‘I’m being impersonated on Instagram, but Meta doesn’t care’: Leading art historian reveals anguish over fraudulent account that now has more followers than her
A leading art historian is distraught after being impersonated on Instagram by an account that has amassed more followers than her, but platform owners Meta have refused to take action.
Ruth Millington, the author of Muse: Uncovering the Hidden Figures Behind Art History’s Masterpieces, was first made aware of the copycat early last month, when an artist told her they had received a message from the rogue user.
The mystery person, who has changed his username no fewer than 11 times, posed as the expert and claimed he wanted to include the artist’s work in an exhibition at Manchester’s renowned Lowry Gallery.
The account has almost 7,700 followers – more than 1,000 more than Ms Millington.
Ms Millington, 37, who has also appeared on radio and TV as an arts expert, reported the account on Instagram itself, but was told in an automated response that the account had not breached their ‘community guidelines’.
But Instagram’s guidelines do warn users not to “impersonate others” and tell them not to create accounts for the purpose of “deceiving others.”
Ms Millington also sent a formal email to Instagram, which is owned by billionaire Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg’s company Meta, but says they have “done nothing”.
She told MailOnline: ‘I am very disappointed by their inaction. They say they have community guidelines. This violates them and they do nothing about it.
Leading art historian Ruth Millington is distraught after being impersonated on Instagram by an account that has amassed more followers than her – but platform owners Meta have refused to take action
Ruth Millington, the author of Muse: Uncovering the Hidden Figures Behind Art History’s Masterpieces, was informed of the fraudulent story early last month. Above: the historian’s Instagram page and that of the fraudulent account ‘R_T_M_C
‘I know I’m not the only one. It’s disturbing, it’s unnerving. For me, given the nature of my work in the art world, the art market is built on trust and relationships.
‘Trust is one of the greatest currencies on the art market, you are dealing with valuable works of art.
‘I’ve worked with galleries and museums for ten years and I’m afraid they can destroy some of the goodwill I have.
‘This is not just a personal story, it is the way I handle my business. That’s why it’s particularly disappointing that they’re not taking it seriously.”
Ms Millington, who worked for leading art dealer Connaught Brown to distinguish fraudulent works from genuine ones, added: ‘You think you have to sort through the fake art, not the fake art historians.’
When she tried to contact the user directly, she was immediately blocked and now relies on friends to tell her when a new message has appeared.
The message sent on behalf of Ms Millington to the artist who alerted the historian also inquired about selling art in the form of so-called Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) – a digitized method of storing collectible unique assets such as paintings.
It read: ‘Hi, I’m Ruth Cheryl Millington from Great Britain. I’m contacting you because I’m fascinated by the artwork on your behance profile, and I’m impressed by your creativity.
The message the user sent to an artist, who immediately notified Ms. Millington
“I am currently a curator and featured in an upcoming exhibition presentation with (The Lowry). Therefore, if you are interested in selling your Arts and Nfts, I would be honored to include your work in this esteemed presentation.
‘I’d like to hear your thoughts and discuss how we can work together to bring your art to the forefront of this exciting exhibition.’
The most recent post from the user – who changed his name to ‘R_T_M_C’ after Ms Millington contacted them – was published two weeks ago.
It was a repost of a professionally taken photo of Ms Millington and was captioned: ‘A beautiful day’.
The photographer who took the photo complained in a response, but was subsequently blocked by the account’s administrator.
To confirm Ms Millington’s claim that she is being impersonated, MailOnline sent a message to her addressed account asking for advice on having her photo taken.
A quick response was, “Sure! What advice do you need when having a photo taken?
‘Are you looking for tips on finding an artist, communicating your vision, budgeting or something else? Let me know and I will guide you!’
One of the messages on the fake account. It reposted images – along with similar captions – originally shared by Ms Millington
Another post was copied from Ms Millington’s Instagram account, which she uses for professional purposes
Posts on the account regularly feature images of Ms Millington herself, or artwork she has previously shared.
Videos Ms Millington shared while at work are also being reposted. One shows the historian at an event in Birmingham bar The Goods Yard.
The video was published on The Goods Yard’s Instagram account in September and subsequently reshared by Ms Millington.
The version on the fake account contained much of the same caption, including a request to “Watch this page for more information about all our upcoming events.”
Ms Millington, who joined Instagram in 2017, added: ‘My concern is for my reputation and also for the artists they approach with false opportunities for exposure.
‘They are going to exploit these artists. Some of those artists will realize it, but others won’t.
‘And with that my reputation is at stake. I’ve worked so hard to build a good reputation.’
The historian is also the author of the children’s book This Book Will Make You An Artist, which was published earlier this year.
Another post features an image Ms Millington took of her holding a book about Dutch artist Vincent van Gogh
The message Ms Millington received on Instagram after reporting the fraudulent account. The response stated that the account was not deleted because it “does not violate our Community Guidelines.” But their guidelines warn users: ‘Don’t impersonate others or create accounts for the purpose of violating our guidelines or misleading others’
When Meta was contacted by MailOnline, a spokeswoman for communications company Edelman responded on behalf of the company that they wanted to “look closely at this to resolve this situation.”
But neither Meta nor Edelman have provided a formal response since.
The fraudulent account joined Instagram in October 2022.
The first post with Ms Millington’s photo or artwork she shared was published 10 weeks ago.
Since then, more than 25 posts featuring her image or photos that the historian previously shared have been posted online.
Before Ms Millington’s first mention, several posts referenced NFTs, while many others revealed artificially generated images.
A page on Instagram’s website claims the social media site is “proactively combating impersonation.”
They add: “We use systems and tools that continuously monitor the Instagram ecosystem for potential imposters of public figures and creators.
Muse: Uncovering the Hidden Figures Behind Art History’s Masterpieces was published in 2022
‘Our tools use a number of signals, scaled detection systems and community reports to identify potential impostors.
‘When an account is identified, a decision is made immediately based on our trust, or it is sent for review in violation of our policies.
‘We also provide a number of ‘friction points’ on Instagram when we identify potential imitative behaviour.
“For example, requiring an ID to create an account with a celebrity’s name or having to choose a label (such as a fan account).”
Their community guidelines also warn: “Don’t impersonate others or create accounts for the purpose of violating our guidelines or misleading others.”