Fight the New Drug (00:00)
Okay, Lorna, well thank you for being here with us today. Can we get started by you sharing a little bit about who you are and what life looked like for you growing up?

Lorna (00:10)
First of all, thank you so much for having me on. This is my first time doing a podcast and sharing the story. So hopefully I can do a good job and yeah, speak clearly for you all. But my name is Lorna and I grew up in New England. I was the youngest of three kids. I’ve told her brothers and I really have always described my childhood as my happy bubble because it really was. My mom and dad really wanted to give us just a safe and secure childhood and for them that was something they didn’t necessarily have growing up and so it was really important that for us they just gave us that stability and they did a really good job but with that I just had a very small world and so I attended a private school from the time I was in first grade all the way to my senior year.

I had a class of like 15, so you just sort of know everybody, the good and the bad. And then I had amazing teachers and friends that I still keep up with till this day. And so I just really had a fun, awesome childhood.

I think growing up though in such a small bubble, which shaped me in different ways and it was great again because I think my world was very safe but at the same time I also struggled and it really followed me through adulthood and just understanding that the world around me wasn’t necessarily as safe as I thought it was. And so that was just like a big part of my childhood where I was very innocent and naive to a lot that followed me to adulthood. And it’s just like a big part, I think, of the story going forward.

Fight the New Drug (02:02)
Yeah, absolutely. Thank you for sharing all of that with us. How would you describe your relationship with the internet and social media when you were young?

Lorna (02:10)
Yeah, so I mean, it really wasn’t a thing growing up. mean, obviously we did have internet and people had it in their homes and in school and everything. But as far as you see it today, it’s definitely wasn’t as big of a thing. And so for me, I would say I have a pretty healthy relationship with the internet and social media. And my parents, again, they had some pretty high standards as far as what we consumed, whether it be like music or what we were watching or even what we were allowed to see on the internet. And so they made sure there was protective things set in place so that it was always child appropriate. And then as far as social media, didn’t have any until I was like a senior in high school. So it was really great because I think I was able to just really focus on life in the present and make some really deep friendships, which was super amazing.

Fight the New Drug (03:09)
Yeah. So you’re joining us today to share a story of what you’ve experienced that is unique from many, but unfortunately many have also experienced things like this as well. And starting with this story is really looking at the moment you realize there were pictures of you online. Can you kind of take us there?

Lorna (03:33)
Yeah, so that was really the moment that my happy bubble popped. And that is when I was a senior in high school. We had just started off our senior year. So I would have been 17 at the time. I just, a regular day at school, went to my car and my best friend met me there. And we were just chatting in the car and she looked at me and got very serious and just said, Lorna, I need to talk to you about something. And…I was like, of course, whatever you can tell me. And she sort of paused and she’s like, I don’t really know how to have this conversation with you or how to say this, but I know about the photos. And I was confused. was like, what, photos? and then she pulled up her phone and showed me a message someone had sent her. and it had an explicit photo of me that was clearly Photoshopped.

Lorna (04:30)
and so that was like the first time I had ever seen anything like that. think porn was not something that was even talked about in my house growing up and really in the people that I was around. all I knew about it was that I shouldn’t go near it and that it was bad. That’s all I was told. And so to see like a photo like that, first of all, was very shocking, but then also to see my face on the photo.

Lorna (04:59)
was just another level. And so then we just spent a few minutes like talking and you know, I was just like, it’s not me. I don’t know who’s Senda or like how that’s gone around. And I think we both were just sort of confused in the moment because we didn’t really know what to do with this. But yeah, it was just a very shocking time for me

Fight the New Drug (05:17)
I’m so sorry that happened, first of all. How did that discovery affect you emotionally, especially being so young at the time?

Lorna (05:32)
Yeah, I think it was just really hard to process. Again, like it was just something that I never talked about with my family or anything. And so you just, was left feeling really hopeless and helpless. Like who do I go to in this in time and what can we do about this? And so it was a lot of emotions that would sort of just come in waves. Cause I felt embarrassed, but then at the same time I’d be like,

Lorna (06:00)
I have no reason to be embarrassed. I didn’t do anything. You also know that there’s people who obviously have these images and we’re sending them around. And so it was just such a really helpless feeling. Then when I think I just Googled, like, is there anything you can do? And at that point, it just is telling you like, well, if your face is a minor, but the body isn’t, it doesn’t matter. Unfortunately, there’s nothing you can do. So I sort of was left, just knowing that they’re their photos out there and that it’s out of my hands.

