General > Frauds

Frauds and Exploiters Profiting or Promoting Themselves off NoDAPL

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educatedindian:
This is something we can do for in our small way to help NoDAPL, have a single research thread for all the frauds, exploiters, hucksters, etc trying to profit off of or promote themselves on this. This can include:

Shame-ons and imposters promoting themselves using NoDAPL.
Fundraising that does not aid the water protectors' camps, instead going to others.
Disinformation sites and individuals trying to spread confusion and falsehoods.

Let's start off with this useful article of advice for Non-Native protesters:
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 http://countercurrentnews.com/2016/11/dont-come-standing-rock-youre-going-treat-like-burning-man/?utm_source=Facebook&utm_campaign=FB_Biz_Part&utm_medium=FB_Biz_Pages

Don’t Come To Standing Rock If You’re Going To Treat It Like Burning Man
November 26, 2016 11:48 am  by Stiv
 
Standing Rock has reportedly been overrun with white demonstrators trying to soak up the ‘cultural experience.’

Demonstrators at North Dakota’s Pipeline protest have spoken out about the amount of white people who have turned up to “colonise” the camp.

The concerns have been raised by protestors in a series of tweets and Facebook posts. According to them, people have turned up to the Standing Rock demonstration to soak up the “cultural experience”, and are treating the camp like it is “Burning Man” festival or “The Rainbow Gathering”.

“They are coming in, taking food, clothing… and occupying space without any desire to participate in camp maintenance and without respect of tribal protocols,” said protestor Alicia Smith on Facebook. “I even witnessed several wandering in and out of camps comparing it to festivals. Waiting with big smiles expectantly for us to give them a necklace or an ‘indian’ name while our camp leader was speaking.”

Playing acoustic guitars when no one asked them to, not helping out, and acting as though they're on some kind of camping trip #NoDAPL
— StandUp4StandingRock (@radbrains) November 8, 2016

She added that many protestors appeared to be living off the native Americans, and were taking full advantage of the donations that people had been sending in for the cause. This was a trend noticed by another Twitter user, who witnessed one protestor turn down tap water to spend donations on “fluoride free” water.

“They are literally subsisting entirely off of the generosity of the native people… who are fighting to protect their water just because they can,” Smith wrote. “Some literally will not even prepare food but will take food that is prepared, again, having not done anything else all day.”

The situation has reportedly got so bad that an open letter detailing the camp’s ground rules has started trending on Twitter. Responding to the new influx of support, it reminds demonstrators that the camp is “not a vacation.”  It also says that protestors should avoid drugs and alcohol, engage with the elders, and refrain from playing “guitar or drums” around the fires.

“This is not Burning Man or a festival. Do not bring your party at the expense of these peoples fighting or life or death”, it reads. “I know this may sound harsh but it’s what we are experiencing here. We need this to be very clear so take time to understand the traditions and Native ways before arrival.”

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These exploiters have already been mentioned latching onto NoDAPL.
Andras Corban Arthan
http://www.newagefraud.org/smf/index.php?topic=4473.msg43133#msg43133
Sean Henry AKA Nanya Shabu El & At Sik hata Nation or Clan of Yamassee NA Moors
http://www.newagefraud.org/smf/index.php?topic=3727.msg43123#msg43123

More on NoDAPL including how to support.
http://www.newagefraud.org/smf/index.php?topic=4921.0

Sparks:

--- Quote from: Sparks on November 28, 2016, 03:11:16 am ---Another fraud trying to cash in on the present situation in North Dakota?
https://www.facebook.com/james.uqualla
https://www.facebook.com/james.uqualla/videos/1207276009352568/
The video is 5 minutes 12 seconds. Half a minute is enough to determine this is New Age drivel.
--- End quote ---
[P.S.: At least for me 30 seconds is adequate!]

This video is now widely shared in Facebook groups by apparently bona fide supporters of the water protectors. — I'd appreciate advice whether I should warn them, if James Uqualla is, indeed, a fraud?

Piff:
Anne Wilson Schaef http://www.newagefraud.org/smf/index.php?topic=4931.0 says she raised funds in Europe for water protectors. But she does not state if she actually donated the money, what specific fund, or if she took a cut.

She does work to appear as an ally in order to raise her reputation as special.

Ideally she would point potential donors to actual legitimate fundraising groups.

