imposter

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Cops: Woman Has Posed as a Nurse Since COVID

Shannon Nicole Womack, 39, faces 43 counts in Pennsylvania alone

(Newser) - A woman accused of impersonating a nurse across several states faces a litany of charges after Pennsylvania authorities uncovered what they describe as an elaborate, five-year fraud operation that began during the COVID pandemic. Shannon Nicole Womack, 39, allegedly used at least 10 aliases—and possibly as many as...

A Fake Marco Rubio Is Making Calls in DC

Someone is using AI software to mimic his voice and texting style, reports Washington Post

(Newser) - First, it happened to Trump chief of staff Susie Wiles . Now, it's happening to the secretary of state. The Washington Post reports that somebody is impersonating Marco Rubio in voicemails and texts with the help of AI software. The State Department is investigating and has sent out a warning...

In-N-Out Chain Sues YouTube Prankster

Company says Bryan Arnett posed as staffer, made 'profane' comments to customers

(Newser) - A popular YouTuber has been slammed with a suit by a similarly popular fast-food chain. CBS News reports that the In-N-Out burger franchise has sued internet personality Bryan Arnett, accused by the chain of impersonating one of its workers, interacting with customers, and making "lewd, derogatory, and profane remarks"...

Fake Flight Attendant Boarded Dozens of Planes
Fake Flight Attendant
Boarded Dozens of Planes
in case you missed it
Jun 15, 2025 2:40 PM CDT

Fake Flight Attendant Boarded Dozens of Planes

DOJ says 6-year scheme allowed Tiron Alexander, 35, to fly for free

(Newser) - A Florida man managed to fly free on dozens of flights by pretending to be a flight attendant—a scheme that has now landed him a federal conviction and the prospect of decades in prison. Tiron Alexander, 35, was found guilty on Thursday of wire fraud and unlawfully entering...

Cops: 'Teen' on JV Teams at High School Was Actually 24

Venezuelan man allegedly used fake documents to join sports teams and classes in Ohio

(Newser) - A person that cops say is a 24-year-old Venezuelan man has been accused of enrolling at Perrysburg High School in Ohio under the guise of being an unaccompanied 16-year-old minor. Police say Anthony Emmanuel Labrador Sierra attended the school for more than a year starting in January 2024, taking...

Cops: Woman Posed as Men in Love Scams Targeting Elderly

She allegedly tricked 4 older women out of $1.5M by wooing them into fake romances

(Newser) - An Oklahoma woman apparently got sucked too far into the online dating world—but as the scammer, not the one being scammed, according to state authorities. Christine Echohawk is accused of posing as men to woo four elderly women, with a release from the office of Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner...

Lawyers: We Know Phony High Schooler's Case Is 'Very Bizarre'

Attorneys for Hyejeong Shin say she faked her way in to New Jersey high school due to loneliness

(Newser) - At age 16, Hyejeong Shin came to the United States from South Korea and attended boarding school in Massachusetts. In 2019, she graduated from Rutgers with a degree in political science and Chinese, got married, and set up her home in a high-rise not far from the New Jersey university....

Woman Allegedly Failed Exam, Faked Being a Doctor

27-year-old was 'immediately' relieved of her duties at Sydney hospital on Monday

(Newser) - It's not quite as extreme as this man who famously faked being a doctor (among other things), but it's close. An Australian woman is accused of working at Sydney's Bankstown-Lidcombe Hospital as a junior doctor for 7 months—though she reportedly was no doctor. 7 News reports...

Cops: Woman Posed as Boy, Seduced Teen Girls

Gemma Watts, 21, may have sexually assaulted up to 50 victims, police say

(Newser) - A 21-year-old UK woman has been accused of posing as a teen boy, grooming four teen girls online, then meeting up with and sexually assaulting them—and cops say she could have as many as 50 victims all together. Per the BBC , police say Gemma Watts pretended she was 16-year-old...

'One of the Most Elaborate Scams to Ever Hit Hollywood'
'One of the Most Elaborate
Scams to Ever Hit Hollywood'
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Jul 15, 2018 6:33 AM CDT

'One of the Most Elaborate Scams to Ever Hit Hollywood'

Con artists impersonate female execs and dupe victims into turning over money

(Newser) - It's a con job that sounds straight out of Hollywood—and this time, that is literally true. Scott Johnson of the Hollywood Reporter reveals a bizarre international scheme in which a very talented con artist impersonates some of the film industry's top female executives and dupes people out...