Fight the New Drug (06:37)
Yeah, and the stress of that, right? Because other people will see these and not know that they’re not real. At what point did this situation escalate for you?

Lorna (06:47)
Yeah, so was about a year later that it really began to escalate. And that was when I downloaded Facebook. So when I was after my senior year and after I graduated, I was allowed to venture onto Facebook. And so I was just sending friend requests and catching up on all the statuses. And then I started getting random messages.

Lorna (07:13)
It came periodically over time, over the following months. And at first I didn’t think anything of it. I knew there were fake accounts and I knew people would send scam accounts or whatever. And so I just thought, well, whatever and ignored it. And then one day I was at the gym and I got a message from somebody and it just said, why did you stop talking to me? And then with it, there was an explicit photo.

But what stuck out to me was behind that on the computer monitor was a photo of me and one of my friends. And so I remember just being on the treadmill, pausing and staring at this, like what is happening right now? And why does this person have this photo of me? Where did they get it from? And so I was going through like my friend’s social media, trying to figure out when she even posted the photo. Cause it was before I had socials, so I wasn’t sure.

And so that’s when things started really kicking off, cause I found it very concerning and creepy that someone would have just like this picture of me on their monitor from such a long time ago. And that that obviously with the explicit images that they were sharing along with it. And so that was really what began it. And then a couple of weeks later, someone who worked at the gym reached out to me and they let me know that someone had been contacting them and asking questions about me. And I was like, what, what’s happening? And so they started sending me screenshots and it was the same guy who had sent that photo. And so I immediately recognized that. It was like, no, I don’t know this person for some reason. They’re pretending to know me and I don’t know why. And so from there, you know, it was just sort of like a snowball and it growing and growing. It moved to work where I got a message telling me to be careful at work. There was somebody stalking me and they mentioned specifically names of my coworkers. So I knew like, they literally know where I’m working. And then on top of that, I got another message from my coworkers saying like, hey, just so you know, there’s this whole thing going on and you’re on a revenge porn site. And again, I didn’t even know what that was, but I Googled, like, what is revenge porn? I figured, like, how am I a part of this? And that, again, left me really confused and concerned because I was like, I don’t, I never even dated anybody. I don’t have an ex, like, and I definitely never sent photos to anybody. So at that point, I knew it was correlated with that photo I saw as a senior in high school the year prior. But I was like, this person, is like following me in every aspect of life, whether it’s at the gym, at where I went to school, now where I’m working, and this is getting a little out of hand.

Fight the New Drug (10:21)
Yeah. And I’m sure that was so scary. So naturally, you took some next steps to try to get some help. Can you walk us through that a little bit?

Lorna (10:29)
Yeah, so then that’s when I went to the police. I think the first time was when I got that one message at the gym and I just reached out to a police officer and said, is there anything I can do about this? And they just said, you the best thing you can do is block the person. Like, sorry, there’s nothing that really can be done about that. And then, because again, these are all fake accounts on Facebook. And so it’s not like they can trace it back to anybody.

Lorna (10:59)
And so then, after everything happened at the gym, again, the management there wanted it reported. So we reported it to the police, but they were like, sorry, we can’t do anything. And again, with everything else that came through, but I still would go to the police each time hoping that maybe this time it’d be a little different or they would see something that they could actually track. However, it was just sort of left at like, there’s nothing illegal going on.

Fight the New Drug (11:32)
Right. And that I’m sure is so frustrating, right? Like this is your only avenue for help really, and you’re being told, well, there’s nothing we could do despite the fact that it’s something that was actively harming you. How did you find the strength to keep going through that? You know, when it felt like no one could help or no one would help, how did you move forward?