Diana:
I Googled annoying white people at Nodapl and this article came up among others. Good article but the comments section is a must read. It has the usual suspects and some of the most deplorable white whiners I have ever read. Two of the whiners you should concentrate on are one guy by the name of Bobby Powell and someone named Gloryhallejuia. Absolutely despicable.

http://matadornetwork.com/change/5-things-every-non-native-needs-consider-visiting-standing-rock/

5 THINGS EVERY NON-NATIVE NEEDS TO CONSIDER BEFORE VISITING STANDING ROCK

1. Behave as an ally.

You’re there to do service for the people of the Standing Rock Sioux Nation as they protect their water and lives from the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL). They are not there to be your hosts, cultural guides, tourist attractions, misery porn, or to bolster your career or to help you earn “street cred” in the activist community.

We are not helpless, downtrodden, Native Americans that need a (white) savior to rescue us. There are roughly 280 Native Nations and 4,000 people at the camps. We need allies, not patronizing people with a God complex who drown out our voices by further colonizing our spaces. Assist the people of Standing Rock in whatever manner they ask of you.

2. Understand the historical context of the DAPL, and respect the need for Native autonomy, space, and spirituality.

While the DAPL and resource extraction affects all living beings, it has an especially devastating impact on Native People. Genocide has not just literally killed many of us, but it has also culturally and spiritually decimated us. The majority of Indigenous People in the U.S., as well as Canada, are unable to speak our languages due to the government created and forced use of boarding and residential schools. Our religious practices weren’t fully protected by law until 1993. The theft of our lands and languages also contributed to the loss of our spirituality. Many of our ceremonies are connected to our lands and are conducted in our languages.

We also face devastatingly high rates of violence. According to the Lakota People’s Law Project, Native People are the racial group most likely to be murdered by law enforcement. Native Youth represent only 1% of the total U.S. population, but are 70% of the total Federal Bureau of Prisons population. The National Institute of Justice found that more than four in five (84.3%) Native Women have experienced violence in their lifetime. Ninety-six percent of the men that raped Native Women were non-Native men. Resource extraction brings more non-Natives onto our lands and with them more violence.

Due to 526 years of genocide, colonialism, and the many other -isms that are a by-product of colonialism, Native and Indigenous communities suffer from historical and intergenerational trauma. Native People need the physical and emotional space at the camps, as well as in our daily lives, to process the pain and outrage that comes from the continual genocide that we face.

3. Follow the instructions of tribal leadership and Native People.

How you behave impacts the manner in which non-Native people treat tribal communities, particularly in the midst of such a public fight. You’re a guest on what remains of the Standing Rock Sioux Nation’s land. More precisely, every day that you’re in the U.S. you’re on land that once belonged to Native People. Follow the lead of the tribal government, spiritual leadership, and the Native People at the camps-Sacred Stone, Red Warrior, and Oceti Sakowin. Regardless of how well-intentioned you may be, once you pack up and leave, the local tribal Nations and their people are the ones that will suffer the repercussions of your actions.

Also note that the camps at Standing Rock are not protest sites, but were created and run by Water Protectors. They are also weapon, violence, alcohol, and drug free. And, under no circumstances is it acceptable to photograph or record ceremonies or prayers. These are sacred and we expect others to respect that. Be aware that people may be praying or conducting ceremony in a way that doesn’t meet the Hollywood created image that comes to the minds of many non-Natives in America.

4. If you’re here to protect the water, you need to be willing to risk lawsuit.

Though the camps are all peaceful, that doesn’t mean that the U.S. government or the oil companies are practicing nonviolence. As the world has seen, the U.S. government and Energy Transfer Partners L.P. (the company that owns the Dakota Access L.C. subsidiary that’s building the DAPL have unleashed a full scale militarization of the area through the use of drones, helicopters, the National Guard, and militarized police. On September 3, mercenaries for hire from the notorious G4S company unleashed dogs and pepper spray on Native Women, young girls, and even horses. ND Governor Dalrympleactivated the National Guard on September 8th to “assist” in security at the Water Protection sites. Both Amy Goodman and Jill Stein have had arrest warrants issued for being at the sites. Between the 13thand 14th,31 people total were arrested at the Standing Rock DAPL construction site by police that descended on the area in full riot gear with semi-automatic weapons.

Be aware the potential outcomes. Going to the camps, especially the front lines, could lead to arrest or litigation against you by Energy Transfer Partners. The Standing Rock Sioux Nation has a legal team on the ground to assist people, but they’re up against the government and the multiple-billion dollar oil business. If you can’t risk arrest or lawsuit, then it’s probably best not to go.

