Men would approach Sasha-Jay Davies in the supermarket, accusing her of texting them, leading them on, making plans she never made. Some believed they were in a genuine relationship with her, having exchanged months of messages with a fake account that used her face.
The 19-year-old student from Aberdare had her identity stolen by Elha Mai Weston, who posed as Davies to strike up romantic conversations on social media over four years. Weston amassed more than 100,000 followers – 81,000 on TikTok and 22,000 on Instagram – using Davies’ images on platforms including Tinder, Hinge, Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook and SoundCloud.
“Sasha-Jay Davies receives £10,000 after Elha Mai Weston catfished using her images for four years.”
At the High Court in London, Weston admitted the “sustained campaign of online impersonation”, known as catfishing, and agreed to pay Davies £10,000 in compensation. Court documents show she acknowledged her “conduct was wrongful” and the “very significant distress and suffering” caused.
Davies told BBC Wales she had become fearful of leaving her home. “I used to go out a lot but now I hardly ever go out because I’m scared what man is going to approach me next,” she said. “It is terrifying to be confronted over something you didn’t do and to realise someone is using your face to manipulate others.”
The first fake account appeared on TikTok in 2022, when Davies was 16. She reported it, but the problem quickly spread. Weston called herself “Sophie” and “Sophie Kadare”, using older photographs and AI-edited images based on Davies’ likeness even after Davies made her real accounts private. One man approached Davies believing he was in a genuine relationship after months of messaging. About 20 men and several women have contacted her on social media, convinced they knew her.
Davies said: “It’s really difficult and I wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy.”
The case lays bare the psychological wreckage left by online impersonation – a crime that, for victims like Davies, does not end when the fake accounts are taken down.
