BY : EMILY BROWN
An Instagram model believes she loses out on over $1 million per year as she claims her account is the ‘most impersonated’ on the social media site.
Allison Parker used to work as a waitress, but set up her Instagram account in 2015 and now reportedly rakes in a seven-figure salary by posting pictures to her followers.
The 28-year-old regularly shares snaps showing off her figure, but dozens of other accounts also post similar pictures, with users claiming to be Allison in order to attract victims as part of catfishing schemes, where internet users pose as someone else.
When she first came across a fake account, Allison admitted she was ‘a little flattered’, but the sheer number of fake profiles now ‘drives [her] crazy’.
The model explained:
If you search Allison Parker on Instagram or other social media platforms I’m almost 100% positive that I’m the most impersonated model on it.
They usually just post the same content I post with the same exact captions. Some are catfishing. A lot are selling my content for their own gain.
There is currently no law in the UK prohibiting catfishing, but many campaigners are pushing to make it illegal as people can fall victim to scams involving abuse, fraud or romance.
Allison doesn’t interact with the fake accounts, though she believes her attempts to get rid of them are futile as ‘the reporting mechanism is absolutely no good’.
The fake profiles have left Allison’s fans confused as to which account is real, and as a result the model believes she gets reported ‘more than most of the fakes’.
Allison wants Instagram to verify her account so followers will know which is real, as at the moment she believes the impersonators are benefiting from her content.
She explained:
They have nothing better to do than live a fake life pretending to be me and ripping innocent people off.
I bet if you add up every dollar someone has earned re-selling my content acting as me or catfishing people, I’d have to guess it’s over $1m a year in lost income.
Allison has received comments from people who believe she took their money through catfishing, and she admitted that it can be tough to reassure the people who have fallen for the lies.
While some victims believe her, others ‘swear up and down’ she is responsible.
Though fake accounts make her job more difficult, Allison still has plenty of admirers, some of which have proposed marriage to her and others who claim she is already their wife.
The model has received a few strange requests from fans, one of which involved someone asking: ‘May I purchase a Tupperware of one of your large bowel movements?’
Unsurprisingly, Allison wasn’t so keen on that idea, as she explained:
[I] wasn’t sure if I was supposed to freeze my poop or what but I guess he probably had the info.
I don’t want to be known as the girl who sold out for taking a turd for someone’s obsessive pleasure.
Strange requests aside, Allison said the job allows her to live a ‘laid back lifestyle’, and while she does ‘buy [herself] some nice things’ she tries to save when she can.
She also enjoys ‘interacting with [her] fans and other models’ and ‘working [her] own hours from home and having a lot of freedom’.
For any keen fans who might be looking to romance her, rather than one of the impersonators, Allison advised showing appreciation for her work. Hopefully any interested parties will be able to find the real her!