Editor’s Note: This post was originally written in August of 2023. Now, it’s happened again - and I’ve just been made aware of it in September of 2024 … this time, with the Telegram handle of @Julie_cs. Freelancers, beware! ⚠️

I’ve been copied before. That’s nothing new.

There are a lot of sad, unauthentic, unoriginal people out there who can’t come up with their own ideas or make it on their own.

But this? This takes the cake.

In late July, I received this message through one of my social media pages:

“Is anyone available to chat? I’m a freelancer on Fiverr and a ‘Julie Cortes’ had messaged me. I’d like some confirmation to know if this account is real or not.”

Accompanying the message was this screenshot:

My eyes got super wide …

That’s me in the picture. That’s my name. And those are certainly my titles.

But that’s NOT me. That’s NOT my account.

The imposter had lifted my picture, name and titles from one of my social media pages to create a fake account on the messaging app Telegram.

Pro Tip: You’d know it’s not me as I always use an accent mark in my last name, I always spell ‘copywriter’ as one word, and I would never be so cocky as to use the word “Trusted” in my bio.

Buyer Beware!

I shared this on my social media pages a few days later:

Come to find out, this poor freelancer had been lured off Fiverr to Telegram to discuss a potential graphic design project. When the fake account asked for a $20 “insurance fee” up front, it raised his eyebrows. (As well it should.) That, and the fraudster had used a different name / handle on Fiverr than the one presented on Telegram.

Once we chatted and I informed him that was a fake account, he reported the account—both to Fiverr and Telegram. Fiverr immediately took down the account.

Telegram, however, is a whole other story.

The imposter has since also been reported to the police as well as the FTC. I’ve also contacted the legal department at Telegram reporting IP infringement.

While I await a response, I wanted to put this out there as a warning to anyone who may be visiting here for the first time—either trying to contact me or to see if that account is legit.

I’m now hearing from disgruntled freelancers frantically trying to get paid. Folks are commenting on my posts, calling me in the middle of the night, accusing me of nonpayment and blocking them on Telegram.

I understand their frustration. They deserve to be paid! They deserve answers instead of getting ghosted! And it pains me to tell them this is a dead end. They’ve been duped.

Ballsy SOB

And now? The imposter is not only using my picture(s) – note plural, yet also my promotional posts, reels, and testimonials in their stories as well as their profile pic. (So, yes, if you’ve been so kind to have given me a testimonial in the past, chances are, your name and picture are also being shared by this fraudster. Oh, there are pics and videos from my 25-year party that’ve been shared there, too. So, your face may very well be in play here as well.)

But this blew me away. The imposter actually had the balls to share the VERY picture that I used to warn others about them!

Now they’re just messing with me. That takes some Grade A cojones to do that.

I’ve since turned the profile I suspect they’re swiping from to private. Time will tell if it’s an inside job.

Not My First Rodeo

Unfortunately, and as mentioned before, this isn’t the first time I’ve been copied.

There was the gal who lifted text from one of my social media posts and used it as her own—word for word, emoji for emoji. Pretty ballsy, considering I followed her on several platforms; I was bound to see it. (Of course, once she learned I was aware, she proceeded to play the victim and make me the bad guy in subsequent posts. ‘Cuz that’s what they do.)

Then there was the guy who legit took my branded promo post for an event and crossed out my details to make it his own. (I crossed out his name in the upper right-hand corner to try and somewhat protect his identity.)

You just can’t make this sh!t up.

And, of course, who can forget the gal who—not only put her (just-so-happens-to-be gradient) brand colors in her hair and copied my idea to teach a freelancing class on a college level—copied (nay, STOLE) my idea for adding a coaching arm (specifically for freelancers) to her business.

We all thought that was bad. Some observers even coined her my ‘Single White Female’ imposter after the well-known movie. That’s some serious bad juju right there.

But this is a whole ‘nother level of crazy.

In the past, the copying was done by people I knew.

This, I have a feeling is by someone I don’t know. (They better hope I don’t know them!) It could be some sad 40-year-old virgin living in his parents’ basement for all I know.

And, not only are they impersonating me, they’re scamming people out of money as well … and in my name!

Yes, it’s hella frustrating. I’ve busted my ass to earn this brand reputation. You don’t get to steal it because you’re not good enough to earn it yourself. How pathetic can one be??

I’ll tell you what, though. It makes me even more impassioned to teach, speak and coach on all things freelancing to warn others of the injustices of the industry. 

Apparently, if you can’t make it on your own, you’ve got to steal someone else’s content, ideas, and identity to do so. Who knew?

This will not end well for the imposter, I can promise you that. Or the platform that’s liable for hosting this copyright infringement.

Stay tuned for updates …

UPDATES

• 8/8/23—I heard from a freelancer in Pakistan today. He told me he was so grateful I’d posted about this scam on LinkedIn as he was about to be taken for a ride. Fortunately, he saw my post when he did a Google search on me. Turns out, the imposter continues to create fake accounts on Fiverr to lure people over to Telegram—where they’re posing as me under the @JulieCortes01 handle. The last known Fiverr account to do this is @rldeusy. This account has been reported to Fiverr; a copyright infringement report has also been submitted.

• 8/10/23—Fiverr has taken down the account and is “taking these matters very seriously.” While they can’t officially tell me what they’re doing, my hope is that they’re blocking the IP address of the offender so the individual is no longer able to access the platform and continue to scam people out of their money. Meanwhile, as I wait for a response from Telegram, my attorney is ready to take action. The good news is, ever since I changed one of my social media profiles to private, the imposter has stopped changing out their profile picture and sharing stories on Telegram with any new copyrighted content of mine.

• 8/17/23—A report has been filed with the FBI Cyber Crime Division. Still awaiting a response from Telegram. No new copyrighted material has been stolen and shared by the imposter since changing one social media profile to private. Instead, they’re now sharing phony receipts of paid invoices they’ve made to freelancers.

• 8/22/23—My attorney is sending a legal demand letter to Telegram to take down the account. Fingers crossed!

• 8/28/23—The account is still active. Telegram has been told to cease and desist this account.

• 9/2/23—Telegram is not responding to my attorney. The app has now been reported to the Apple Store and Google Play.

• 9/21/23—VICTORY IS MINE!!!! The @juliecortes01 account has now been taken down on Telegram. What’d it take? Finding out who the founder of Telegram was and pinging him on Twitter (X). Two hours later, I noticed the account no longer appears to exist on the platform. FINALLY!!!

• 9/22/23—Hilarious. Google responded today and told me they can’t find the copyrighted material in question. It’s been nearly three weeks since I first reached out to them. And they just happen to respond the day after I get it taken down (no thanks to them). What a crock.

• 9/15/24 - I’ve learned this has happened again. This time, with the Telegram user using the handle @Julie_cs. Word to the wise: this is NOT me.