Steve Bustin, a 46-year-old happily married gay man from Brighton, has discovered his social media photos are being stolen and used by scammers to trick women on dating websites. The former BBC News producer, now a public speaker, first learned of the deception in July 2016 when a woman from Berlin contacted him after being duped by a man using his photos.
The scammers have created fake profiles on sites like EliteSingles and Zoosk, using Bustin's images to pose as charming men. One recent victim, a 60-year-old widow from the West Country, was fooled by a profile named 'Martin' who sent her music and seemed kind. She only realised the truth when his weight and hair colour changed in photos supposedly from a Dubai trip.
Another woman, Birgit Hebibi from Berlin, was contacted by a scammer calling himself Sebastian, who claimed to be a British worker in Thailand. She broke off contact after he asked for money. Bustin has also been contacted by other victims, including one who reported a profile named 'Christian Hansen' to EliteSingles, who apologised and admitted the scammer 'slipped under the radar'.
Bustin has increased his security settings but continues to post regularly for his job. He is going public to 'devalue' his photos and discourage scammers. Sussex Police and EliteSingles have been contacted for comment.