Swindler Posing as Prince Made One Dumb Move
Swindler Posing as Prince
Made One Dumb Move
in case you missed it
Jul 14, 2018 2:00 PM CDT

Swindler Posing as Prince Made One Dumb Move

'Miami Herald': He posed as Saudi royalty, raised suspicions by eating bacon and pork

(Newser) - The Miami Herald has an interesting tale of an international swindler now locked up and awaiting sentencing for posing as Saudi royalty. The craziest part of the story is that Anthony Gignac, who was born in Colombia, might still be free if he hadn't made his intended target suspicious...

For 4 Years, This Ukrainian Man Posed as a US High Schooler
The Amazing Hoax
of a High School Fraud
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
May 6, 2018 7:08 AM CDT

The Amazing Hoax of a High School Fraud

Ukrainian adult Artur Samarin passed himself off as a US student for 4 years

(Newser) - It was, as the headline at GQ puts it, "one of the boldest hoaxes of our time." Hard to argue: In 2016, police in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, arrested a star high school student who went by the name of Asher Potts. As it turned out, however, Asher Potts was...

iPhone Thief Gets Creative Inside a Target Store

Cops: She dressed as employee, stole $40K worth of iPhones

(Newser) - She wasn't a Target employee, but a woman who sure seemed like one allegedly made off with around $40,000 worth of iPhones from a Virginia store. NBC Washington reports Fairfax County cops are looking for the retail impostor, who they say donned attire resembling a worker's getup,...

Authorities Investigating Hitler Sightings in His Hometown

The impersonator has been spotted at a bookstore and bar

(Newser) - It appears Hitler has made an improbable return to the place of his birth. Reuters reports the former Nazi dictator has been spotted around Braunau am Inn in Austria reading magazines about WWII in a bookstore, giving the name "Harald Hitler" at a bar, and standing outside the home...

24-Year-Old Who Faked Age for High School Gets 2 Months

Ukrainian man almost became homecoming king

(Newser) - A 24-year-old Ukrainian man who faked his name and age to attend a Pennsylvania high school has been ordered to spend two months in prison on federal fraud charges. Artur Samarin—who called himself Asher Potts when he enrolled at Harrisburg High School in 2012—pleaded guilty to passport fraud...

High School Basketball Star Is Probably a 30-Year-Old Man

Sudanese immigrant always seemed much bigger than other boys on his team

(Newser) - No one disputed Jonathon Nicola was a big kid: The 11th-grader at Catholic Central High School in Windsor, Canada, stood 6 feet 9 inches, weighed 202 pounds, and wore a size 16 shoe, the Windsor Star reports. And no one initially disputed the Sudanese immigrant's age of 17—until...

Famous Impostor Charged With Being an Impostor

Man who inspired movie accused of identity theft again

(Newser) - Police investigating bad checks say they found much more: A Detroit-area impostor who inspired a 1989 award-winning film was posing like someone else—again. William Street Jr., 64, was charged in federal court with fraud and identity theft after he was found with documents and a white doctor's coat...

Man's Car Accident Brings All 17 Girlfriends to His Side

In other words, Yuan got busted ... big time

(Newser) - Sometimes all it takes for a wounded man to heal is a little TLC—or a lot of TLC, if all 17 of your girlfriends show up. A Chinese man identified only by the surname Yuan was in a car accident on March 24 and was taken to the hospital...

Fake Rockefeller Guilty of Murder

Con man Gerhartsreiter convicted of 30-year-old slaying

(Newser) - The German con man who passed himself off for years as a fake Rockefeller along with several other hoity-toity identities couldn't talk his way out of this one: A California jury today convicted him of murdering his landlady's adult son nearly 30 years ago, reports the Los Angeles ...

Imposter Pilot Nabbed After Europe Flight

Man had fake uniform, fake friends, fake Facebook page

(Newser) - It's Catch Me If You Can all over again: Italian cops have arrested a man who's been posing as a pilot for months or longer. The unnamed man sure seemed like a pilot—down to fake flight crew buddies in his Facebook photos—and he managed to ride...

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