Well, this is not something that I thought I would ever have to write on my blog: It seems that someone out there is catfishing people on dating apps, and is using my name and directing people to my website and social media accounts, saying that my work is hers and pretending to be me while asking for substantial amounts of money.
First and foremost, I do not have dating profiles, nor any sort of meetup accounts. And, I would never, ever ask anyone for a gift or loan of any amount.
If someone out there has contacted you representing herself as Deb, Debb, Debbie, Deborah, or any other variant along with the last name Liljegren, please reach out to me or contact the FBI's IC3 division and file a formal complaint.
The Con: "Fake Deb" uses some of the available information about me that anyone can find out - that I live in NYC, that I am a photographer, etc. "She" has gone so far as to get a gmail email with my name, uses a New York phone number, and so forth.
"Fake Deb" has a son named Henry and they take art/antiques buying trips. She will ask you for a loan of around $50,000.00 USD so that she can get her goods back to the US and she will pay you back stateside.
She won't.
Should you tell "Fake Deb" that you can't loan her the money, she will then ask you to send a few hundred dollars to cover flight change fees because now she has to come back because you didn't loan her the money.
I was lucky that someone that "Fake Deb" tried to catfish caught on, did research and found out the truth, and reached out to me.
Please, please, please...do not engage with this person unless you speak with the FBI.
The woman is the photos may be the scammer, may not be. If you know the woman and/or child in the photos, please reach out to me.
And, to all of you out there on dating apps, do your due diligence and make sure people are who they say they are. There are some awful people in this world, so trust your gut if something doesn't feel right. Remember, Google is your friend.
Stay safe everyone,
The Real Deb.