Is this the most impersonated woman in the world? The US-based model’s face, dubbed the ‘modern day Helen of Troy’, is being ‘used on THOUSANDS of fake social media accounts by West African scammers to target and steal from lonely men,’ claims the new BBC podcast
- A new BBC podcast tells the story of model Janessa Brazil’s pictures
- The adult entertainer’s images were used to capture lonely men
Image of adult American entertainer is used to scam men out of money on “over 100,000 social media accounts”.
Florida-based model Janessa Brazil’s images are used by scammers to convince the lonely to part with their hard-earned cash.
She has been branded the “modern day Helen of Troy” by people who have conflicted with the images.
Ms Brazil is the subject of a new BBC podcast entitled ‘Love, Janessa’ presented by investigative reporter Hannah Ajala.
It stars journalist Simon de Bruxelles, who himself encountered someone posing as Ms. Brazil.
Florida-based model Janessa Brazil’s images are used by scammers to convince the lonely to part with their hard-earned cash
Brazil has been branded the “modern day Helen of Troy” by people at odds with the images
A scammer who calls herself Tammy Anderson used Brazil’s picture on her social media profile
He wrote in the Daily Express: “My engagement started on New Year’s Eve 2018 when I received a message on Twitter from a woman I didn’t know.
“She said her name is Tammy Anderson and she sends greetings from ‘my world to yours.’
“I responded in kind, sending her and her family Happy New Year’s greetings and asking, ‘Where exactly is your world?’.”
Mr de Bruxelles said they continue to chat online and he was initially convinced she was a real person.
Ms Brazil is the subject of a new BBC podcast entitled ‘Love, Janessa’ presented by investigative reporter Hannah Ajala
The real Janessa Brazil has confirmed that her identity has been stolen many times through scams
Hannah investigates how and why Janessa’s pictures were used to scam people out of so much money for the new podcast
Romance scams on the rise
The average financial loss for victims of love scams is nearly £12,000, according to figures from Britain’s largest building society.
Typical love scam losses have more than doubled, from £4,720 in 2021 to £11,796 in 2022, the Nationwide Building Society said.
Men who were victims lost an average of £9,057 to such scams last year and women typically lost £14,803, according to the society.
Scammers create fake profiles on dating websites and social media and spend time building trust with people looking for a relationship before asking for cash.
The society added that fewer Nationwide members reported being victims of such scams, possibly because people are more aware of them.
The number of romance scams reported to the Society in 2022 decreased by 17% compared to 2021.
There was an 80-year age difference between the youngest and oldest romance scam victims reported to Nationwide.
People who fell for love scams ranged in age from 14 to 94, according to the company.
But then she said her bosses didn’t pay her salary and asked him to send her $300 to cover her.
That was what prompted him to examine her more closely and using Google’s reverse image search, he discovered that the picture was of model Brazil.
He discovered other social media profiles with the same or similar images and had the fake Twitter stream shut down.
Then he contacted the real Brazilian who confirmed that her identity had been stolen many times.
Mr de Bruxelles added: “The numerous scams had ruined her career.
“Apparently a Florida court banned her from posting anything on the internet after a man she’d never met claimed he sent her $2 million.”
The podcast investigation takes listeners from the UK to Italy, West Africa and the United States.
Hannah investigates how and why Janessa’s pictures were used to swindle people out of so much money – sometimes hundreds of thousands of dollars.
She also speaks to victims who have been victimized as well as individuals who make a living from love scams.
Jon Manel, Podcast Commissioning Editor, BBC World Service, said: “In this immersive, ‘unbeatable’ investigative podcast, Hannah Ajala captivates listeners, taking them on one unexpected journey after another, examining the many layers of a grave and… growing online crime.
“We’re partnering with CBC Podcasts with three big shows for 2023 – starting with Love, Janessa – and it’s been fantastic working with Antica and Telltale on this important, insightful and often mind-blowing story.”