As you might be aware, myself and the other mods on r/merlinbbc are dealing with an impersonation situation here on Tumblr. I’ve already made a statement on the subreddit, but I also wanted to update everyone on here about the issue, what we’re doing to handle it, and if able, what you can do to help.
More under the cut:
The other mods of r/merlinbbc and I have been modding for almost four years, and it’s been a wonderful run <3 Unfortunately we've also faced harassment from an individual who’s been targeting our mod team this entire time, as well as a couple of other Redditors, in attempts to impersonate, hack, threaten, dox, and send abuse our way.
We posted about this three years back when we were facing that abuse at a much more constant level than we are now. Since then, we've bettered our security measures on the subreddit(s) and associated server (The Heart of Camelot), supported the others that have been harassed, and been generally successful in getting fake accounts impersonating us taken down from Tumblr, Discord, and Twitter. We still get these attempts at harassment many times a year, but they've lessened as we've learned to protect ourselves and that forum better.
As we now have a better understanding on how to effectively limit the abuse, we haven’t been posting every attempt we’ve faced. But this situation is different in that misinformation about our mods and r/merlinbbc are being shared here, a non-Reddit site, which has unfortunately lead to that post being shared widely and assumptions about our characters being made, without first verifying that any of it is true.
To clarify, the mods of r/merlinbbc include myself, Sarah, JennMarie, Frazer, and two Redditors who are no longer moderating actively on the subreddit. Not all of us have blogs, and for the sake of privacy I won’t be listing the blogs of the mods who have them. Regardless, there is an easy way to check and see if a blog or account belongs to one of us, on any platform:
If you have any doubts about a message or account that appears to share our usernames here or on another platform, please send us a modmail on Reddit to check. We’ll see that message as a team and respond as quickly as we can to let you know. On the Heart of Camelot server, you can open a ticket using the Dolma bot and/or ping our Keepers of Hearts (mods) for clarification. OR, you can always shoot me message on in my inbox here or DM me to ask.
If you have the time, I would recommend reading our official statement on r/merlinbbc. Any other statements will only be posted on r/merlinbbc from our accounts with the mod shield ON.
We’re still committed to keeping the BBC Merlin community on Reddit a safe and engaging space for all, and modded with an emphasis on fandom etiquette and compassion, always. And just as it’s written in our Knight’s Code, we aim to be an inclusive and well-modded forum. We do not tolerate any bigotry or discrimination whatsoever.
I also wanted to please ask you all, that for your own safety, do not engage with that blog or any of their impersonation blogs, if you are aware of their handle(s). Best practice would be to reach out to us in one of the ways listed above to confirm, and then to report that blog to Tumblr. I’ve cautioned the community here about this before, but to emphasize, the individual behind the blog will retaliate if you interact with them in any way. They will fake messages you did not send, they will target your online presence entirely and stalk your post history. They have and will attempt to threaten, hack, dox, and harass you. Trust me, it’s not worth it.
If you have been harassed by this individual, and want support or simply want to vent, my DMs are always open. We have a Discord server specifically for those who’ve been harassed that updates with new accounts this individual makes, to block and report them. We also have a Reddit groupchat for the same function. If that interests you, please reach out me privately.
I also do not encourage brigading or sending retaliation their way, whether through anonymous messages or blogs created to expose them. Currently, we’ve reported that blog to Tumblr and will do the same for any future impersonation attempts here. We want to limit their abuse through the proper channels, and while I very much understand your frustration, removing their accounts the proper way will 1. Not give them the attention they want. 2. Keep ourselves and our communities safe from long-term harassment.
All of this to say, I still love this silly show with all my heart, and I know the other mods feel the exact same way. The fandom thrives anywhere it lives, because almost every fellow fan I’ve met is kind, compassionate, and welcoming. And if I can help embody that in even a small way through modding, it’ll still have been worth it.
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