5. Take supplies for yourself, those that travel with you, and for the camps.

On August 22nd the North Dakota homeland security Greg Wilz shut off the water for the Water Protectors. That means all visitors and Water Protectors need to bring plenty of water for themselves and for others at the camps. Bring plenty of food, medical supplies, receptacles to remove your trash when you leave (the tribe is fined every day that garbage is left behind), camping gear, and winter supplies for yourself and the camps. It’s September in North Dakota. It’s getting colder every day and the Water Protectors aren’t leaving. You, as well as them, need warm clothing and supplies. If you go Standing Rock, be as self-sufficient and ecologically sustainable as possible.

Electricity is scarce so take as many solar chargers as possible. Cell connectivity at the camps is also rare. There’s a casino about 10 miles away from the construction site. The nearest airports to Cannon Ball, ND are in Bizmarck, Rapid City, and the Twin Cities. Due to the Morton County Sheriff’s highway shut down, Protectors have to take the long route to the camps. It’s best to follow the directions on the Sacred Stone page or that of the other camps.

If after reading this, you’ve realized that going to Standing Rock isn’t for you, but you’d still like to help, there are numerous ways to stand with the people of Standing Rock.

1. Divest from your large banking institutions that are supporting the DAPL and resource extraction.
2. Show material solidarity with the Standing Rock Sioux Nation, Sacred Stone, and the Red Warrior Camp
3. Call, email, and social media blast your Congressional Representatives, Senators, President Obama, the Army Corps of Engineers, Morton County Sheriff’s office, and ND Governor Dalrymple’s office to bring an end to the entire DAPL, as well eminent domain and the Nationwide Permit 12, both of which are responsible for for the DAPL going forth without tribal, community, or EPA consultation or studies.
4. Become involved in your local #NoDAPL groups and organizations fighting to bring an end to resource extraction.
5. Last, but not least, stand as an ally for Indigenous People in all our of our battles.

educatedindian:
Exploitative FB pages in bold.

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https://www.buzzfeed.com/craigsilverman/facebook-scammers-profiting-from-standing-rock?utm_term=.txWpzQnKq#.vcp9ao2yj
These Big Native American Facebook Pages Are Actually Being Run By People In Kosovo And Vietnam
“They’re just capitalizing on struggle — it’s really crazy,” said one Native American artist.

As pipeline protesters at Standing Rock prepare to dig in for the winter, a growing network of dubious Native American Facebook pages is cashing in on the movement by selling stolen No DAPL T-shirt designs and by driving traffic to dubious clickbait websites, a BuzzFeed News investigation has found.

The owners of these pages and websites reside in faraway countries such as Vietnam and Kosovo, and they are capitalizing on online interest in Standing Rock, and Native American culture in general, to make money. BuzzFeed News identified more than 60 Facebook pages with more than 6 million fans that are generating money either by selling counterfeit Native American merchandise, or by driving traffic to ad-filled websites that in some cases have little or nothing to do with Native American issues.

Native designers say their work is being stolen and resold, and that some pages falsely claim to donate proceeds to the protesters at Standing Rock.

“They’re just capitalizing on struggle — it’s really crazy,” said Jared Yazzie, a Navajo who runs Oxdx, Native American clothing company in Arizona. He said some Facebook pages have even taken photos of his models and photoshopped different clothing on them.
“When they use my models I think that makes me the most angry,” he said.

Erica Moore is a 23-year-old Native American who designed a series of T-shirts to help raise funds for the pipeline protesters. She said copies of her designs soon began showing up on Facebook and elsewhere.
“It’s a different story if they would ask our permission to use the design, but I’ve seen my designs being sold without my consent, and I’ve seen people trying to re-design my design in some way to make it their own,” she said. “It just isn’t right.”

BuzzFeed News tracked some of the worst offending Facebook pages to owners in Vietnam. Like If You Love Native Americans has almost 190,000 fans and is connected to a website registered to “Hoai Thu Ngo Thi” in Vietnam. It promotes its T-shirts by photoshopping them on celebrities such as The Rock, Johnny Depp, Mark Wahlberg, and others. Many of its recent posts about clothing comment on the Standing Rock protest, though there is no evidence that the people running the page donate any proceeds to the protesters.
BuzzFeed News messaged the page on Facebook and the person who replied introduced themselves as a woman in Michigan named Maria Torres who claims to be Native American on her Facebook profile. The profile appears to only have been created in March of this year and primarily shares merchandise being promoted by the Like If You Love Native Americans page. The account also reposts content and merchandise from a page called Wolves In Native American Culture which points to a domain name registered to the same person in Vietnam.
Asked how the page gets its designs, the person running the page responded, “The clothing and fashion design industry is highly competitive; it is full of individuals.”