Lorna (11:57)
Yeah, I think overall there is that there was that feeling where sometimes it just felt like if the police can’t help me, like, what do I do? But I think I had just like a great support system. I think overall, like for me personally, my faith is just such a big thing that gave me hope throughout. But then on top of that, I just had friends and even my coworkers at work that kept showing up for me when I would go into the police station each time there was at least one person with me almost every time that would sort of be there to encourage me or even sometimes speak for me if I was at a moment where I was just sort of frozen and didn’t know what to say. And so I think that was really important. And then I think just trying to process through it all, you’re dealing with just a lot of anxiety and unknown. And so again, just having those people surrounding you, reminding you like, hey, we’re here. And sometimes it was a bit of tough love, especially I think from the police officers. I think they meant it in a kind way, but I think in their point of view, it was like, we can’t do anything.
Lorna (13:25)
It’s a terrible situation, but the best thing you can do is just like, keep going. Like who cares if the five, 10 people are spreading rumors about you. Like we know the truth and you have all these amazing people who are supporting you. Just keep going. Which was just really hard, I think, to accept because I wanted answers and not just to have to move forward in that way.

Lorna (13:54)
But they were also very supportive and even just like waiting for me outside of my workplace at night when they knew I might be really scared. So I’m just really thankful that I had such a great team of people around me who really supported me.

Fight the New Drug (14:09)
Yeah, and I’m so glad to hear that as well. And then also still, I imagine is so difficult to be told, you know, like, just kind of let it go when it’s like, but this is actively something that’s like a violation, right, of my safety and of my privacy and of me. And it’s actively harming me and I’m being told there’s nothing I can do. And that is something that many people who’ve experienced, you know, deepfake pornography or were being listed on revenge pornography sites have a similar experience, unfortunately. So I appreciate you being willing to speak about your experience as well to help others understand. What steps did you take on your own to kind of understand what was happening or even make it stop when you were being given this advice elsewhere?

Lorna (14:56)
Yeah, so I had a very hard time taking that there was no answers for an answer. For me, I just wanted, I didn’t even at this point care about justice. I just wanted to feel safe again. So for me, I was like, as long as I can figure out who the person is, then at least I can go to the gym and not be stressed the whole time. And I can go to work and not feel afraid. And so I don’t recommend this, but my best friend and I, because at this point she had gotten blackmailed as well. And so we were walking through this similar story together. We decided to create an account and we actually took the email that was from that revenge porn site where the person had posted it. And we reached out to that person. We used our first names in the, to create the email and changed it up a little, which probably wasn’t the brightest, but it worked. So we reached out to the person and pretended like we were interested in learning more about Lorna, which was me. And the person started communicating with us. And that’s actually when things really started escalating a lot in another way, because we realized like, this person knows a lot about me. It’s more than just they saw my profile and thought I was cute and started

I don’t know, obsessing over me or something. Like this was a lot deeper than that. And so they knew, like my dad, he traveled a lot for work. And so they knew things about his travel schedule. They knew where I lived, where my room was in the house. They knew about my brothers and where they were stationed at the time. And they had taken so many photos from my friends’ accounts going back years and years. And then…

Fight the New Drug (16:27)
Yeah.

Lorna (16:52)
Yeah, they just knew so many random details about my life that you wouldn’t have just been able to pick up on social media at all. Like you would have had to have a personal relationship with my family to some extent. And then specifically, they knew my car. And so they asked this fake person we had made if we would meet them at where I worked. And they, they wanted to do some bad things to my car. And so I was like, this is perfect because then they’ll show up at my work and I can figure out who it is. And so set up a time for them to meet where I worked.

And then I told the police and that’s when I got reprimanded because they were like, you can’t do that. That’s called entrapment. And even if they showed up, there’s nothing we can arrest them for. They haven’t done anything. So that we got our email confiscated and that was shut down, so I figured out anything from that specifically. But it did give us a ton of information. And I think it also showed the detective I was working with just like how much this person knew and how it was a lot deeper than we had ever originally thought.

And then it was around that time, probably a few weeks later, that I started getting blackmailed on my personal personal Gmail and they were sending again these deep fakes of me and threatening to send them out to different people and they were angry because I had stopped talking to them and so I decided to respond and let them know like hey I think there’s someone pretending to be me or something because like I have not been talking to you I know there’s fake images of images of me that are being thrown around but it’s not me. And over like a few back and forth, this person actually believed me and that’s when things actually really took off.

