News
Twitter fraud gives cops an idea - May 30, 2009
By ASHER MOSES - SMH
NSW Police will use Twitter to issue warnings and seek information from the public after getting the idea from an imposter who created a bogus NSW Police account on the social networking site.
The Sydney digital marketing agency Mentally Friendly has admitted that its staff were behind the fake NSW Police Twitter account, saying its "social media experiment" went "horribly right".
But NSW Police did not see the humour in the experiment and appealed to the imposter last week to give up the account.
It is understood police took issue with certain inappropriate tweets such as one declaring they were "enjoying new secret search powers".
Today, NSW Police public affairs director Strath Gordon confirmed the Twitter account, http://www.twitter.com/nswpolice, was now under control of police who were "actively using the account".
"Twitter is another communications platform available for police to communicate with the community to raise awareness, issue warnings and to appeal for public assistance," Gordon said.
It is not clear if impersonating police on Twitter is illegal, but no action will be taken against Mentally Friendly because "the agency came forward and handed over the account details", Gordon said.
The agency used the Twitter account largely as it imagined the real NSW Police would, such as for issuing road safety advice.
"The intent was never to misrepresent the NSW Police Force, but to create a simple and genuine dialogue with which to gauge the public's response," Mentally Friendly's Nick Gower said.
"There was a definite culture shock in the beginning, which only highlighted the lack of past personal contact online by Australian government bodies."
Since assuming control of the Twitter account NSW Police have used it to broadcast the hotline number for the latest information on flooding in northern NSW and information about the NSW firearms amnesty.
It is understood that only some NSW Police media announcements will be published on Twitter, such as those warning the public about an incident or seeking information from the public about a crime.
For instance, if NSW Police were hunting a criminal in a vehicle they would broadcast its number plate on Twitter in the hope that Australians will come forward with information.
So far only 1500 people out of an estimated 600,000 Australians on Twitter are following the NSW Police Twitter account.
The social networking site has enjoyed a meteoric rise on the back of publicity from celebrity Twitter users such as Oprah Winfrey and Ashton Kutcher.
However, fake Twitter accounts are fast becoming an issue for the site, with celebrities such as Kanye West coming out recently to rage against Twitter imposters.