Where's That Photo From? Identify the Source | Retro Report

Summary

Bryan Denny, a retired U.S. Army Colonel, recounts how scammers used his photos and identity to defraud women online. After receiving a message from a woman who believed she had been communicating with him, Denny discovered dozens of fake profiles across various platforms. Scammers, posing as him, manipulated victims into sending money for fake causes. Despite his efforts, the issue persists, and Denny advocates for using reverse image search as a defense tool to verify the authenticity of online profiles. He highlights the emotional and financial toll these scams have on victims.

Takeaways

• 👤 Bryan Denny is a retired U.S. Army Colonel whose identity has been exploited by scammers online.
• 💻 In 2016, Denny was contacted by a woman on LinkedIn who believed she had been communicating with him for weeks, but it was a scammer using his photos.
• ⚠️ The scammers used Denny’s photos to create fake profiles across various social media platforms, tricking women into sending money for false causes.
• 📸 Denny discovered multiple scam profiles using his photos on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and even dating sites like Christian Mingles.
• 💔 The scammers preyed on women, particularly those from military families, using Denny’s Army uniform photos to build trust.
• 💸 Victims of these scams lost large sums of money, sometimes their life savings, to the fraudsters posing as Denny.
• 🔎 Denny recommends using reverse image searches to check if a profile picture is genuine or being used elsewhere online.
• 🖱️ The reverse image search process involves right-clicking on an image, saving it, and dragging it into Google’s image search to trace its origins.
• 📲 Despite his efforts to stop the scams, Denny receives multiple messages daily from people who have been scammed and are seeking help.
• 🛡️ Denny warns people to be cautious when navigating online spaces, likening it to entering a jungle, and advises using tools like reverse image searches for protection.

Q & A

Who is Bryan Denny?

Bryan Denny is a retired U.S. Army Colonel who became a victim of an online scam where his photos were used by scammers to deceive people.

How did Bryan Denny first learn about the scam?

Denny first learned about the scam when a woman on LinkedIn contacted him, claiming they had been talking for weeks and that he was coming to visit her, which he knew was untrue.

What was the scam that the woman on LinkedIn believed?

The woman believed that Denny was on a humanitarian mission in Syria and was planning to visit her in Montreal. However, she had actually been speaking to a scammer posing as Denny.

How did the scammers use Bryan Denny’s identity?

The scammers used Denny’s name and photos, especially images of him in his Army uniform, to create fake profiles on various social media platforms to lure victims into fake relationships and scams.

What platforms were Denny's fake profiles found on?

Bryan Denny’s fake profiles were found on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and even dating sites like Christian Mingle, under various names such as Bryan Denny, Scott Denny, Craig Denny, and Ricky Sanchez.

How do the scammers target their victims?

The scammers use Denny’s photos, particularly in his Army uniform, to target women from military families, as they tend to be sympathetic to someone in uniform.

What are the emotional consequences for victims of these scams?

Victims often feel emotionally embarrassed, devastated, and guilty, especially when they realize they’ve lost significant sums of money, sometimes their entire savings.

How much money did victims lose in romance scams last year, according to the video?

Victims lost $143 million in romance schemes last year, according to the information presented in the video.

What tool does Bryan Denny recommend to verify the authenticity of images online?

Bryan Denny recommends using a reverse image search on platforms like Google Images to check if an image is being used elsewhere on the internet.

What advice does Denny give for protecting oneself online?

Denny advises people to use tools like reverse image search to verify online profiles and to be cautious, as navigating the internet can be like stepping into a jungle, requiring proper tools to stay safe.

Outlines

00:00

😲 Identity Theft and Online Scams

Bryan Denny, a retired U.S. Army Colonel, discovers his identity has been stolen and used in online scams. A woman informs him that someone has been using his photos and name to scam her on LinkedIn. Denny learns that his photos are being used across various social media platforms to deceive women, particularly those from military families, into sending money for fabricated reasons. The scammers exploit the trust and sympathy of their targets by using Denny's military background. The emotional and financial impact on the victims is significant, with some losing substantial amounts of money. Denny takes it upon himself to raise awareness about these scams and educates on the use of reverse image search as a tool to verify the authenticity of online profiles.

Keywords

💡Bryan Denny

Bryan Denny is a retired U.S. Army Colonel who became the victim of an online identity theft scam. Scammers used his photos to create fake profiles to deceive women into sending money. His story is central to the theme of online impersonation and fraud.

💡Romance scam

A romance scam refers to a type of fraud where scammers pretend to form romantic relationships with victims to manipulate them into sending money. In the video, Denny's identity was used by scammers to lure women into fake relationships for financial gain.

💡Reverse image search

A reverse image search is a tool that allows users to find out where else an image has appeared on the internet by uploading or dragging the image into a search engine like Google. The video demonstrates how Denny used this tool to uncover scams involving his photos.

💡LinkedIn

LinkedIn is a professional networking site where Denny first received a message from a woman who believed she had been in communication with him. This platform plays a role in the story as the starting point for Denny's discovery of the scam.

