Palm Springs man's life of kindness turned into a nightmare as scammers use his picture for years.
A 63-year-old tai chi, yoga, and fitness trainer from Palm Springs, California, Scott Cole, has been impersonated on social media platforms for over 15 years. The scammers have used his picture to lure women into relationships, with some even sending them money, while others are simply seeking companionship.
Cole's story began around 2010 when he started noticing that his pictures were being used by people claiming to be him on various social media sites. At first, he thought it was just a prank or a mistaken identity, but as time went on, the frequency and number of these impersonations increased.
"I've had hundreds of women text me or email me," Cole said. "They say they know me, that we met online, and that I'm someone special in their lives."
However, when these women reached out to Cole, he realized his pictures were being used by scammers trying to build fake relationships with them.
"It's like stripping somebody of their authentic identity and putting in a doppelgänger who is evil," Dr. Helen Riess, an associate professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, said. "This creates an incredible sense of violation and helplessness."
Cole has reported numerous fake accounts to Facebook and LinkedIn, but similar profiles continue to be created. He believes social media companies are not doing enough to stop these impersonations.
"There really is no end in sight for someone like him," Erin West, a retired Deputy District Attorney and the founder of Operation Shamrock, said. "The people who have the power to make this stop are not going to make it stop."
Cole's case highlights the devastating impact that online romance scams can have on victims' lives.
"The human need for companionship and for closeness is extremely powerful," Dr. Riess said. "These scammers exploit this vulnerability, leaving their victims feeling isolated, alone, and deceived."
The FBI has received over $50 billion in losses from similar schemes between 2020 and 2024, with thousands of Americans being impacted by these scams.
Cole's story serves as a warning to everyone who uses social media: be cautious when interacting with strangers online, and never send money to someone you haven't met in person.
A 63-year-old tai chi, yoga, and fitness trainer from Palm Springs, California, Scott Cole, has been impersonated on social media platforms for over 15 years. The scammers have used his picture to lure women into relationships, with some even sending them money, while others are simply seeking companionship.
Cole's story began around 2010 when he started noticing that his pictures were being used by people claiming to be him on various social media sites. At first, he thought it was just a prank or a mistaken identity, but as time went on, the frequency and number of these impersonations increased.
"I've had hundreds of women text me or email me," Cole said. "They say they know me, that we met online, and that I'm someone special in their lives."
However, when these women reached out to Cole, he realized his pictures were being used by scammers trying to build fake relationships with them.
"It's like stripping somebody of their authentic identity and putting in a doppelgänger who is evil," Dr. Helen Riess, an associate professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, said. "This creates an incredible sense of violation and helplessness."
Cole has reported numerous fake accounts to Facebook and LinkedIn, but similar profiles continue to be created. He believes social media companies are not doing enough to stop these impersonations.
"There really is no end in sight for someone like him," Erin West, a retired Deputy District Attorney and the founder of Operation Shamrock, said. "The people who have the power to make this stop are not going to make it stop."
Cole's case highlights the devastating impact that online romance scams can have on victims' lives.
"The human need for companionship and for closeness is extremely powerful," Dr. Riess said. "These scammers exploit this vulnerability, leaving their victims feeling isolated, alone, and deceived."
The FBI has received over $50 billion in losses from similar schemes between 2020 and 2024, with thousands of Americans being impacted by these scams.
Cole's story serves as a warning to everyone who uses social media: be cautious when interacting with strangers online, and never send money to someone you haven't met in person.
! Can you even imagine having your life of kindness used against you like this for over 15 years? 
It's like, what even is the point of having a social media presence if people are just gonna use it to scam you? 
I mean, I've heard of people getting catfished or whatever, but this is on another level. The fact that these scammers have been able to replicate his pictures and build fake relationships with women is just wild 
. And the part where Dr. Helen Riess says it's like stripping someone of their authentic identity... ugh, it gives me chills 
. Anyway, I think this is a major wake-up call for social media companies to step up their game and protect users from these kinds of scams 
. We need to be more vigilant online and not let scammers take advantage of our kindness and generosity 
.
This is just getting worse and worse. I mean, 15 years? That's like, forever for some people. Scott Cole's life has been turned into a total nightmare because of scammers using his pics. It's not even like he can go online without being bombarded with weirdos claiming to be him. And what really gets my goat is that these companies are just sitting on it, doing nothing. I mean, come on! You'd think they'd want to help this guy out or at least remove the fake accounts. But nope, they're just letting it happen. It's like they're saying, "Hey, good luck with your life, Scott." 
. And honestly, how many times has Facebook or LinkedIn had to deal with this? It seems like they're not doing enough to stop it 
. Cole deserves so much better than this. He's just trying to live his best life, teaching tai chi and yoga, and scammers are ruining it for him 
. We need to be more vigilant online and protect people from these predators 
OMG, this is crazy! I mean, who would've thought that using his own picture would lead to all these problems for Scott Cole? 
And it's not just Scott, thousands of Americans are losing money to these scams - $50 billion is wild! 
It's time for social media companies to take responsibility and make our online spaces safer. 
, can you even believe this? Some dude's picture has been used for years to scam women on social media! 15+ years is crazy 
.
. And if someone's being too good (or bad) to be true, trust your instincts and walk away 
. This whole thing is a total scam, but the victims are all too real 
.
this is just terrible, can't believe some people would use pics of others like that its not cool, scammers r taking advantage of ppl's desire 4 human connection 
and btw, social media companies need 2 step up their game & protect users from these fake accounts 
. It's like, he's just trying to live his best life doing tai chi and yoga 
, and then BAM! Scammers are using his pics for their own evil schemes 
It must be super frustrating and scary 
. And the worst part is, he can't even do anything to stop it because social media companies aren't doing enough 
.
.
. I mean, I get that online romance scams can happen to anyone, but it's just so frustrating that social media companies aren't doing enough to stop this nonsense 
.
It's not like he's hurting anyone by being himself online. And yeah, social media companies gotta step up their game here, it's just basic security protocol. I mean, how hard is it to verify someone's identity? 
it's crazy how they think they can just use his pic to trick ppl into relationships or getting money 
gotta be careful out there, especially for older folks like cole 