Helping you and your family stay safe and thrive in our digital world is our mission at Tech Wellness--and it's a BIG mission.

There's so much to consider--especially if you have kids.  That's why you'll find articles and videos about how technology and the way we use our screens can effect your health your safety, your privacy and your mental wellness. 

We talk about avoiding tech toxins like blue light and EMF - and when tech gets toxic because of a cybersecurity breach or because we get addicted to looking at our social feeds.

There are also some emotionally toxic--and professionally toxic situations online that we need to be aware of them and know how to steer clear of them. 

There are the Catfishers: Fake online personas and easily published untruths that have sprung up because, well, the internet makes it easy and for the most part, there's nothing out there stopping it.

You've probably heard of Catfishing. It's when someone pretends to be someone else.  Usually a made-up name, a made-up life, along with a made up or "stock" photo that Catfishers use to convince you that they are someone they're not. Their goal is to get something--and it could be cash or your trust or any number of other things, that will benefit the Catfisher and hurt you.

We typically think about it in the online dating world because of that series called Catfished where various victims and Catfishers would be discovered and confronted.

But did you know that we can get "Catfished" by an online business or by books or informational sites?

The Washington Post did this story a few years ago,

"How an industry of ‘Amazon entrepreneurs’ pulled off the Internet’s craftiest catfishing scheme" 

about how book authors would make up fake names, fake degrees and career paths in order to sell books with catchy topics and titles online.  They tell a story of just one of many authors with fake names - one of which wrote a pretty unimpressive language book called Learn Spanish in 7 Days that sold well because she called herself an Polygot and Professional Language teacher.                                                   

The rough part of being a Catfish victim is you don't get what you wanted or paid for;  you can get bad or misleading information from a business;  you get something that isn't close to 100% real; you get something fake. What You Need To Know Now About EMF Academy's Christian Thomas

And that's why we're sharing a list of how to spot and avoid fake personas or Catfishes. But first, here's my personal experience with a Catfisher.

I know exactly what this feels like because back in 2018 when I introduced Tech Wellness, there was another new site, hosted and written by someone I had never heard of, Christian Thomas, and the site was called EMF Academy.  It rolled out with a couple of the same articles I had already written and had been working on for a over a year - so it got my attention.

You see, in 2007 I began writing informative articles and creating videos for my site EMFReview.com and then writing about all things tech on Safertech.com. Those of you who know my story, know that I was on a decades-long quest to find out why I had EMF sensitivity and along the way, was able to see and gain understanding about the mental, emotional and safety issues that were popping up as phones popped into our hands. I decided to bring everything together on techwellness.com in early 2018.

I watched as more articles, with more information were coming from EMF Academy, sometimes as many as two or three a week.  I didn't always agree with the information, but some of it seemed to  mirror what I was saying on my pages.  That wasn't shocking because there were a couple of other sites that had been sharing the message of EMF in particular like Jeromy Johnson's EMFAnalysis and Lloyd Burrell's Electricsense - so the information was out there.

But this "Christian" was promoting things like plants and pendants to block EMFs.  Solutions that are not only unproven, but have been debunked by science over and over again. So unsuspecting people can buy into the misinformation and easily get a false sense of security that they are protected from EMF when they're not.  To me, this was clearly misleading and potentially dangerous and I wanted to let "Christian" know.

Oddly, not a single person in the EMF space knew "Christian"  including Jeromy, Dr. George Carlo and the Building Biologists I worked with had ever met him or spoken to him.. 

The About Section of EMF Academy had only one photo.  The address wasn't complete.  Finally, I reached out to ask about why "Christian" was promoting a solution that didn't work, I didn't get a reply. I googled Christian Thomas, EMF and there was nothing. I even tried Christian and Becca.  Not one listing of information.  

So, being an investigative journalist by training, I did a Google Image search to see if I could learn more about him and that's when I found this:

Was "Christian Thomas" really Robert Archer?  What?!

Lots and lots of other entries with the same photo of "Christian" came up. But, the entries with the same exact picture of Christian.  But this time the man wasn't called Christian, but Elliot and Robert and several others and each man was pretending to be something else.  A realtor, a Sports fan. 

