When Someone Takes Your Picture as Their Avatar... (Be Careful Out There!)

Hey Everyone,

Just to let you know--I had someone contact me via the new instant message system here who complimented me on my picture and then almost immediately put my picture up onto his/her profile as THEIR avatar picture.

I have asked them twice to please change their avatar, and their first response was to accuse me of using a fake picture, and their second is to ignore me when I asked them to change their picture.

Via CC site policy, I won't name a name because I believe that's against the rules.

I am now in the process of getting this mess cleaned up.

It's so discouraging because it would be nice to share pictures here, but obviously, some people will abuse it, so now I'm torn about ever wanting to show pictures here again.

Please, be careful out there!!!

And, if you see any posts that are using the picture I had up, PLEASE, make sure it's really me before being duped into believing someone else's words who is just using my picture.

Be safe out there and God bless!

I probably won't post much until this is taken care of.

Wow... that is just crazy... well that is just fewie... I was looking forward to seeing one of your High School aged photos...
hope it gets resolved soon... I would take it as a compliment... just looking at the glass half full...

Both scary and violating. Grrrring at that kind of behavior.

This person is repeatedly saying that the reason I must be concerned about it is because I was using a fake picture, and most certainly must be fake since I now changed my avatar (yes, they are still talking to me, and saying I have no reason to be upset.)

I reported the matter to Robo and am hoping it will be cleared up soon.

I surely hope this would be considered a violation and that something will be done.

For me, the issue is that if someone takes your picture, and especially your current picture, as their own avatar, they will be all over the forum and in chat saying crazy things (because anyone who does that doesn't have very good intentions in mind), and 99.9% of the people who see this picture will assume it's you.

We had a thread once in which all of us changed to each other's avatars but just for that thread and just for fun, but it was mass confusion at the time because your brain sees the picture and automatically associates it with the person you're using to seeing post with that avatar, and not so much the name next to the avatar.

Imagine someone with the mindset of taking your picture in an effort to manipulate you (by saying that your picture must be fake) and then approaching people in chat, and making comments or posts on the forum, with everyone thinking that you are the one saying and doing all these crazy things.

This is so befuddling and concerning... I'm glad to see that you are living up to your handle: 'outwrite trouble'...
I just can't comprehend why someone would be so compelled to do such a thing... What possibly could they be thinking?

I was just told that the staff is looking into and taking care of the matter.

Thanks very much to our dedicated staff--many of whom are volunteering all of their own time.

One of the reasons I wrote this out in the open is because I am especially concerned about our younger members--please, if someone tries to push, manipulate, or coerce any information, conversation, or personal media that you don't want to post, please don't fall for it.

Contact a staff member (and if you don't know who they are or how to contact them, just ask here in the forums) and get help.

Not only will you be protecting yourself, but you'll also be helping to look after fellow posters as well.

Oooooo they about to catch these hands!!!!!

While I do appreciate your concern for our younger members, I'm laughing at myself - as my kids are always laughing at me BC I am so old school when it comes to social media... So as a reasonably older member - I too appreciate learning some of these 'cat-fish' type shenanigans ... just blows my mind... talk about the mind games of the thread that you guys played - trading avatars...
To think that people actually take the time to dream up these types of things ...
I hate to say it, but it is either diabolical or just a new way of thinking as a result of heightened exposure to social media - where the older folks are seemingly just as vulnerable if not more so ...

I guess some people have to much time on their hands and have to pull stunts like this too amuse themselves. Thanks for the heads up Kim!

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Bizarre and childish - glad u reported it.
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Next thread idea: "For All the Crazies, Catfish, and Trolls: Please See Melita... The End."

Thanks for the heads Kim, hopefully it gets sorted soon

I should clarify about this...

A very long time ago, we had a very regular crowd here in Singles and one regular user had a particular avatar that was a stock photo of a heart pattern. Another member took on the same avatar, and then a couple others did as well, just as a joke. But it was just a generic picture, and certainly not anyone's personal photograph, and it was causing mass confusion, but in a very funny way.

So, we started a whole thread in which several of us took on the avatars of other people as a joke, and it was really crazy because it forced us all to actually look at the names of who was posting instead of just the avatars.

At the time, I had an avatar of my favorite Decepticon (Sound Wave!!!) and someone took it on as their own... and when I saw "my" avatar next to their post, I actually had to check that I wasn't the one who wrote it! (I then posted a picture of the scene where the T-1000 Terminator in Terminator 2 starts to transform from a liquid puddle right up off the checkered floor and the poor security guard turns around, only to see a double of himself, because that's what the thread was like!)

One person DID take on another person's personal photo avatar, but it was just for one post as a joke, and then they immediately took it down.

It was a great thread, and generated a lot of laughs, but, everyone who participated at that time did so as a good-natured joke and by no means had any malicious intent.

We also all changed our avatars back after the thread had run for a day or two.

I'm sure we won't repeat that kind of thread now, but hopefully we can all still built that kind of rapport.

I also wanted to say that the CC staff has been right on top of things.

A staff member was kind enough to contact me and tell me things were being looked into and resolved.

This is one of the many reasons why I stay on this site and try to support it as best I can.

Many thanks to our very hard-working CC staff for doing all they can to look out for us.

Glad it was resolved. Sorry to hear someone was being immature or trolling like that.

Hapoened to me too. He said its fake and unchristian blabla. I reported him

sometimes its tempting to go back to m oldways...... i wasnt always the sweetheart i am now. hahahahaha

Oh i know that feeling

I prefer a Bitmoji. It even makes me look better. I may have removed a wrinkle or two as a bonus lol.