The fake Maria Torres profile on Facebook. Facebook
After being told records show they are in fact located in Vietnam, the person admitted that’s where they are based, meaning the Maria Torres account is a fake created to promote its content and products. The person then denied stealing designs from Native artists.
“No steal their work,” they wrote in all caps. “I am an affiliate marketer search designs on that site an [sic] sell.”
The person said they simply find Native American T-shirts that have already been uploaded to SunFrog and collect them on one page, earning a commission each time they sell. SunFrog is one of several websites that enable anyone to to upload a design and then offer print-on-demand ordering for a range of clothing.
Kirk Yodzevicis, SunFrog’s general counsel, confirmed that people can create collections of existing designs uploaded to SunFrog, and said the company takes down any infringing designs and closes the related account. He pointed to a form on its website that anyone can use to make a claim.
“When we find out somebody stole a design they get their account shut down,” he said. He also said anyone who falsely claims to sell clothing in support of a cause will have their account closed and SunFrog will donate their earnings to charity.
Yodzevicis said SunFrog has seen an increase in infringing designs and false charity claims related to Standing Rock.
“Absolutely, no question about that,” he said. “Anytime there is any kind of an issue in the news that has some kind of passion about it you are gonna see people that are going to try and game the system.”

One of the bigger pages identified by BuzzFeed News is called Indigenous People of America and has over 750,000 fans. It shares a steady stream of news related to events in Standing Rock, but under many of its posts it also promotes the sale of a knockoff of a shirt created by actor Shailene Woodley to raise funds for Standing Rock. The page also regularly posts content from a website called TheIndigenousPeoples.com, which was only registered in early November and has its owner’s name hidden.
The only official seller of the Woodley shirt is Omaze, yet the design can be found for sale on many other online clothing sites as well as on Amazon. SunFrog removed a version of the shirt for sale on its site after being alerted to it by BuzzFeed News, though other copies of the design remain for sale on the site.
There is no evidence that any of these sellers donate money to Standing Rock, or that they had permission to sell Woodley’s shirt. (A rep for Woodley did not respond to a request for comment.)

Another big Facebook page hawking inauthentic Native American goods is Native American Indians, which has over 360,000 fans and promotes merchandise from a store called NativeThing.com. That website is registered to “Hoang Trung Hieu” of Vietnam. It’s the subject of a litany of online complaints from people who bought boots and other items under the impression that they were authentic Native designs and craftsmanship. Once they receive their order people realize it was made in China, gives off a noxious odor, and that the company subsequently refuses to accept returns.
“You get stuck with the smelly product you can’t wear,” wrote one woman on Facebook. “How many ways can you spell ‘screwed.’”

Many other pages pursue a similar strategy of building up an audience with Native content and then trying to sell them shirts and other items that are often rip-offs of Native designs. One newer page is called I Stand with Standing Rock Sioux Tribe and shares a steady diet of news about the protest mixed with constant pleas for people to show their support by buying shirts for the cause. The page did not respond to a question about whether it donates any money to the tribe.
Along with stealing the work of Native artists, and the likenesses of models and celebrities, some scammers even used a photo of the first Native American federal judge to create fake profiles to help spread their content.

Fake profiles featuring the photo of Judge Diane Humetewa. Facebook
Judge Diane Humetewa serves as a United States District judge of the United States District Court for the District of Arizona. Her photo has been used on at least three fake Facebook profiles, one of which lists its two only friends as two young men in Kosovo. One of the men did not reply to an interview request from BuzzFeed News, and the judge’s chambers declined to comment, citing the Code of Conduct for US Judges.
One of the largest networks of Native American Facebook pages initially identified by BuzzFeed News belonged to two young men in Kosovo. One of the men, a 25-year-old named Dardan, said in a Skype interview that he only owns “two or three” Native American Facebook pages. But when asked if it’s possible that he in fact owns 13 pages as well as a Native American group with more than 15,000 members, he smiled and said, “Maybe. It could be.”
At the time of the interview, their pages had close to 2 million fans. However, after speaking to BuzzFeed News all of their pages were taken offline.
Rather than selling Native American designs, the pages has been used to promote links to a single website, BuzzDuzz.net, where Dardan and a partner publish clickbait articles about a wide variety of topics, though rarely about Native Americans.
“Lately most of the content [on the Facebook pages] is not about Native Americans,” he said. “It’s hard to get content just about Native Americans and I don’t have time for that.”
Dardan did not respond to a subsequent Facebook message from BuzzFeed News asking why they had removed their Native American Facebook pages. BuzzDuzz is still publishing as of this writing.

