catfishing

8 Stories

Blackmailer Blamed for Girl's Suicide Gets Life Sentence

UK's Alexander McCartney catfished young victims, including a 12-year-old American

(Newser) - A UK man must serve at least 20 years of a life sentence after blackmailing young victims online over sexual photos, reports the BBC . One of Alexander McCartney's many victims was 12-year-old Cimarron Thomas of West Virginia, who took her own life in 2018 after McCartney threatened to send...

Who Is Catfishing Tegan and Sara Fans?

Documentary reveals the years-long scheme still haunting indie pop star Tegan Quin

(Newser) - A new documentary by Erin Lee Carr cracks open the bizarre catfishing case of indie pop star Tegan Quin, one half of the Tegan and Sara duo with her identical twin sister. As the Daily Beast reports, Fanatical: The Catfishing of Tegan and Sara , delves into the 16-year-long ruse by...

Cops: Internet Imposter Offered Her $9M to Kill, and She Did

Denali Brehmer pleads guilty to killing Alaska teen in catfishing scheme

(Newser) - Back in 2019, five teens in Alaska were charged in the murder of another teenager. At the time, the big question was why, per the Anchorage Daily News . Now, authorities say they have the answer, and it involves a jarring example of internet catfishing. Last week, Denali Brehmer, now 22,...

'This Guy Stalked Me and Groomed Me When I Was a Child'

'LA Times' talks to woman who says she conversed for years as a young teen with Austin Edwards

(Newser) - Austin Edwards is dead, as are three others he murdered in November in California after catfishing one victim's teen daughter . But his story has been revived once more, thanks to a woman now speaking out who says the former Virginia cop similarly groomed her, pressuring her to share nude...

Friends: 'Catfishing' Cop Had Girlfriend in California

They say Austin Edwards visited her while in the state in November

(Newser) - Another point on the timeline has emerged in the case of the former Virginia trooper who police say catfished a California teen and killed three of her family members. Two friends of Austin Edwards, who died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound after police closed in on him and the girl,...

State Police Messed Up in Hiring 'Catfishing' Cop

'Incomplete database query' cited in hiring of Austin Edwards, who'd been on psych hold in Virginia

(Newser) - Virginia State Police hired a state trooper, later accused of killing three people and himself , as a result of "human error." An administrative review found "human error resulted in an incomplete database query" in the hiring of Austin Lee Edwards, who allegedly killed the mother and grandparents...

Family of Victims in 'Catfish' Killing Speaks Out

Relatives plead with parents to talk to their kids about online activities

(Newser) - Family members mourning the three people slain in what police describe as a murderous catfishing scheme are speaking out. "Parents, please know your child’s online activity, ask questions about what they’re doing and whom they are talking to. Anybody can say they’re someone else and you...

Cops: 'Catfishing' Leads to Triple Homicide

Former Virginia state trooper accused of killing 3 people, taking teen girl

(Newser) - Four people are dead in California after police say a man's internet catfishing scheme turned violent. Authorities in Riverside say Austin Lee Edwards, 28, struck up an online relationship with a teenage girl in the city by using a false identity—a ruse known as catfishing, reports USA Today ...

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