"With Facebook, with any of a number of places, it's really pretty simple to just go out and create a new you" says John Kaufeld, a local social media expert.
Kaufeld says having an online alias isn't something new, but the likelihood of getting caught using it to abuse others has gone up in the recent years.
Just ask 34-year-old Nathan Hasty. For the past nine years, Hasty served as a campus life director for Youth for Christ. He worked with students at both
According to court documents, Hasty created several fake Facebook profiles. He'd pose as 16-year-old girls; other times as a 19-year-old boy.
He'd message young teens, flirt with them, ask them sexually explicit questions, then ask them to send him nude photos and inappropriate videos.
Hasty may have fooled many teens, but couldn't fool Facebook. The social networking site caught on to his activity and notified police.
"Facebook was looking for certain patterns" Kaufeld says. "And maybe it's also looking for particular words to pop up in chat."
Facebook also has the ability to look some of your online data; looking at cookies or browser cookies which are little notes that Facebook can leave for itself on your web browser.
While it's true that you own all content and information you post on Facebook, the site can share your information in certain situations. Under the site's terms and conditions it states that Facebook:
'May supply law enforcement with information to help prevent or respond to fraud and other illegal activity.'
When signing up for Facebook you also agree to not post anything that is 'threatening, or pornographic.'
"That's why Facebook puts the report abuse button there to say 'hey they're harassing me, they're asking me sexual explicit questions" says Kaufeld.
Hasty was fired from youth for Christ last week. He's now being charged with soliciting and possessing child porn.
Hasty will next appear in court Wednesday. WFFT will be there and have the latest following the hearing.
