A 19-year-old girl from Wales will experience partial relief after years of nightmare: the woman who stole her identity to create fake profiles on Tinder, TikTok and Instagram and seduce men by posing as her agreed to pay her compensation of more than 13 thousand dollars and commit not to repeat the behavior.
The case reached the High Court in London, where it was established that Elha From Weston conducted a «sustained online phishing campaign»—known as catfishing— contra Sasha-Jay DaviesAberdare student. The campaign extended from 2022 to 2026, when Davies was just 16 years old, as detailed by the BBC.
Weston went on to amass more than 100,000 followers using Davies’ image. It was presented under the names «Sophie» y «Sophie Kadare» on platforms such as Tinder, Hinge, Snapchat, TikTok, Instagram, Facebook and SoundCloud, where she entered into real romantic relationships with different people who believed they were linked to Davies.
As the court reconstructed, Weston not only used stolen photos, but also used images generated with artificial intelligence based on Davies’ appearance, which allowed him to continue with the fake profiles even after the young woman made her real accounts private.
The impact on Davies’s daily life was immediate and concrete. The young woman stopped going out normally for fear of being approached by strangers who believed they had a relationship with her. According to his own testimony before BBC Walesaround 20 men and several women They contacted her at different times convinced they knew her.
«I used to go out a lot but now I rarely go out because I’m afraid of what man is going to approach me next time. It’s scary being confronted for something you didn’t do and realizing that someone is using your face to manipulate others,» Davies said.
A court order and the threat of contempt
The agreement between the parties was formalized through a Tomlin Ordera form of binding civil agreement under judicial supervision. The mechanism implies that, if Weston fails to comply with any of the commitments made, she could be declared in contempt of court, with the legal consequences that this entails.
The court heard that Weston acknowledged that «his conduct was wrong» and admitted the «very significant suffering and distress» he caused Davies.
According to court documents, Weston said he «deeply regrets his actions and apologizes to Ms. Davies fully and unconditionally for everything he put her through.»
One of the episodes recounted in court illustrates the magnitude of the damage: a man came to believe that he had a genuine relationship with Davies after months exchanging messages with one of Weston’s fake profiles. The young woman pointed out that even in the supermarket she felt anxious when a stranger seemed to recognize her.
«I’ve had guys come up to me in person, harassing me and accusing me of writing to them, getting their hopes up or planning to meet, in conversations I never had. It’s really difficult and I wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy,» Davies said.
