A fake Facebook account offering to get “down and dirty on cam” has been adding dozens of students at the university.
An investigation has uncovered that a user named ‘Evie’ has been adding undergraduates and postgraduates at the university for saucy video sessions on Skype.
But the images the account is using to lure them are not of the said person, instead they are of the former American porn actress Bree Olson.
York Vision noticed the lack of authenticity after members of the YUSU officer team became friends with the user on their work accounts.
When we conducted an image verification check, it confirmed the images used by the social media account had been lifted from the adult star.
One status posted by the account said: “About to get down and dirty on cam. Don’t miss it! Lol my skype! (sic)”
Another added: “This is so much fun! Totes up for it. Come and see!”
Some statuses posted by the user, believed to be a bot, have even tagged students asking if they are ‘curious’ to see more.
When York Vision contacted Bree Olson she said the account was “absolutely” not her.
“Someone is using my images,” she told us.
“It happens all the time unfortunately.”
Facebook regulations say accounts purporting to be someone they are not will be removed from the system.
Meanwhile, Skype encourages users to report any “abuse” to their emailing system.
When this newspaper added the account on Skype it was once again claiming to be Bree.
The news comes after three male students from York St John University became victims of an online ‘sextortion’ scam.
A woman, claiming to be called Cathy Wong, befriended the students on Facebook and then told them to add her Skype where they were lured into performed indecent acts on camera.
She then videoed them and demanded £3,000 for her ill grandmother or else she would put the content on YouTube.
The scam is operating worldwide but these are the first reported cases in the university’s area, with police warning students to be on their guard.
Detective Sergeant Rebecca Dyer of York CID, said: “This scam is causing considerable distress to the victims and I urge anyone who uses any kind of social networking site to be very wary of what they are getting into.
“I am concerned that there are other victims of this scam who are too embarrassed to come forward about what has happened. I urge them to please get in touch with the police. Your information will be dealt with in the strictest confidence and with sensitivity. Please do not suffer in silence.”
A university spokesman added: “Everyone needs to have regard to personal safety when using social media. In particular, it is unwise to friend individuals whom you are unacquainted with.
“As previously notified, if students have particular concerns, staff in Colleges and Student Support Services will be happy to provide advice.”
Spokespeople for neither Facebook nor Skype responded to our request for comment.
Bree Olson, real name Rachel Oberlin, performed in more than 280 videos as a porn actress.
She retired in 2010 after announcing in 2011, at the age of 25, that she had not done pornography in “over a year”.