I reached out to a comment scammer so you don't have to. (Part 3)
Part 1 | Part 2 |
So what do we know?
Stellawilliam46 commented on Time Warp.
While Stellawilliam46 does not have any AO3 works, they did previously have a very similar DeviantArt profile under the name Stellawilliams146. This account is now deactivated, but they previously uploaded work stolen from nadavace.
The selira_vale01 Instagram has two images, both have comments from other users informing us that this user is a scammer. This handle has also been used across FFN, and has previously been flagged as being a scammer on the forums over there.
I contacted angeladraws10 on Discord. They then sent me to artistifystation.com, which hosts their "portfolio". I forwarded this to the appropriate Reddit subreddit, and while it did not get much attention, a fellow redditor agrees that by some slim chance it's not AI, it's exuberantly overpriced for the quality.
Angela shared four pieces with me. Two of them came back with exact matches through Google Lens--the profiles marialouise125 and eloisenova0259 both previously uploaded one of the images Angela shared with me, and both have deactivated DeviantArt accounts. Another image they shared was also uploaded by two other deactivated DeviantArt accounts, christinewilson1 and christine-wilson77.
They then shared their website with me, artistifystation.com. Here, the art they shared appears to have been "created" by juliasimon77. Following this username across the internet found me landing at RoyalRoad (juliasimon), DeviantArt (juliasimon57), Scribble Hub (juliasimon77), Web Novel (Juliasimon) and Wattpad (Luciaquinn234). Side note, looking up the Luciaquinn handles also led me down a rabbit hole that ended up at OnlyFans, so there's a chance there's a scam being run there, too. If that's the case, then I'm glad there's some kind of scamming gender equality.
I then stumbled on X, where they appear to be silentsage_77. Now, I don't have an Xwitter account because I think it's an awful platform, but according to Google, they have posted art there too, all which appear to have been taken from other sources.
The other username listed on the website is Ousam8182. At this point, I'm running out of steam to go hunting for usernames associated with this account, but here's what Google AI had to say:
All the while, the other DeviantArt account where I found The Image is called angeladraws29.
Are you exhausted? I'm exhausted. That's about 16 different accounts, all with ties back to Angela. Now, I've been known to change my account name, but 16 times in a year? Yeesh. Trying to remember all those emails and passwords must be a nightmare.
This morning I had the itch to toy with Angela some more, just to see what else I might be able to pull out from them.
Pixel: Alright, I've thought on it. Please give me your payment details Angela: Do you have Paypal? Pixel: Wouldn't you prefer Osko? Angela: No sorry i don't have Osko Angela: Do you've l,Cashapp,Zelle or Venmo ? Angela: And if you don't have any one of them so you can also pay me through an invoice method Angela: In which you can pay through your bank credit card Pixel: I would prefer card. Can you tell me your account details? Angela: Can i share the invoice? Pixel: Will it include your account details?? Angela: Yes, it’s included. Just share your email with me and I’ll create an invoice for you, so you can easily make the payment through it. Pixel: No thank you, Please just upload it here. 🙂 Angela: Dear, I receive payments from many of my clients through invoices. Those who don’t have PayPal can easily pay via invoice it’s totally safe. I just need your email address so I can send the invoice to you. It’s an official method of payment.
So for those of you who don't know how invoices work, you don't need much other than your own account, your own ABN, and an addressee for an invoice. There is really no need for Angela to ask for my email address, it's perfectly cromulent to print a PDF of a PayPal invoice unless you're technologically illiterate.
I should also mention, it's taking a while at this point for Angela to continue messaging me. I'm waiting ages between messages now.
So I relent. I forward the false identity email I have thanks to my Surfshark.
Angela: Thanks for sharing Angela: I will send you invoice letter Angela: It's take's time to create an invoice
They then edited:
So I guess, now I wait!
TO BE CONTINUED...