"'Young and Pretty' Women Support Trump? ... 'Fake X Using Stolen Photos Are Rampant'"

CNN "European Female Model Photo Theft Accounts Rampant"
"Possible Organized Involvement by Adversarial Countries like Russia and China"

With the U.S. presidential election just over two months away, CNN reported on the 28th (local time) that fake X (formerly Twitter) accounts supporting former President Donald Trump have been rampant, using photos of young European female influencers without permission.

According to the report, Luna, a 32-year-old woman from Wisconsin, joined X in March this year and actively promoted herself as a fervent supporter of former President Trump, chanting "MAGA" (Make America Great Again). She continuously spread conspiracy theories, such as claims that Trump faced additional assassination attempts, and shared selfies taken on the beach wearing a white bikini, posting messages like "Would you support former President Trump becoming president forever?" Her X account (@Luna_2K24) grew to 30,000 followers.

Fake X accounts using photos of European influencers
[Image source=Center for Information Restoration (CIR)]

However, Luna was not a real person. The woman in the photos posted on the account was identified as Debby Nederlof, a German fashion influencer. Upon learning that her photos were being used by a pro-Trump fake account, she expressed outrage, saying, "What is going on?" She explained that, as a non-U.S. citizen, she had no reason to act as a supporter of former President Trump on social media.

Debby Nederlof was not the only victim of these fake accounts. CNN, in collaboration with the UK-based NGO Centre for Information Resilience (CIR), identified 56 fake X accounts supporting former President Trump, the Republican presidential candidate, and J.D. Vance, the vice-presidential candidate and U.S. Senator. These accounts used photos of 17 fashion and beauty influencers active in Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark, Russia, and other countries, with some images generated by artificial intelligence (AI).

Notably, the common feature of these fake accounts was the use of photos of young women with striking appearances. CIR explained, "These accounts post content praising Trump and Vance while fostering distrust toward Biden and Harris," adding that they also touched on divisive topics such as LGBTQ+ rights and military support for Ukraine.

The affected women told CNN in interviews that they struggled because social media companies did not take action even after they reported the misuse of their photos and identities. It was also confirmed that more than 12 of these fake accounts had a "Bluetick," indicating verified account status. X deleted most of the problematic accounts within 24 hours before CNN published the article.

CNN reported that there is no evidence yet linking the Trump presidential campaign to this incident. However, experts warn that the proliferation of such fake accounts may be just the tip of the iceberg. Some of the fake accounts contained grammatical errors in English sentences, which could indicate foreign involvement.

Emily Horne, former spokesperson for the White House National Security Council (NSC), said, "Several countries have attempted to spread disinformation using social media ahead of this year's election," adding, "Judging by the level of sophistication, it could be one of the hostile nations such as Russia, Iran, or China."