Be Careful Talking to The Media

[Bentobuff]

I recently received a message from someone claiming to be a journalist. I asked who they wrote for and while they could be legitimate I want to put out a few words of warning to any fellow forum-goers who are considering talking to them.

• Many times the media will make fans of something look like freaks. Make sure you know if it's a reputable publication before you agree.
• Look into the person who is asking to interview you. I looked up their username on Twitter and found an entirely Japanese account- doesn't match up to their claims of being from Montreal.
• Make sure you're an adult or have a parent/guardian go through the process with you. Seriously, there's a lot of sleazy "journalists" out there. You need to keep wits about you, even if you're not old enough to have a ton of your own.
• Ask around. I've already asked on the Discord and Twitter in case anyone else has any idea who this person is.

 

[Penguin-keeper]

Did this occur here at TamaTalk, out of curiousity?

 

[Bentobuff]

Did this occur here at TamaTalk, out of curiousity?

Yup. Got a screenshot of it too. Idk if they're on the up and up, but some folks on the discord helped me track em down, they look legitimate enough, but idk if they have good or nefarious intentions toward us in the community. I still want to know who they're writing for.
I also figured they may have sent the same request to other members, so I figured putting the same healthy skepticism in my fellow members would help protect us as a community and them as individuals.

 

[Nazotchi25]

Yeah there's a DM I received as well. Probably similar to yours.
I'll reply to them politely declining but that's more to do with my workplace policy than anything else.

 

[Angotcha]

What is the name of that member? And is there a thread, or they seem to have a direct message? I did not get one, so I need that information from you.

 

[Nazotchi25]

What is the name of that member? And is there a thread, or they seem to have a direct message? I did not get one, so I need that information from you.

Here the go:

https://www.tamatalk.com/members/mohankai.217615/

 

[Bentobuff]

What is the name of that member? And is there a thread, or they seem to have a direct message? I did not get one, so I need that information from you.

Their username is Monhankai and it was through PMs. I've pmed Penguin Keeper about it, but have yet to check my PMs this morning.

 

[leogames2012]

He isnt a journalist?!

 

[mohankai]

Hi guys. I'm sorry to read that you think that I'm a fake journalist. I am not. (Just so you know, here is my twitter account : https://twitter.com/clem_pav) Mohankai is a pseudo I already used for my tumblr and I reused it here.

I didn't want to bother. I just wanted to talk with some tamagotchi lovers because I also used to be one when I was younger -- but I absolutely respect the fact that you are not willing to talk. There's no problem at all.

Have a great day. Wishing you the best.

Clémence

 

[Bentobuff]

He isnt a journalist?!

According to my, and a whole lot of other people's sleuthing, they appear to be a real journalist but there's a whooooole lot of other sketchy feeling things as well. If you received a PM from that user, please reach out to the TT guides. From what it looks like, they're working together to build a whole picture as this person didn't appear to reach out to any of the team, just ordinary members(another red flag).

 

[leogames2012]

According to my, and a whole lot of other people's sleuthing, they appear to be a real journalist but there's a whooooole lot of other sketchy feeling things as well. If you received a PM from that user, please reach out to the TT guides. From what it looks like, they're working together to build a whole picture as this person didn't appear to reach out to any of the team, just ordinary members(another red flag).

I tried to talk with him,but he claims to be a normal person than a journalist,He thought i was mean to him so he deleted the post.

 

[Penguin-keeper]

Hi guys. I'm sorry to read that you think that I'm a fake journalist. I am not. (Just so you know, here is my twitter account : https://twitter.com/clem_pav) Mohankai is a pseudo I already used for my tumblr and I reused it here.

As we all know, it's best to be cautious. Unfortunately, anyone can point to accounts on other sites and claim that they're theirs. I don't mean this to cast doubt - I say this because it is simply common sense not to believe everything that you hear.

I didn't want to bother. I just wanted to talk with some tamagotchi lovers because I also used to be one when I was younger -- but I absolutely respect the fact that you are not willing to talk. There's no problem at all.

Have a great day. Wishing you the best.

Clémence

It's more that it sets off red flags when users are suddenly reporting to us that a random new user, claiming to be a journalist, is sending out messages inviting members to join video-calls for an interview. It sets off more red flags when there are users reporting, as we see above, that in some cases the user was claiming not to be a journalist, instead.

Most journalists who swing by a site like this one will contact the staff team first to provide credentials from their employer and seek approval for such an activity, and will then conduct it publically so that everyone is aware of what is happening.

I applaud our members for being sensible and cautious in this case.