While most people commenting at Your NZ do so responsibly there has been a problem over the last couple of weeks in particular with a small number of people commenting with obvious malicious intent.
One of the worst offences has been posting comments using another person’s identity – this is called identity theft and is a serious breach of blog protocol.
Someone did this yesterday using a well known identity and it included using the person’s email address.
I contacted this person and they confirmed to me that it wasn’t them who had commented.
So here’s a warning – anyone found to have used another person’s identity foregoes any rights to privacy. I may pass on what I know about any such people to the person whose identity was misused, or for law enforcement.
And as these people are obviously legally ignorant I suggest they read this from NZ Police:
Identity theft is when someone assumes another person’s identity, such as their name, bank account details or credit card number, to commit fraud or other crimes.
Identity theft is one of the fastest growing areas of crime across the world and has no geographical boundaries – victims and offenders can be on opposite sides of the world. This makes it difficult for Police to investigate the crime, catch the perpetrator or help the victim.
Not so difficult in recent cases here is identifying the culprits through their commenting style and malicious motives.
If anyone sees that a comment has been made using their identity here please advise me as soon as possible so I can take appropriate action.
Your NZ 
Mike C
/ 27th November 2015@George
Several weeks ago … someone in here tried using the regular commenter’s username “Alan Wilkinson” twice within the space of a week.
They changed it back to the username that they had previously been using at that time very quickly … as soon as I noticed they did it both times … and my final conclusion was they were “testing the water” to see if it was possiblr toget away with writing comments under another commenter’s name.
The person who used AlanW’s username is still writing comments in here 🙂
kittycatkin
/ 27th November 2015Identity theft has probably gone on since people had names-well, I know that it has-but computers are the best gift that these thieves could ever have been given. Thank you for being vigilant, but I wish that it wasn’t necessary.
Mike C
/ 27th November 2015@Kitty
The best deterrent of username identity theft … is to use a photo you have taken yourself as your profile picture … and not a picture that can be found on the Internet.
My profile picture is a photo that I took of one of our house cows … and it would be very difficult for a thief to duplicate 🙂
Fishacrossface
/ 27th November 2015Not really, I can copy your image from your profile to my phone and reupload it as a gravitar in about 2min…
If anything it makes imitating someone easier.
http://2.gravatar.com/avatar/e65870bc906569b746ddab50ed0264b8?s=96&d=identicon&r=G
Mike C
/ 27th November 2015@FishFace
Let’s see you try then 🙂
DaveG
/ 27th November 2015http://0.gravatar.com/avatar/e65870bc906569b746ddab50ed0264b8
I dont want to steal your avator, but nice calf. Just to show you it could easily be done, its pasted above (if tech works)
DaveG
/ 27th November 2015oh, exactly as Fishacrossface did. oops. From that point, Save image, then its available.
Person W (name edited)
/ 27th November 2015Yawn
kittycatkin
/ 27th November 2015Poor old W; has it been a long day, then ? Why not have an early night ?
MaureenW
/ 27th November 2015Thanks for coming, so appreciate it, next time you’re inputting to an LF story on Your NZ, perhaps offer yourself as an example of those who lurk here, propping up the bar. Hic, fart, goodnight (perhaps that should read good afternoon, after all you yawned and passed out about 3pm).
kittycatkin
/ 27th November 2015This IS a picture of me, thank you 😀
kittycatkin
/ 27th November 2015That was meant for Mike, who seemed to think that this was not me in this picture.
kittycatkin
/ 27th November 2015Mike, I once duplicated a friend’s avatar for a joke when we were voting for a group read book-it was very easy.
kittycatkin
/ 27th November 2015I’ve just done yours. Mike, and it’s on my computer-I am about to delete it.
kittycatkin
/ 27th November 2015It’s been deleted.It took a few seconds to copy it. That is false security, to think that a photo is safe.
Salacious P Crumb
/ 27th November 2015PG I seriously would not waste police time with such trivial matters; as Mike C has noted, commentators falling foul of ID theft probably should add a pic of their favourite farm animal, etc.
BTW when ‘Blue Salacious’ comments, that is me from my mobile phone.
Person W (name edited)
/ 27th November 2015Yawn
kittycatkin
/ 27th November 2015Do trot off to beddy-byes, Person W, you sound exhausted. Off you go ! Auntie Kitty, Auntie Mike, Uncle Pete, Uncle Salacious, Uncle Dave and Uncle Fish will come in and sing to you if you’re good.
Mike C
/ 27th November 2015@Kittycatkin
I definitely wont be singing any fucking lullabies to any of those baskets and beaches.
So please leave me out of that equation thanks.
Shall leave that to you 🙂
kittycatkin
/ 27th November 2015I said it PW was good, so I suspect that we won’t be lined up singing Hushabye, W, on the tree top.
I am worried about poor W, if he’s so tired that all he can do is yawn. Maybe he’s ill. Do you have a thermometer ?
MaureenW
/ 27th November 2015Probably cancer.
PartisanZ
/ 27th November 2015Only got the old fashioned type thermometer …
Perhaps as oldmantalking said, W is bored during the school holidays?
“Identity theft is one of the fastest growing areas of crime across the world”
One reason why I don’t have one.
Ψ
kittycatkin
/ 28th November 2015Maureen, don’t say that even of this person !