If someone makes false allegations on social media about you, the news can spread like wildfire and not just among your friends and family. Work colleagues and even your boss may see or be alerted to them.
A wicked lie
Our client first became aware of a false allegation when her brother drew her attention to a photo over a weekend. The photo had the appearance of a screen print. At the top was our client and at the bottom was a message stating that she rescued animals to sell them to dog fight organisers.
Since our client is a veterinary surgeon, working in a high profile practice, she was horrified. Rather than wait for her colleagues and the senior partner to find out, she immediately let them know about it on the following Monday.
The senior partner was concerned about the effect this might have on the practice. He absolutely believed that this was a false allegation. But he felt the best way to counter possible backlash was for our client to take a lie detector test. It wasn’t only our client’s reputation that could be tarnished but also that of the practice.
We took details from our client and found that the photograph had been shared on several social media platforms, most of which she didn’t use or have accounts with. The motivation could have been any number of things. Perhaps a pet owner hadn’t been happy with treatment at the clinic, or maybe someone was jealous of her success. Equally it could have been someone with nothing better to do than Photoshop a random picture to cause trouble.
Damage limitation
We assured out client that we could help and administered the lie detector test in the evening at the clinic, when it was closed. She passed the test with flying colours. Our examiner ascertained that she had never sold dogs to anyone, she didn’t know any dog fight organisers and had no connection with dog fighting at all.
Our examiner then prepared a report for her so that she could prove her innocence. This report is now available in the veterinary clinic for anyone who cares to see it.
Social media may have a place in our society but unfortunately a lie can now travel around the world in minutes. When something is posted/published on the internet it is very difficult to remove it. A classic example was when Lord McAlpine’s name was falsely linked to child abuse on Twitter. His solicitors found around 10,000 tweets and retweets which were sparked by a BBC Newsnight report where the allegation started. Heads rolled over this with the BBC Director General, George Entwistle, losing his position and hundreds of thousands of pounds being paid in damages. Twitter accounts that had tweeted the lie and those who had retweeted it were told to delete them and pay a small donation to charity or be sued for libel.
Help with false allegations on social media
If you have experienced stress through false allegations on social media we can help relieve your anxiety. You can easily restore your reputation with a lie detector test. Call us on 07572 748364 for a free consultation with one of our highly qualified polygraph examiners. You can rely on our discretion and confidentiality.
