Fake Facebook Profile Lists Civil Servant as Sex Worker

Kantavadee Nisanpayu, at left, talks to police officers on Tuesday at Samrong Nuea Police Station in Samut Prakan.

SAMUT PRAKAN — A civil servant in Samut Prakan province said a stranger impersonated her on Facebook and posed as a sex worker.

Kantavadee Nisanpayu, a 33-year-old official at a municipal office in the province, said numerous people believed she was actually a prostitute and called her phone number to solicit sexual services. She has filed criminal complaints against the impersonator.

“It damages my reputation,” Kantavadee was quoted as saying by local media. “I feel embarrassed … It made many people think I’m not a good person, and it affects my work a lot.”

According to Kantavadee, a friend phoned her on Feb. 18 and said a Facebook account had been opened in her name, along with her photos, workplace address and private cellphone number. The fake Facebook profile of Kantavadee falsely identified her as a prostitute who welcomed solicitations from potential customers, she said.

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That’s when phone call after phone call started, Kantavadee said. The civil servant added that she has already messaged the impersonator and asked him or her to stop, but the person only mocked her and rejected the request.

At the time of writing, the fake Facebook profile appears to have been taken down.

Kantavadee did not speculate on who might have been responsible for the impersonation. She has submitted screenshots of the Facebook message exchange and asked police to track down and prosecute the suspect under the Computer Crimes Act, which outlaws dissemination of false information on the internet.

Police said they are investigating the issue.

Teeranai Charuvastra can be reached at [email protected] and @Teeranai_C.

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