We all know we should be careful about what we post on the internet, but one mother is learning the dangers of social media firsthand.
Nickol Gallovich is a blogger and mother of 3 from Plano, Texas.
Like most people, the mother often used Facebook and other social media platforms to update her family and friends about her life.
In an interview with CBSDFW, Gallovich explains, “I mean, I post photos on my personal Facebook page all the time. I just kind of shared [my kids’] day-to-day life things.”
One day, that all changed when Nickol received a message from a bizarre profile she did not recognize.
“Rayne Moretti” had sought out Gallovich to speak to her about a photo she had posted online.
Attached to the message was a Facebook link. When Gallovich clicked it, the screen displayed a disturbing sight: somebody had stolen her daughter Macy’s photo and was using it as their profile picture.
In the message, “Rayne Moretti” told Gallovich the stranger was claiming Macy was actually their daughter who had apparently died from drowning.
Gallovich tells CBSDFW, “It was weird. It was really weird. You know, seeing somebody else’s name, and there’s her picture […] Then it really got my guard up as far as, ‘Ok, who is contacting me?'”
I’m sure I’m not the only one who’s noticed that ‘Rayne Moretti’ sounds awfully similar to ‘Rein Monroe’…
The person using Macy’s picture claimed to be from Arizona, Texas, but they also listed their profession as a piercing artist at the Knucklehead Tattoo studio in Glendale, Arizona.
When CBSDFW contacted the KnuckleHead Tattoo studio, however, they did not receive a response.
Gallovich ultimately ended up complaining to Facebook, who removed both of the creepy profiles from the social media site.
Still, however, the person’s identity remains unknown and she can never truly be sure what they were doing with Macy’s picture, or whether they are still lurking somewhere in the background.
Erin Cash from the Queensland Police force is an expert when it comes to pedophiles and child abuse cases.
In a blog post, Erin shares tips to help parents protect their children from pedophiles on the web and social media.
The officer says pedophiles are pros when it comes to imagining dirty situations from a seemingly innocent photo. Any photo showing an unusual amount of skin (even if only a modest bathing suit) can quickly be edited and pasted into a graphic, sexual scenario.
Erin offers 3 things you should be considering the next time you want to post a photo of your child online:
- Is there enough room to ‘superimpose’ another figure into the image?
- Are they in a state of undress (even with emoticons placed modestly— these can be removed and body parts can be Photoshopped in).
- Do you have a public social media page? Pedophiles can develop ‘child crushes’ and the child does not have to be posed or in a state of undress for the photo to become a commodity.
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