WASHINGTON: Meet “Eva,” “Sophia,” and “Samantha” — fake accounts which pose as chic American women who support Donald Trump on the platform X, disguising themselves by using stolen photographs of European fashion and beauty influencers, according to a study published Wednesday. The report by the nonprofit Center for Information Resilience (CIR) comes as researchers express alarm ahead of the US election in November that the site owned by Elon Musk — who has endorsed Trump — is plagued with fake accounts and political disinformation. CIR said it uncovered 16 accounts that used images of European influencers — without their permission — to pose as young women promoting Trump and encouraging thousands of followers to vote for the Republican nominee.
These accounts, which use stolen images of real people to appear authentic, were among 56 profiles that appear to be part of a coordinated campaign to push pro-Trump content, it added. “By using images of the influencers, the accounts recognize the value of creating a believable human persona, steering clear of the generic photos and bot-like usernames usually associated with fake accounts,” CIR’s report said. It was unclear who was behind the digital deception or whether the accounts were pushing pro-Trump content for ideological or monetary gain.
The fake profiles use everyday images from the influencers’ Instagram accounts — including pictures of them at the beach or walking their dog — which are .