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Young Mother Commits Suicide Following Bullying And Abuse Online

If you are affected by online abuse or anything contained within this news item, please follow the links to our trained support staff throughout this article.

A young mother, has tragically taken her own life on her 23rd Birthday following months of bullying and harassment online. Leanne Morrison from Cambusbarron, Scotland, is thought to have taken her own life after a night out celebrating her birthday with friends. Her devastated family are now trying to come to terms with their loss as well as caring for their daughter’s four year old son, Mason.

Leanne had recently been dealing with the breakup of a relationship that had caused her to feel depressed and she told her parents that she had spoken to her doctor about getting help. Friends and family who knew about her problems have revealed that she was also having to deal with vicious online abuse that included someone creating a fake dating profile on the popular Tinder app using photos taken from Leanne’s Instagram account.

“It was bullies that drove her to this. Some sicko created a fake Tinder account and was contacting guys with it. Police have been given a name for the person who is suspected and everyone who knows Leanne is hoping they get properly punished for it.”

Family Spokesperson

Fake Tinder accounts are a huge concern for Internet users who have their identities stolen by people who then use the photos and other personal details to create a fake Facebook account – which is then used to open a fake Tinder account in that person’s name. Unfortunately, getting a fake Tinder account closed down is not easy because Tinder will only take action if the originating Facebook account is reported – leaving victims the almost impossible task of finding the fake Facebook account so they can make a report.

“Fake social media accounts can be extremely traumatic for the victims. The problem with fake Tinder accounts is compounded by the fact that two fake accounts need to be dealt with, as one false account is set up to create another. Until this situation is addressed by the platforms involved, we expect to see the number of cases increase.”

Iain Alexander, Head of Engagement, The Cybersmile Foundation

Tributes continue to pour in through social media for Leanne as friends, family and the local community try to recover from the shock of the tragic suicide. Family members have also set up an online crowdfunding campaign to help raise money for Leanne’s funeral.

If you are being affected by any kind of online abuse we can help! Visit our Cyberbullying Help Center or alternatively you can use the Total Access Support section to find out about the various ways that we can help you with your particular problem. For further information about Cybersmile and the work we do, please explore the following suggestions.

Have you ever had a fake account set up using your identity? Tweet us @CybersmileHQ.