Out Liverpool councillor discovers impersonator offering sex for cash on Grindr
An out Liverpool councillor has discovered that someone is impersonating him on Grindr to offer sex for cash.
21-year-old independent councillor Jake Morrision told the Liverpool Echo about the “bizarre and disturbing” internet troll, who approaches strangers on the hookup app using his picture, and offers to perform sexual acts for £40.
He said: “I am a politician and for somebody to use my pictures and pretend to be me in this way is damaging to my reputation and is very serious.
“People will think it is me who is making these offers of sex, but it’s not.
“I have no idea why someone would do this and I hope they will stop.
“I find it bizarre and disturbing that someone would do this.”
The councillor, who has used Grindr himself, says he was alerted to the impersonator by another user.
He said: “There are clearly issues with the internet and we need to look at ways of dealing with this.
“I’m a public figure and things like this will happen, but what happens when everyday people suffer like this?”
He told PinkNews: “My issue is not necessarily people using my photos. It is the risk of people turning up to meet someone who has other intentions.
“It’s bizarre someone is using my photos to buy sex of course. But I’m concerned of the risk people are put in for a quick fix.”
He added: “I won’t stand by while people are suffering at the hands of trolls.
“That’s why I’m campaigning for tougher police responses and quicker action from the social networks themselves when incidents are reported.”
Earlier this month, a new app launched that helps users reject requests for naked photos.
