Interior design guru target of identity theft, scams

THE owner of a Joburg-based interior design company has allegedly become the target of social media impersonators who pose as her to scam people with the promise of great returns on investments.

Award-winning interior stylist and owner of Task Interior Styling, Mali Langa, has revealed that she is the target of multiple cases of identity theft on social media where impersonators have allegedly used her status and influence to scam unsuspecting victims of their money.

“My life has been threatened, and I am fearful of what might happen,” Langa said yesterday, regarding the multiple fake profiles spread over social media platforms Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

Identity theft in social networks refers to accounts that use the name, image or other identifying elements of a person, company or organisation for fraudulent purposes.

The businesswoman also alleged that people were using her business contact details from its website to send threats.

“I no longer know where to turn to,” she said.

The social media accounts that have been accused of identity theft on social media include a Facebook user who goes by the name Anastasia Zulu. The user’s images on the social media platform and profile picture are of Langa.

Another social media account that has been accused is Twitter user @lethabolesedi13, who joined the platform in August 2020 and has about 1 400 Twitter followers.

The user’s images on Twitter are of Langa and the user even went as far as posting an image of Langa and a child on Mother’s Day this year.

Task Interior Styling said Langa has released several statements on social media trying to spread the word that she would never ask anyone for money on social media.

In her most recent statement on June 7, Langa called out Twitter user @lesedilanga11 for being a fake account and the user subsequently blocked Langa’s official Twitter account. The account no longer existed on Twitter yesterday when The Star searched.

The company said Langa’s efforts were in vain as she continues to receive multiple messages almost daily of new profiles that are popping up using her images and identity to fuel their criminal schemes.

“Victims of the ongoing scams, fuelled by their anger at having lost their hard-earned money, are looking to her for answers that she is unable to provide,” Task Interior Styling said in a statement.

The company added that Langa has made a name for herself through the company by gaining a strong following on social media through her work, her flair for fashion and style and her philanthropic endeavours.

“People trust me on social media because I aim to inspire and empower others through my work. I portray an image that is wholesome and family-oriented, which I believe is why people are falling for all these fake profiles that convince them to send their money for the purpose of ‘investments’,” she said.

The company has urged people to not send money to anybody posing as Langa or using her images under different names.