Blackpool singer's stark warning over cruel online bullies

An online fraudster targeted Cinzia Lanza by setting up a duplicate Facebook site in her name featuring an unflattering image from her wedding video of 11 years ago.

They published this alongside a more recent photo and then branded Cinzia as ‘fake’ because she has transformed her appearance using surgery, weight loss and tanning techniques.

She reported the incident to the police and to Facebook who took the page down.

But Cinzia is speaking out to highlight the distress such bullying can cause.

She said: “I was shocked anyone could be so vicious.”

Cinzia, 31, who is a singer at Viva cabaret bar in Blackpool as well as working at her family’s restaurant San Marco’s in South Shore, discovered the counterfeit page after people she knew were sent new friend requests from the bogus site.

She said: “Whoever did this has somehow got hold of my wedding video and used a clip from when I was making my vows. It’s a bad angle and I was very nervous.

“They have then put a recent picture of me on, and another picture of me with ‘fake’ written all over it.

“But I’m not ashamed about how I’ve changed over the last 11 years.

“People do transform themselves.

“I use fake tan, as do a lot of girls and I’ve had breast augmentation but that was before I got married.

“All that’s different between the two photographs is I did have a nose job and I’ve lost three stone in weight.

“I’ve not had my lips or my teeth done.

“I’m happy to talk about this because I’m not ashamed about progressing in life.

“If you don’t like your hair, you change the colour, and people have their teeth fixed all the time.

“If you want to make the best of yourself there’s nothing wrong with that.

“I still have pictures on my Facebook site from years ago and it’s not a secret I have had my nose done.

“They have put it on like it’s something really bad, like I’m all false.”

Cinzia, who is now divorced and lives in South Shore, refused to be dragged down by the incident, and even shared the false page with her Facebook friends in defiance at the attack.

She was angry however when the perpetrator used the site to send an abusive online message to a work colleague.

She said: “The police asked me if there was anyone I had upset, but there isn’t. I’m not a spiteful person, I’m quite mellow.

“Whoever did this must be a very bitter person, but you have to stand up to them.”

Cinzia, who also models and has been an extra in Coronation Street recently, wrote an article about her experience for an online magazine in New York. Her mum Lucia Frankitt also encouraged her to speak out about the experience.

Lucia said: “Cinzia is a strong person but there are some people who would be emotionally crushed if this happened to them.

“Cyber-bullying is a crime and can be terrible for anyone who is emotionally fragile.

“You have to stand up to people, because this could cost someone their life literally.”

A spokesperson for Lancashire Police confirmed the incident had been reported and is under investigation.

How to beat the cyber bullies

Lancashire Police has advice on its website for victims of cyber bullying which it says “must be taken seriously”.

Some incidents are criminal offences if they amount to harassment or threats and should be reported to the police on 101.

Sufferers are advised not to respond online to provocation, but to log off and block anyone who is being abusive.

The police guidance adds: “If someone threatens or harasses you online you should take a screen grab or copy of what has been said.

“Social networks have policies about dealing with inappropriate messages and you can report issues directly to them.

“Learn how to use your security settings to restrict access to your social media profiles to only those friends who you trust, and remember that anything you post online may well last forever, even if you later delete it from your profile.” Young people are advised to speak to a parent or teacher.

Further advice is available on the website Bullying UK, or on young people’s website Trust Ed.

What is Facebook doing about it?

Facebook has its own set of rules which include banning fake or imposter profiles and not allowing use of the social media site to bully, impersonate or harass anyone. It will remove content “that appears to purposefully target private individuals with the intention of degrading or shaming them.” This includes:

• Pages that identify and shame private individuals

• Images altered to degrade private individuals.

• Photos or videos of physical bullying posted to shame the victim.

• Sharing personal information to blackmail or harass people and repeatedly targeting other people with unwanted friend requests or messages.