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Facebook's Biggest Black Lives Matter Page Exposed As Scam By White Australian Man
Photo Credit: Fibonacci Blue
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Photo Credit: Fibonacci Blue
A Facebook profile presumed to be the main page for Black Lives Matter has been revealed to be tied to a scam led by a middle-aged white man in Australia.
In a report from CNN.com the fake page, which had over 700,000 followers (nearly twice as many as the official Black Lives Matter profile), "was tied to online fundraisers that brought in at least $100,000 that supposedly went to Black Lives Matter causes in the U.S.," and "At least some of the money, however, was transferred to Australian bank accounts..."
The report continues on to say:
"The page links to websites tied to a man named Ian Mackay, who is a National Union of Workers official in Australia. According to CNN, 'Mackay has registered dozens of websites, many on issues tied to black rights. In April 2015, Mackay registered blackpowerfist.com. Mackay's name, email address, phone number and other details appeared in the registration records for the site until July 2015, when the website enabled a feature that allows site owners to hide their identities and contact information.'"
Mackay denied any involvement with the page, saying that he once bought the domain name but sold it. However, the fake profile was deleted shortly after he spoke with CNN.com. Along with Mackay, other names such as BP Parker and Steve Parks were linked to the page, which encouraged people to donate money. Mackay has since been suspended from his job.
Black Lives Matter co-founder Patrisse Cullors had reportedly contacted Facebook months ago about removing the page, but nothing was done. However, following CNN.com's report, the social media website deactivated all profiles associated with the fake page, and the online payment services have suspended all activity with the users.
Source: CNN.com