💡Fake profiles

Fake profiles refer to online accounts that are created using stolen images or fabricated information to deceive others. In this case, scammers created numerous fake profiles using Bryan Denny's images and name to target women on various social media platforms.

💡Military uniform

Denny’s images in a military uniform were specifically used by scammers to target women from military families, exploiting their sympathy for soldiers. This aspect highlights how scammers exploit trust in authority figures or respected institutions.

💡Emotional devastation

Emotional devastation refers to the profound emotional impact on victims of these scams. In the video, Denny describes how women who were scammed felt emotionally embarrassed, devastated, and ashamed after realizing they had been deceived.

💡Humanitarian mission

A humanitarian mission is a type of relief effort, typically involving aid workers or military personnel providing help in crisis zones. Scammers claimed that Denny was on such a mission in Syria to gain credibility with their victims and make their stories more convincing.

💡Financial loss

Financial loss is a major consequence of the romance scams discussed in the video. Victims were tricked into sending money for fabricated reasons, such as medical bills or travel expenses. The video mentions that last year, victims lost $143 million to such scams.

💡Online impersonation

Online impersonation is the act of creating fake accounts or profiles by stealing someone’s identity, including their photos and personal information. This is the central issue in the video, as Denny's identity was used across multiple platforms to deceive women.

Highlights

Bryan Denny, a retired U.S. Army Colonel, had his identity stolen and used in scams on social media.

A woman informed Denny that she had been scammed by someone using his photos and name on LinkedIn.

Denny discovered multiple scam profiles using his name and photos on various platforms.

Scammers targeted women from military families by using Denny's Army uniform photos.

Victims were lured into relationships and then scammed out of money for fake medical bills or plane tickets.

The emotional impact on victims is devastating, with some losing significant amounts of money.

Denny's case is not isolated; victims lost $143 million in romance scams in the reported year.

Reverse image search is recommended as a method to verify the authenticity of profile pictures.

Denny demonstrates how to perform a reverse image search using Google Images.

Scammers continue to impersonate Denny despite his efforts to combat the issue.

Denny receives multiple messages daily from people trying to sort out scams involving his identity.

People are advised to use reverse image search to protect themselves from online scams.

Denny emphasizes the importance of being prepared with tools to navigate the internet safely.

The transcript serves as a cautionary tale about the prevalence of online scams and the need for vigilance.

Denny's experience highlights the emotional and financial toll of identity theft and scams.

The transcript underscores the importance of digital literacy in detecting and preventing online fraud.

Transcripts

Meet Bryan Denny.

-My name is Bryan Denny.

I’m a retired U.S. Army Colonel.

In 2016, Denny, who’s a decorated veteran, was living in Virginia with

his wife and son when he received a strange message from a woman

on the professional networking site LinkedIn.

-She told me that she had been talking to me for several weeks.

I was on a humanitarian mission in

Syria and I was coming to Montreal to spend time with her.

And, uh, I had to tell her that none of it was true.

It turned out she’d been chatting online with a man who posed as

Denny, with Denny’s own photos, and scammed her

into sending him money.

-She said, you should go into Facebook

and search for your name.

The search revealed dozens of scam profiles.

-The scammers really didn’t try to hide the fact that they were using

my name or my image, and they were all fake.

More women started reaching out to Denny and he discovered that his

photos were being used as part of a bizarre criminal racket

throughout the internet.

-I’ve seen my profiles on Facebook, I've seen them on

Instagram, Twitter.

I’ve been on Christian Mingles.

Bryan Denny, Scott Denny, Craig Denny, Ricky Sanchez.

The scammers lure victims into relationships, then ask for cash for

fake medical bills or a plane ticket.

They use photos of Denny in his Army uniform to target women from

military families who are sympathetic.

-In some cases their husband was a soldier, brother was a soldier, and

they just want to do something nice for someone in uniform.

-By the time they realize this really just happened to me, and I gave

away my, I gave away my kid’s inheritance, I have nothing left.

And they’re, and it’s emotionally

embarrassing, it’s devastating, and it’s really hard to come back from.

And it isn’t just Denny.

-Victims lost $143 million in romance schemes last year.

But Denny says people can find out if a profile picture, or any image,

is genuine by searching if there is anywhere else that

image exists online.

It’s called the reverse image search.

Here, Denny has come across one of his profile pictures on a scam

Facebook account and is going to do a reverse image search of it.

He simply right-clicks on the image and saves it.

Then, he opens images.google.com.

-Dag that image to where it says drop image here.

It’s pretty simple.

Once he’s done that, he gets a series of results that he can look

through to find out more about the image.

And by clicking on “Find Image Source,” he finds links that

make it clear the image is being used in scams.

Despite his efforts to stop the scams, Denny says the problem

has only gotten worse.

-I get five to six different messages through Messenger every day.

It’s someone who’s been talking to a

scammer and is now trying to sort things out.

He says that people can protect themselves with the reverse image

search by right-clicking and saving the image, dragging it into Google

image search, and scrolling through the results to find out where else

the image has shown up online.

That way, you can use the internet to check the internet.

-You’ve got to know that, you know, you’re stepping into a jungle, and

you’ve got to step into that jungle armed with the tools

to help you survive.