Facebook Fraudster Plagues New York Politician

A New York state senator who was instrumental in crafting and passing the nation’s first law against Internet impersonation has his own online impersonator who has created a fake Facebook page.

New York State Senator Andrew Lanza, a Staten Island Republican, fears the fake Lanza Facebook page is misdirecting his constituents. Lanza’s authentic Facebook page still exists, but Lanza says the convincing-looking imposter page is a worry for several reasons.

"This demonstrates how easy it is for someone to act as though they are you," Lanza told the Staten Island Advance newspaper, "which would allow them potential access to your personal information, as well as the personal information of your friends and family who were duped into believing they are communicating with you."

On his state senate web page, Lanza outlined the problem and touted his own track record as a privacy advocate. He was instrumental in the development of a 2008 New York state law that made impersonating another person on the Internet a Class A misdemeanor, and served as a model for 11 similar state laws that have since passed.

Lanza said he has no insight into who or why he's been targeted by the Facebook faker.

"We sent him a message asking, 'Who are you and why are you doing this?'" Lanza said. "We haven't heard back."