The "Christian Thomas" on EMF Academy was a stock photo, not a picture of the man or woman behind EMF Academy. 

And then I started wondering, what else might be a deception:  The name "Christian Thomas", his story and his wife Becca and his daughter?  More?

Bark, the makers of an online tracking app for kids says this about catfishing:

"Thanks to smartphones, it’s incredibly easy to pretend to be somebody else online. All it takes is a couple of photos, a different user name, and voila — you’re in business. But to be a successful catfish, it takes extraordinary amounts of planning and manipulation. Finding photos for both profile and feed images, creating new email addresses for fake Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat accounts — the lengths people will go to in order to keep up the charade are mind-boggling. They also have to stay “in character” when they’re messaging so they don’t slip up."

And Then Christian Thomas does it again- changes his identity, but this time, it's not a stock photo- and it's posted WITHOUT PERMISSION- according to the person in the photo

Later "Christian's" look updated, to an all new "Christian Thomas"-- without the blazer.  With a handsome, rugged and trustworthy look, this "Christian" says he wasn't supposed to be the face of EMF Academy.  Coen, who runs an Outdoor Life Coaching program in the Netherlands told me,  "I did not give permissions(for use) and also no permissions for any stock photos."

Think about the lengths that the creators of EMF Academy or "Christian" went to to get this picture and put it on EMFacademy.com.   It's not a stock photo so where did EMF Academy get it?  Did they go to this man's Facebook site and "scrape" it?  Did they copy it from a website? 

What happened here, along with using a fake name and photo- leads one to even more trust and credibility questions.

This is really important because this particular site and others appear to be taking advantage of peoples general lack or understanding about Electromagnetic Fields(EMF) Many of them are spewing fear and untruths while promoting unproven products.  So we end up with misinformation and people start questioning the credibility of the whole EMF category.  Many even mock the idea that there are serious and proven negative health effects from exposure to wireless radio frequency radiation.

Next, the site went with this stock photo.  I suppose that woman is supposed to represent Becca and the girl, his daughter.

For people who care about the truth, this is unsettling:

"Christian" says EMF Academy is "Now it is one of the largest and most trusted sources to learn about EMF radiation."  Wow--that's quite a bold claim for a person who has gone to such lengths to hide his identity.

But Who Is This Guy?  We don't know. There's no information anywhere about him or the site. The only address is a "virtual mailbox" in Seattle--that can be managed from anywhere in the world. Usually you think of trustworthy as someone you can trust. But how can you trust someone when they won't tell you who they really are?

This is a stock photo too. You can find this sweet family in papers and sites all over the world.

You might be wondering why the site owner went to all the trouble of creating "Christian Thomas" and his family. to be a person you can trust.  Creating a sympathetic persona could make people much more likely to believe the information on the site, perhaps buy from it and click on the the plethora of ads that cover every single page. 

We see people who are acting in advertising thousands of times a day.  But they aren't pretending to be a person they aren't

IMPORTANT: It's not illegal for EMF Academy to use a fake name, a fake story or a fake picture to represent himself or his business online.

But is it the right thing to do? 

I really think one of the "top EMF sites in the world" should be founded and run by real people, who tell us who they really are--and stand behind the information and products they sell.

You deserve facts,  proven products and the truth about EMF, instead of ridiculous statements like this one that I just saw in the post from EMF Academy:

We all deserve to get credible information from a credible source when we need it.  Especially when it comes to our well-being.  

This is me, August Brice- in my laundry room showing you how to find hidden sources of EMF Radiation in Smart Appliances. You can find me on TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest and LinkedIn--just in case you're trying to verify I'm the real deal :)

Even if pretending you're someone other than who you really are for a "good" reason, when people who believe you are real and trustworthy,  find out you're not, they call themselves 'victims."

So, Let's Not Be Victims:  Here Are The Seven Things You Can Do To Help Keep Catfishers and Fake Personas Out Of Your Life.

