Throwaway: My partner (26F) noticed an account that appeared to be using their photos to catfish people. We verified the images using FaceSeek AI, which confirmed that the pictures were posted elsewhere, and we reported the account.
The disturbing part is that the account belongs to someone we personally know (a friend, 27M). We feel betrayed and unsure how to address it without causing a bigger fallout among mutual friends.
What’s the best way to handle this situation? Should we confront them directly, go through mutual friends, or simply cut ties?
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Don’t go through friends. No need to involve others.
Just ask why he’s using the pics. Hear what he has to say, and go from there. Definitely request that he stop. I don’t know if he’s trying to do something to your partner, or if he’s just trying to catfish other people, but if he is, he can do that without your partner’s pics.
But if you want the real answers, you can’t go in blazing. Be calm, and just get the answers you need. Then go from there.
Screenshot everything, then send the screenshots to the perp. “You need to take my photos out of this account.”
You then block this person on all social media so that he cannot access your photos anymore. You then send the screenshots to everyone in your group so that they are aware he’s doing this. He might be doing this with multiple accounts to other people whose photos he has access to. Everyone needs to know. If he’s publicly shamed for it, that makes it harder for him to do again.
It’s understandable that you feel betrayed, but confronting the person directly might not be necessary, consider having a private conversation with them to express how their actions impacted you and set clear boundaries moving forward, it’s also worth suggesting on whether this situation is something you can let go of without affecting your relationships too much, because holding onto resentment could do more harm than good in the long run.