    1. I totally see the Stanley Tucci comparison! And “below-average” body type is not an option in online dating!!

    1. omg this is clearly damaging my NYC rep! I CANT HAVE PEOPLE THINKING I LIVE IN THE BURBS!!! Man, I should sue for defamation

    1. Yeah the red thing is strange. Haha do you think this indicates that the Sarah creator is color blind? and thus statistically likely to be a man??? DETECTIVE SKILLS!

    1. WHOA that is WAYYYYYYYY creepier than this!!!! SO WEIRD! Bet those got taken down real fast though! Facebook is much more responsive to complaints than this stupid dating website.

  2. This has happened to me!! I found out today that I’m on a Turkish dating site (I am in Australia)!!!

    I have no idea how to contact them or what to do!!

  3. I am dealing with this right now. Not sure who stole my photo but they are also using my name. But a complete false back story and message people in my home town to get to know me. Not surr what steps I can take to stop it but if you have any info please send it my way

  4. This exact same thing happened to me! A year ago I emailed POF… still no reply and the fake profile with my picture is still up. Any update on your story? Has your profile finally been removed?

  5. I have this problem currently,

    They have cut out my face, aged me by 5 years and are using my name and has my real location on it.

    Have reported it and nothing has been done and it was on several other sites too that I managed to get most of them removed, but still a few profiles lurking.

  6. Well, this is a bad sign for POF. Every dating site should have a way to report abuse. If POF doesn’t, then it’s part of the problem.

    On OkCupid, my stalker(s) created a fake profile to defame me. OkCupid deleted it. The same people created an entire hate blog on WordPress to defame me, stealing my online handle and photos. Not only did WordPress NOT delete it, they actually changed their terms of service to allow them to do nothing about it (I cited their own terms at them in my complaints, and within the week, the terms were changed). The only thing WordPress did was what is mandated by law: Digital Millennium Copyright Act.

    So I recommend the same: send POF a DMCA takedown notice. Send it by post to their business office if need be.

    The internet enables so much sociopathic and psychotic behavior.

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