A follow-up to this recent post is in order. A special hello to ScamHaters United on Facebook is also in order. I hope you’re finding this information useful. Even if you’re not in the group, I hope you find this information useful.
In busting fake profiles on Facebook, I’ve looked for context clues. So when a stranger friends you, ask yourself this question. Does the Facebooker’s photos match the Facebooker’s (alleged) city of residence? Here’s what I mean by that.
One recent fake claimed to be from Oxford, Mississippi — one of the unique towns in all of the southeastern United States. If she’s in Oxford, I wondered, how come her profile had zero images of her at Ole Miss football games or any other sporting events? No images at all from campus, The Grove, The Lyceum, Walk of Champions, etc. No images at all from the historic downtown area and vicinity. There were images of her and results of turkey hunts in cold weather environments — but that was it.
For those outside of Mississippi, please understand I’ve lived in the Hattiesburg area, about four hours south of Oxford, for more than three decades. I’ve only visited Oxford twice in as many years for conventions. Prior to the conventions, I’ve worked with colleagues who are proud Ole Miss graduates. So I’ve learned a thing or two about Oxford from them and the conventions.
“You’re in Oxford, right?” I asked the fake in Messenger while we were making small talk. “Yeah,” she said.
It was pop quiz time. “You have 35 seconds,” I challenged her in Messenger, “to name five restaurants in downtown Oxford — starting NOW!” That would give her five seconds to read the pop quiz question and the remaining 30 seconds to quickly type and list restaurants, right? Given the timing of everything, I’d allow for spelling errors.
Well, no reaction for the longest time. She apparently spent 20 seconds googling “restaurants in downtown Oxford, Mississippi”. When 20 seconds elapsed, I typed, “Tick tock!” — hinting she was running out of time. By the time she typed “Ajax”, just one correct answer, her full 35-second time limit had elapsed.
My reaction: “A true Oxonian would quickly name five restaurants in less than 30 seconds. Thank you for proving to me you’re not a true Oxonian. You’re a fake.”
The fake’s reaction: “What’s Oxonian?”
“Oxonian”, in case you haven’t connected the dots, is the demonym for an Oxford, Mississippi, resident. They base the noun on Oxonians in Oxford, England. In tennis terms, the fake committed a double fault.
I unfortunately have forgotten her name — but she has headed for the hills — just like the other fakes I outed.