Fake X accounts back Republican bet
16 X accounts use images of European influencers without their permission and encourages thousands of followers to vote for Donald Trump
Daily Tribune16 X accounts use images of European influencers without their permission and encourages thousands of followers to vote for Donald Trump
Fake accounts on X use stolen images of influencers to appear authentic
Jim WATSON, Odd ANDERSEN / AFP/File
Fake accounts posing as chic American women who support Donald Trump on the platform X, disguise themselves by using stolen photographs of European fashion and beauty influencers, according to a study published Wednesday.
The nonprofit Center for Information Resilience (CIR) said it uncovered 16 X accounts using images of European influencers without their permission and encouraging thousands of followers to vote for the Republican presidential nominee.
The fake profiles use everyday images from the influencers’ Instagram accounts — including pictures of them at the beach or walking their dog — which are captioned with MAGA (Make America Great Again)-related hashtags or pledges to vote for Trump, CIR said.
MAGA is a political slogan associated with Trump and his campaign.
It was unclear who was behind the digital deception or whether the accounts were pushing pro-Trump content for ideological or monetary gain.
Many of the accounts have attempted to spread misinformation about hot-button political subjects such as a recent assassination attempt against Trump, his Democratic rival Kamala Harris’ ethnicity and United States military aid to Ukraine, the report said.
One of the impersonators is “Luna,” a self-described 32-year-old “MAGA Trump supporter,” who used images of a German fashion influencer named Debbie Nederlof, according to CNN, which jointly conducted the investigation with CIR.
Nederlof, a single mother, voiced anger and frustration over the misuse of her images, saying she had “nothing to do with the United States, with Trump, the political things over there.”
“What the hell do I — from a small place in Germany — care about US politics?” she said.
X did not respond to a request for comment.
