Imposter Alert: Thief Swipes Classic TikToks for Mass-Produced Merchandise

IThis April, Daisy Elicek stumbled upon something peculiar while browsing TikTok. She discovered videos featuring her 84-year-old father, George Tsaftarides, who operates a small tailoring business in Ohio. However, the video she encountered did not originate from Tsaftarides’ official page, but rather from an account claiming to be a “sad old man” at risk of losing his cat sanctuary, boasting nearly 41,000 followers.

The video text expressed, “I poured my love into my life because I couldn’t bear to close the cat shelter,” suggesting that the sanctuary would sell slippers to raise extra funds. This plea resonated with many viewers, leading to comments from millions and tens of thousands of users. One commenter wrote, “I just ordered two! Sending love to these kittens.” Another added, “Thank you for everything you do for these babies.” Others inquired about a GoFundMe link to donate directly to the cat shelters.

Yelichek and her father were taken aback. Tsaftarides does not operate any shelters. The accounts promoting these funding requests appear to be part of scams aimed at selling mass-produced slippers. Some followers who actually ordered the slippers received fuzzy footwear labeled “Made in China,” indicating they were not handmade by an elderly man running a struggling cat sanctuary.

“These individuals are using my identity for profit, but I can’t understand why,” Tsaftarides stated. “It’s theft, it’s dishonest, and it’s wrong.”

Tsaftarides isn’t the only TikTok user to have their likeness misappropriated. Charles Ray, an 85-year-old retiree from Michigan, has also been targeted by accounts using doctored video clips of his portrait. He began his own TikTok account in January to share jokes with his followers.

“At the start of the year, my pastor made a joke about a frog, and I thought, ‘This should make people smile,’ so I found a way to create an account and made a joke, and it took off from there,” he recounted.

Ray’s videos all follow a similar formula. Shot in selfie mode, he delivers a quick joke. He was disheartened to discover his content was used not only to “spread joy” but also to exploit and scam others. In one clip, he appears to be rubbing his eyes, while another repost suggests he is crying. One video uses a clip of a woman sobbing about an unrelated topic, while another includes a user in a hospital bed.

Since Yelichek first identified the misuse of her father’s image, she has cataloged over 100 accounts using unrelated videos to promote mass-produced items like slippers, headphone cases, and blankets. According to a list compiled by Yelichek and analyzed by the Guardian, around 20 accounts can be traced across Instagram and YouTube, employing similar tactics.

At one point, Yelichek reached out to the account, which had manipulated her father’s image, pleading for them to cease their actions. The individual behind the account claimed to be a struggling 17-year-old boy in Greece.

“I understand your situation, but I hope you can understand mine as well,” he responded.

This scam resembles a video trend on TikTok that has successfully promoted sales for small businesses through heartfelt messages about struggling local shops and eateries. A typical post imitates a community appeal for support.

In the case of Yelichek’s viral video, many commenters moved by the fabricated tale attempted to amplify it, mentioning the names of celebrities and generating further engagement that TikTok seems to prioritize. One comment noted, “Fun fact,” regarding another similar video claiming to support a diligent cow sanctuary. “If you engage, you’ll receive more replies! See other popular channels like Chapel Lawn and Taylor Swift to reach more people.” The video states that these accounts also recontextualize clips from genuine TikTok users to create misleading narratives before deleting them, which amassed 1.4 million likes and 26,000 comments.

Tsaftarides feels particularly frustrated, as his own content, which he intended to promote small businesses—including his own—has been co-opted to market mass-produced products.

“We aim to showcase our store and educate people about sewing,” he explained. “I won’t profit from my TikTok account.”

Yelichek mentioned that she and her father filed a police report with the Jackson Township police in Ohio. The local police have been actively working to liaise with social networks to address the issue of identity theft and remove the stolen content. While Yelichek noted that Instagram has removed several of the profiles she reported, TikTok—a platform grappling with a more significant issue—has been less responsive.

“When we comment on [these videos] and label them as spam, our comments are often swiftly deleted, leading TikTok to assert they’re not violating their community guidelines,” Yelichek shared, along with a screenshot of the message.

TikTok users who are wise to the scheme have taken to commenting on the videos to label them as scams. Like Yelichek, some users have noted that TikTok has responded to their reports by claiming the content doesn’t violate community guidelines.

In an official statement, TikTok emphasized that their community guidelines prohibit any accounts or content that infringe upon others’ intellectual property rights. Reports of copyright infringement may require proof of ownership, such as links to the original content or evidence of the infringing material. Meta echoed similar sentiments, stating the same Terms of use on Instagram prohibit posting content that violates intellectual property rights, including copyrights and trademarks, and such infractions can be reported on Instagram. For more information, please visit their Help Page.

Ray, the 85-year-old jokester, also attempted to report the fraudulent video but received a response indicating that the flagged content did not violate TikTok’s community standards. Like Yelichek, he has faced frequent removal of his comments cautioning followers against scams, lamenting that he “hasn’t received any assistance from TikTok” and is unsure how to communicate further with the platform.

In a statement, TikTok reiterated its commitment to combating copyright violations, noting that 94% of content removed for breaching community guidelines regarding fake engagement in the last quarter was removed in response to reports.

Meanwhile, some users are becoming increasingly aware of this specific type of emotional manipulation. In recent viral videos, warnings about fraudulent posts claiming to support cat shelters, cow farms, and other heartbreaking narratives are spreading like wildfire.

While awareness increases, misleading videos continue to circulate. Instead of being disheartened, Ray has opted to create a video, recalling that many of his 13,000 followers express anticipation for his daily posts.

“Everything going on today makes people need a reason to smile,” he stated. “If my followers can smile, even briefly forget their troubles, then that’s all I hope to achieve—making people smile. This isn’t going to stop me.”