Yesterday a WordPress blogger called Theoretical Democatrix picked up on my ‘Human being = mechanism?’ post, and posted a response on his/her blog, on which I commented.
When I revisited that blog last night, I found that someone else had posted a comment using my name and avatar (it is comment #5 there as I write this). Not only that, but he had entered my WordPress address in the ‘URL’ field when making the comment, so anyone clicking on ‘Brendano’ was led to my WordPress blog. The comment therefore looked as if it was genuinely from me.
Those of you with WordPress blogs, please be aware that any comment purporting to be from me may actually be from my personal stalker.
The road to God knows where ... Brendan O'Brien 
I apologize to Theoretical Democatrix for having unwittingly led my stalker to his/her blog … he has left three comments there in my name as I write.
TD, the stalker’s current IP address is 86.142.156.61.
His is in England; mine is in Ireland.
Interesting article on cyberstalking in The Guardian today.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2010/sep/24/ukcrime-police
That I.P is out of Peterborough. Near Bedford. I think TUGs days are numbered.
Creative little devil, isn’t he. Considering his state of mind this post should be called
“A Hijacker in Bogland”
I hope you contacted Word press management with this issue.
Hello, Rainer. Yes, I did. They say there is nothing they can do about ID hijacking. They will not block IP addresses, though individual bloggers can do so.
TUG changes his IP address frequently in any case.
Doesn’t the email show up?
I don’t understand IPs at all. How can you trace them to a location r change them?
Have you contacted WordPress?
Oh and it is me. Though I would say that wouldn’t i!
Sometimes I feel some people on these sites have too much time on their hands.
Hi Isobel … if you Google an IP address you can get a rough location. People can enter any email address in their account … my stalker is currently using my name, avatar, email address and URL on another WordPress blog.
This can be done to anyone.
Yes, I contacted WordPress … they say they can’t do anything.
Just catching up on this Brendan, and I’ve just seen your post on MyT too.
Yes, it is a ridiculous and frustrating state of affairs, and those who dismiss it lightly do not understand.
My advice, and you are welcome to disregard it, is as follows:
By all means go onto the post in question and point out what is going on, and then leave it. Most people are not fooled for very long by this sort of nonsense.
I would not post about it on MyT, as you well know apart from the odd supportive post (well done, Rainer) it provides a platform for the hysterical, the abusive; not to mention the hypocrites.
These people are driven but I have no idea why. They obviously have nothing much else happening in their lives.
But you do! Don’t let it get to you; just feel sorry for them.
Yes, cyberspace is a lawless place but real life is more important. Ignoring them is not giving in; but have your say here, where you can control the situation.
Hello Araminta. That is excellent advice (not the first excellent advice I’ve had from you) … thank you. It makes a great deal of sense.
MyT is beyond redemption in some respects, as you know only too well. Sanity resides elsewhere. 🙂
PS: put a copyright notice on your site if you have not done so. I cannot see one but it could be useful.
Copyright has little effect Ara. Good point about ignoring the troll. Stalking is the nearest thing it has to a love life;)
Brendan,
You know how I think about this. I know it’s hard but I think you should ignore him and start legal process.
The hypocricy on Myt is breath taking as usual.
Thanks, Levent.
Brendan
I saw this Post coming through before but only saw the most recent developments in the very early hours of this morning when I noticed a sudden jump in my readers count.
It turns out that Bearsy had decided to weigh in for his benefit. I had only recently cleared up my Site from all the impersonations and did not want to bother you with the last batch because some of them were pretty nasty but I archived them all and the last one I had from funny guy was on the 10th of this month, all straight into spam and I had stopped reacting to him. The latest ones were all using your avatar and IP address; as I said some were ugly but if you ever want to see them ….
I had to react to the pompous little fellow in the Cave and placed my comments to him without making any further fuss but you may have a look at the latest post over there.
Do you know the other fellow in that WordPress Post? Bearsy is, as I said, trying to make some capital out of it and kindly left a link to it in his reference to my Blog.
Let us concentrate on the pleasant things from now on but I want to ask for your permission to leave a message here for Ron because they pull his name into it in my Blogs every opportunity they get.
No problem, Ike. I know the kind of thing my stalker, Mr Haslam, writes in my name … I have a trash folder full of it, to be called on at a later date if necessary.
Brendan
Good for you keeping that stuff, and maybe for the general good too. Over and out then.
Ron
Thanks for your assistance with this as also in one of my Posts a while ago. I want to clear something with you [smile] and shall appreciate it if you will email me at:
ikejakson@gmail.com
It’s not desperately serious but it is important. Will you please?
Yes, of course, Ike, give me 5 minutes!
Brendano.
Open a new gmail account. Then go to your WordPress account, go to “personal settings”, and change both your password and your account email at the same time. Sae changes. Note the account API at the top of the page, and write it down on a piece of paper, not on your computer.
Good luck
Omer
Many thanks, Omer … will do.
API?
I’m not sure what that is, Isobel.
No, Isobel. E is not api at all.
Hello Cymbeline.
Ho Ho.
So Omer, what is the API please?
Apparently it’s ‘like a password’, Isobel.
If you click on ‘Edit my profile’ under ‘My Account’, you will see the link ‘Were you looking for your API Key and other personal settings?’.
Omer. A child is feeding you in your avatar. See above for additional ideas.
Mommy! Mommy! Dad is eating my desert!
What exactly did the girl say? my french is not good enough.
Alas, my kid too complains to Mom about Dad’s behaviour.
Thanks Brendan.
Now can you enlighten me as to how doing this protects you?
I’m not sure that it does, Isobel. The stalker doesn’t now know the email address I use with this account, but that may not be of benefit. I have changed the password, but he was able to use my avatar and name, and link them to this blog, without knowing the password anyway.
Well that’s what I thought.
Do his comments show up on your dashboard, or did you just chance upon them?
They don’t show up on my dashboard … I had ticked the box to be emailed when there were new comments on mousomer’s post.
I knew about mousomer’s post as I got a ‘pingback’ message.
Hmm. and wordpress had no advice? Not v impressive.
I suppose a distinctive gravatar from yours own photos might restrict impersonators.
I don’t think so, Isobel … this and my last gravatar are both my own photos. It’s a simple matter to copy them.
WordPress say there’s nothing they can do … they won’t block IP addresses. We can blacklist IP addresses on our own blogs, which sends comments from them straight to spam or trash, but the stalker in question changes his IP address quite frequently.
It’s certainly a major flaw in the system.
Nothing like a patio.
That last wasn’t from me, Cymbeline … our friend with the bag on his head has changed his IP address again. I had hoped not to have to go back to pre-approval of all comments.
You really are being a complete arsehole, MIAB.
He’s a bit manic today, Cymbeline … 30 comments on this blog, and others using my ID elsewhere.