● Covered by 1 source · 1 reportLow impact1 negative
Journalist discovers identity theft used to publish articles and pitch editors
Key points
- Impersonator published an article under Linda Geddes's name in the New York Post.
- Fraudster pitched stories to Nature and Science using Geddes's identity.
- A colleague, Caroline Williams, was also impersonated, with an article published.
- The New York Post removed the fraudulent article and is investigating.
Discovery of Impersonation
Journalist Linda Geddes became aware of an impersonator when she was tagged on LinkedIn for an article she did not write for the New York Post. The article, about "chronoworking," appeared under her byline, but she had not interviewed the person who tagged her nor written the piece.
Broader Fraudulent Activity
Further investigation revealed that someone had been using Geddes's name and an unfamiliar email address to pitch stories to editors at scientific journals like Nature and Science. The impersonator referenced Geddes's past work to lend credibility to their pitches. A colleague, Caroline Williams, was also targeted, with an impersonator successfully publishing an article under her name in Science and receiving approximately $1,000.
Impact and Response
Geddes expressed concern about the damage to her professional reputation and the potential for financial gain by the fraudster. The New York Post has since removed the fraudulent article, conducted an internal review, and referred the matter to authorities. Many of the impersonator's pitches also showed signs of AI-assisted writing.
✨ This summary was generated by AI from the outlets' reporting listed below. It is not independently verified and may contain errors — check the original sources. How BrevFeed works →
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Reporting from
Journalist Linda Geddes discovered an impersonator used her name to publish an article in the New York Post and pitch stories to scientific journals. This identity theft also affected a colleague, raising concerns about professional credibility and potential financial gain by the fraudster.