1.Confirm that a business is a business- like EMF Academy and the person in charge, like a Christian Thomas are real- by looking for them on business social media platforms  Professionals will provide their college and career backgrounds. Also look for articles written about the business or about the "expert" in charge of the business.  It's good to check all social channels as well for more information and back up on the person or business credibility.

2. When you meet someone new online, notice how many different photos they have.  The more the better.  The photos should reflect different situations and life periods and be candid, with others sometimes and it would be helpful if they "matched" their "story" meaning their town, their job, their family.

3. Google Image or Reverse Image Search them.  Just like I did with Christian Thomas, what an image reveals can be very informative and help you decide if you want to continue contacting or following them

4. Google them.  The older they are the more likely you are to find out about them.  Even if it's just from Facebook and other social accounts, if they've been out there a while you can start to see if the words, pictures and stories match.

5. Look for video content. Non business new friends should be able to video chat or call you at the least. A meet up with other is always a good idea.  Businesses run by real people should have some video out there somewhere and if they are an authority in their space, their should be a podcast, a speaking event or book written by them.

6.Listen to them.  Do their stories add up?  If it's an online business read what they're saying and compare it to actual experts.  People who have credibility in the field will not be solo and will have a robust LinkedIn following and will be or associate with scientists, researchers, engineers, doctors and other professionals in that field.

6. Be really mindful if they are asking for something from you.  Are they asking you for money?  Are they sending you to Amazon or to a product they are recommending to get a commission on everything you buy?  Check the link url- for an identifier.  As an example, EMF Academy's recommendations go to urls with efma or the words emfacademy in them.  And if its a someone representing a business, look at what they're selling, search that item and make sure you there is a reasonable return period.

7. Finally, when it comes to getting good information from what you're hoping is in expert:  Check the content.  If a"medical" expert is recommending a supplement for some specific health issue, visit several expert sources to confirm that the supplement is for safe and appropriate for you. 

Finally, this 

A Special Note to You- Who Do WE Look Up To And Trust?

Sometimes it's hard to know what to believe online.  To be your trusted resource we consult with some of the world's foremost  experts on tech toxins like EMF.  Our understanding of man made electromagnetic radio waves continues to evolve.  I encourage you to rely on websites and resources that are informed by trusted scientists and doctors.  Dr. George Carlo who led the seminal research study for the wireless industry(his book is featured in our store) and President of the Board of Directors of the International Association of Building Biologists, Larry Gust are the two foremost experts I look to. 

I also recommend the work of Joel Moskowitz and his site: SafeEMR,  Americans For Responsible Technology is a great resource for tools to help battle you contact the people in your state and city's that make the laws allowing for more and more wireless antenna's and yes, 5g.  There's the often quoted Bioinitiative Report and now Physicians for Safe Technology,  Dr. Olle Johansson  and the amazing Devra Davis and the entire team at The Environmental Health Trust   and Ellie Marks and The California Brain Tumor Association whose mission is to safeguard public health These people highly regarded experts  when it comes to the science of Electromagnetic Radiation. Looking for Certified EMF Education?  If you're serious, enroll in the Building Biology Institute

Prepare to spend 400 plus hours learning about all manner of environmental toxins and an additional 120 hours to  reach the gold standard of EMRS

Check the background of the people involved in creating the information you're using to make decisions regarding EMF and your health and make sure they're the real deal.  There are some great authentic and accurate EMF sites, like emfanalysis. It's run by Jeromy Johnson and we have similar backgrounds. There seems to be a lot of interest lately in the topic I've been concerned about for 25 years and though I'm very happy and relieved that so many are now taking this topic seriously--and I'm happy some EMF resources embed Safertech and Tech Wellness videos in their sites- I'm concerned that you, (if you're concerned about wireless radiation and your health) steer clear of "experts"  who may be trying to promote items that really don't do what they claim or entice you to visit their sites so they can sell ads based on high traffic or affiliate with unproven "emf protection". 

It is a confusing  and sometimes scary topic--I keep my earlier videos from 2007 on this site so you can see that my understanding has grown deeply.  Please know that I take great pride in not creating fear or misunderstanding in this space and it's my deep desire for you to be healthy and well and live life in balance and safety with technology

 Stay safe out there and Be Well! 

August