ROSEMOUNT, Minn. (KMSP) -
Jill Stephenson is a gold-star Minnesota mother who wants to keep the memory of her son alive -- but she doesn't want his memory to be used for deception. Unfortunately, someone appears to be doing just that by posting pictures of the Army Ranger who died in Afghanistan 5 years ago on dating websites.
MORE: 'My hero is Ben Kopp'
After Ben Kopp died in action, his mother has posted several pictures of him to honor his sacrifice and keep his spirit alive. Yet, although she understands that pictures posted on social media may be up for grabs, she never expected anyone would use them in a fraudulent way.
"He lived an honorable life, and I think that's important -- to continue to share that with everybody," Jill Stephenson said.
Stephenson misses her son, who was honored for the multiple life-saving organ donations his death made possible at the Rose Bowl parade in 2010 and also had a scholarship created in his name. In fact, she still drives his old truck and has recently started speaking to students about his life. Many people have been touched by his sacrifice, but it now appears that someone is using his likeness as a lure.
Recently, a complete stranger found a profile on Plenty of Fish and sent a screen grab to Stephenson. The profile picture for the account DavidMerced35 is actually a photo of Kopp -- and that's certainly not how Stephenson had hoped to keep his memory alive.
"It made me sick to my stomach, to be honest," Stephenson reflected. "They say imitation is the greatest form of flattery, and in this case, I don't think it is."
Fox 9 News has covered a number of stories about Stephenson and how Kopp's life continues to impact others in the Twin Cities. In fact, the exact profile picture now being used online appeared in one of the stories. Now, Stephenson fears for the safety of those who the user may be communicating with under false pretenses.
"He's luring them with a photo of a man who looks nothing like him, so they think they are going to meet this young, good-looking guy and they could show up and not know who he is," she said.
The profile claims to be a man from California, and the picture has also appeared on other dating sites -- including DateHookup.com and OkCupid.com. Already, Army Rangers and Kopp's friends have contacted those sites to try and find answers. Fox 9 News also sent messages to the account user asking why the picture is being used but got no response.
"One of them I did see is dated November of December of 2013, so we're going back almost a year," Stephenson said. "This guy has been at it for a while, and it's time he stopped."
Stephenson has spoken with an attorney to see if there are any legal steps that can be taken against DavidMerced35. So far, the PlentyofFish profile has been taken down -- but the other two remained active at press time.
ROSEMOUNT, Minn. (KMSP) -
Jill Stephenson is a gold-star Minnesota mother who wants to keep the memory of her son alive -- but she doesn't want his memory to be used for deception. Unfortunately, someone appears to be doing just that by posting pictures of the Army Ranger who died in Afghanistan 5 years ago on dating websites.
MORE: 'My hero is Ben Kopp'
After Ben Kopp died in action, his mother has posted several pictures of him to honor his sacrifice and keep his spirit alive. Yet, although she understands that pictures posted on social media may be up for grabs, she never expected anyone would use them in a fraudulent way.
"He lived an honorable life, and I think that's important -- to continue to share that with everybody," Jill Stephenson said.
Stephenson misses her son, who was honored for the multiple life-saving organ donations his death made possible at the Rose Bowl parade in 2010 and also had a scholarship created in his name. In fact, she still drives his old truck and has recently started speaking to students about his life. Many people have been touched by his sacrifice, but it now appears that someone is using his likeness as a lure.
Recently, a complete stranger found a profile on Plenty of Fish and sent a screen grab to Stephenson. The profile picture for the account DavidMerced35 is actually a photo of Kopp -- and that's certainly not how Stephenson had hoped to keep his memory alive.
"It made me sick to my stomach, to be honest," Stephenson reflected. "They say imitation is the greatest form of flattery, and in this case, I don't think it is."
Fox 9 News has covered a number of stories about Stephenson and how Kopp's life continues to impact others in the Twin Cities. In fact, the exact profile picture now being used online appeared in one of the stories. Now, Stephenson fears for the safety of those who the user may be communicating with under false pretenses.
"He's luring them with a photo of a man who looks nothing like him, so they think they are going to meet this young, good-looking guy and they could show up and not know who he is," she said.
The profile claims to be a man from California, and the picture has also appeared on other dating sites -- including DateHookup.com and OkCupid.com. Already, Army Rangers and Kopp's friends have contacted those sites to try and find answers. Fox 9 News also sent messages to the account user asking why the picture is being used but got no response.
"One of them I did see is dated November of December of 2013, so we're going back almost a year," Stephenson said. "This guy has been at it for a while, and it's time he stopped."
Stephenson has spoken with an attorney to see if there are any legal steps that can be taken against DavidMerced35. So far, the PlentyofFish profile has been taken down -- but the other two remained active at press time.
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