Some of the Native American designers who spoke to BuzzFeed News said the non-Natives running the pages and selling stolen designs are making more money than they are.
Aaron Silva, a Native American and the co-founder of The NTVS clothing brand in Minnesota, said the dubious Native American sellers often have one or several large Facebook pages to use to promote the merchandise. Silva also said these pages spend money to create sponsored Facebook posts that promote the item for sale to large numbers of people.
“These pages are taking our work and paying for the sponsored posts on Facebook and making tons of money off of us,” Silva said. “Just from the sponsored posts we do we’ll get maybe 1,000 to 2,000 likes and maybe generate 1,000 in sales off of like a $200 ad.”
He said he’s seen sponsored posts from dubious Native American pages that receive tens of thousands, or even hundreds of thousands, of likes and a large number of shares as well. “It tells me tons of people are seeing [the ad], and you can see in the comments that many people are buying,” he said.
BuzzFeed News found sponsored Facebook posts from the Native American Cultures page, which appears to only have been created in September, that fit Silva’s description. One of its current sponsored posts shows photos of Bernie Sanders and celebrities with the Shailene Woodley shirt. It asks people to “Support The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe” and to buy the shirt, but the link does not send people to her official sales page. This sponsored post for a stolen design has received over 125,000 reactions, 15,000 comments, and close to 18,000 shares as of this writing.

Another sponsored post from the page shows Johnny Depp with a Native shirt design photoshopped onto him. It had over 33,000 reactions, nearly 4,000 comments, and over 8,000 shares. These sponsored posts also help grow the number of fans for that page: When BuzzFeed News first found the Native American Cultures page roughly two weeks ago, it had just over 57,000 fans. It now has over 72,000.
To put this into perspective, the engagement for that page’s sponsored posts is significantly better than a legitimate sponsored Facebook post currently running from Woodley herself. It has close to 12,000 reactions, just over 500 comments, and 2,100 shares as of this writing. (It’s possible the other sponsored posts have been running longer, or have been backed with more money, in order to accrue more engagement.)
“Facebook prohibits advertisements, which includes boosted posts, that are deceptive, false, or misleading, including deceptive claims, offers, or business practices,” a Facebook spokesperson told BuzzFeed News. “We are looking into these claims and will take appropriate action.”

Silva tried to raise awareness about the fake Native pages by listing some of the worst offenders in a post on his company’s Facebook page. The comment thread was soon filled with people sharing other examples of suspect pages, and of designers talking about how they too had their work stolen.
Silva and others have also tried to contact T-shirt sites such as SunFrog and TeeChip to get their designs removed. They said the takedown forms and procedures take up a lot of their time.
“I’ve gotten a few of them removed that way but it’s so tedious,” he said.
Yodzevicis from SunFrog said their reporting form has only a few fields to complete and submissions are checked roughly every hour. He said anyone whose work has been stolen could simply email legal@sunfrog.com if they find the form too time consuming. He also said the company is working to implement a procedure whereby any money earned from a stolen design will be sent to the original artist.
“We are currently in the process of implementing a system wherein such funds, rather than being redirected to charity, can be claimed by an actual rights holder so they are actually compensated for their work and the use of their property,” he said.
Silva said Facebook is easier to deal with, but that it only removes the offending post rather than an entire page. (The company told BuzzFeed News it will remove an entire page in some circumstances.)
Yazzie has also tried directly contacting the Facebook pages that promote his stolen designs for sale. But at most he says they will delete the post with his design and just upload it again later.
“I’ve tried to send messages to one of the pages and at first I just got this automated message back, and then they replied with a lot of smiley face emojis back, which is kind of annoying,” he said. “They eventually blocked me from commenting on their page.”
It’s not lost on Yazzie and others that Native American culture and goods are yet again being appropriated by others for profit.
“It weighs heavy,” he said. “I hope people understand there is a livelihood behind [the designs]. The meaning that goes along culturally with the work is something we study and try to put out correctly.”
For his part, Silva is amazed at how so many people in different parts of the world have discovered that dubious Native American Facebook pages, websites, and merchandise can be a moneymaker.
“I wonder how they came across that working for them,” he said. “Did they try different ethnicities and cultures and see which one really hit?

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