Art Historian Upset by Impersonation on Instagram as Meta Ignores Issue

A prominent art historian was deeply upset after discovering that someone was impersonating her on Instagram. The imposter account had accumulated more followers than the actual historian, yet Meta, the company that owns Instagram, refused to take any action.

Ruth Millington, known for the book Muse: Uncovering the Hidden Figures Behind Art History’s Masterpieces, first became aware of the situation in early November. An artist contacted her to report receiving a message from this fraudulent account.

The individual behind this fake account has changed their username a staggering 11 times. They posed as the expert art historian and falsely claimed to be interested in showcasing the artist’s work in an exhibition at the prestigious Lowry Gallery in Manchester.

The account has nearly 7,700 followers – more than 1,000 more than Ms Millington.

Ms Millington, 37, who has also appeared as an art expert on radio and TV, reported the account on Instagram itself, but was told in an automated reply that the account had not breached their ‘community guidelines’.

But Instagram’s guidelines do warn users, ‘don’t impersonate others’, and tells them not to create accounts for the purpose of ‘misleading others’.  

Ms Millington also sent a formal email to Instagram, which is owned by billionaire Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg’s firm Meta, but says they have ‘done nothing’. 

She told MailOnline: ‘I feel really disappointed by their inaction. They say they have community guidelines. This is breaching them and they are doing nothing about it. 

‘I know I’m not the only one. It’s distressing, it’s unnerving. For me, given the nature of my work in the art world, the art market is built on trust and relationships. 

‘Trust is one of the biggest currencies in the art market, you are dealing with valuable works of art. 

‘I have spent a decade working with galleries and museums and my worry is that they could undo some of the good will I have. 

‘This is not just a personal account, it is a way I operate with my business, which is why it is particularly disappointing that they’re not taking it seriously.’

Ms Millington, who used to work for distinguished art dealer Connaught Brown to distinguish fraudulent works from real ones, added: ‘You think you would have to sift through the fake art, not the fake art historians.’

When she tried to contact the user directly, she was immediately blocked and so now relies on friends to tell her when a new post has appeared. 

The message sent in the name of Ms Millington to the artist who alerted the historian also inquired about selling art in the form of what are known as Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) -a digitised method of storing collectable unique assets such as paintings. 

It read: ‘Hi, I’m Ruth Cheryl Millington from the UK. I am reaching out to you because I have been captivated by the artworks on your behance profile, and I’m impressed by your creativity.

‘I’m currently curating and featured in an upcoming exhibition presentation with (The Lowry). Therefore, I would be honoured to include your work in this esteemed presentation if you are interested in selling your Arts and Nfts.

‘I’m eager to hear your thoughts and discuss how we can work together to bring your art to the forefront of this exciting exhibition.’

The most recent post from the user – who changed their name to ‘R_T_M_C’ after Ms Millington contacted them – was published two weeks ago. 

It was a re-post of a professionally-taken image of Ms Millington and bore the caption: ‘A wonderful day’.

The photographer who took the picture complained in a comment but was then blocked by the operator of the account.

To confirm Ms Millington’s claim that she is being impersonated, MailOnline sent a message to the account addressed to her and asking for advice about commissioning a picture.

A swift reply read: ‘Sure! What kind of advice do you need about commissioning a picture? 

‘Are you looking for tips on finding an artist, communicating your vision, budgeting, or something else? Let me know, and I’ll guide you!’

Posts on the account regularly feature images of Ms Millington herself, or art works she has previously shared. 

Also re-posted are videos Ms Millington shared in the course of her work. One shows the historian at an event at Birmingham bar The Goods Yard. 

The video was published on the The Goods Yard’s Instagram account in September and then re-shared by Ms Millington.

The version on the fake account included much of the same caption, including a request to ‘Keep an eye on this page for the lowdown on all of our upcoming events.’ 

Ms Millington, who joined Instagram in 2017, added: ‘My concern is for my reputation and also for the artists who they are approaching with fake opportunities for exposure. 

‘They are going to exploit these artists. For some of those artists, they will realise but others won’t realise. 

‘And that is my reputation on the line. I worked so hard to build a good reputation.’

The historian is also the author of children’s book This Book Will Make You An Artist, which was released earlier this year.  

When Meta was approached by MailOnline, a spokeswoman from communications firm Edelman replied on the company’s behalf to say that they wished to ‘look into this properly to resolve this situation’.

But neither Meta nor Edelman have since supplied a formal response. 

The rogue account joined Instagram in October 2022.  

The first post to feature Ms Millington’s picture or works of art she has shared was published ten weeks ago.

More than 25 posts showing her image or pictures the historian has previously shared have been put online since then. 

Before the first mention of Ms Millington several posts referenced NFTs, whilst many others revealed artificially-generated images.  

A page on Instagram’s website boasts that the social media site ‘proactively combats impersonation’.

They add: ‘We use systems and tools that constantly monitor the Instagram ecosystem for potential imposters of public figures and creators. 

‘Our tools use a number of signals, scaled detection systems and community reports to identify potential imposter accounts. 

‘When an account has been identified, a decision is either made immediately based on our confidence, or it’s sent for review against our policies.

‘We also enable a number of “friction points” throughout Instagram when we determine potential impersonating behaviour. 

‘For example, requiring an ID for creating an account with a celebrity’s name or having to choose a label (such as a fan account).’

Their community guidelines also warn: ‘Don’t impersonate others and don’t create accounts for the purpose of violating our guidelines or misleading others.’