And so they admitted that they had been in a relationship with me for the past three years since I was 16 years old. And this was not, I mean, it was like a pretty serious relationship to them where I had been leaving gifts, they had like a drop off location where I would leave gifts for them. And so they sent me a photo of all the gifts I had left over these years. And just all the pictures I had sent over this time, which again, were just either manufactured or taken from other accounts or friends accounts. And so yeah, they began messaging from there and it actually was very insightful and they started by just saying Google this name. And it was my first name and a different last name. And when I did that, I mean, immediately all these websites started popping up, chat rooms that I was in, dating apps and Facebook account things. And so it was all my image. And then what was crazy about it was it was like whoever was doing this was pretending to be me. And so…

Lorna (20:12)
It was not like they were using my image to just like catfish, which is still not great, but they also were pretending to just be like a 14, 15 year old girl. It’s when it as far back as I could trace, I was around 14 when it started to create a whole persona. And what was really interesting is it seemed like the focus was on how is this really innocent girl. And so the men responding like loved that factor. And so they really played into that. And so that was what really, I think, blew everything up. And obviously I immediately took everything to the police and they put in every email they could.

But I think their resources were so limited that there wasn’t a ton they could do at that point. And everything is so encrypted and hidden that it was sort of a hopeless case. But I did think one thing that was super interesting, and I wrote it down because I had, one of the things he sent was like this chat and it was between two men and both of them had had a “relationship” with me at some point. Again, this is all with this fake person pretending to be me. And they were upset because for some reason I had stopped responding to them.

And so they were going back and forth because they were upset that I hadn’t responded to them. And it’s just talking about how they’re going to get back at me. And then in that, they linked a link to a site and they said, this is perfect. You can put her on here. And when I clicked on the site, it was the most scarring thing out of everything that I went through that I saw because it was basically like a child porn site and it was just photo after photo of children all around the world. And it was so horrifying to see because you could tell it was just kids just living their normal lives and somewhere along the way someone had taken these images and they were using it to do very wrong things. And it was just very heartbreaking. And so I think

Obviously there was a page there that was specifically dedicated to me and my best friend. And they, in the top had this whole column about would you rather. So it’s like, would you rather stalk them, harass them, rape them? And it was just like a game. And then they would give their answers and in the feed they would have all these photos and obviously explicit images of them doing things to us. so,

That left me very shaken and it was very scary because you knew what these people wanted to do if they ever had the chance. And so one of the things though in the thread going back and forth, one of the guys had made some deep fakes and the other guy was like, you need to post these on the thread. And I’ll read this. He said, I don’t care if her life is beeped. I bet if you add the activity of that thread would explode and there’d be hundreds of perverts wanting to beep her pics and beep on them and fake them and say horrible things. When I find her, I’ll send a link to her and destroy her internally. And that’s just like a small portion of this conversation. And I think it really just shows like the mindset behind all of it where again, it’s a lot deeper than just like, people are just making photos. It was…

It was really, I feel messed up in a lot of ways. And that was like the one conversation out of anything that I showed, I remember my mom, because I never wanted her to have to remember me in any of these other images that I had to see or have to experience any of that. Like I didn’t want that have to be in her memory, but I showed her that particular conversation. And I think it was the first time for her that it like clicked about like,

Lorna (24:38)
this is really serious. But then again, I think, I mean, that’s sort of what I was left with when I walked away from the investigation I had started with the police at that time. Because again, they came back and they’re just like, we can’t do anything. And so, even after getting all of this information and how serious this clearly is, that was still what you were told.

Lorna (25:03)
Right. And so I think walking away with that was so hard because I mean, at this point, I knew this person knows everything about my life and anything I put up they’re using to send off to whatever and they’re creating whatever they want. And I felt like I was just living in their world and they got to do whatever they wanted with my life and get away with it. And so I think that was like a really difficult time trying to just pretend like nothing happened and keep carrying on in the world but at the same time like for me my just view of the world was so different at this point because I mean I just felt like men were just monsters and so I was like I’m gonna stay away from them at all points like don’t let them near you they’re just gonna hurt you

And then I knew what people wanted to do if they got me alone. So I lived in this idea of like bracing myself every time I left the house, every time I walked in my car, knowing like today might be the day. Just be ready for it, Lauren, because that’s the best you can do. Which again just left me with so much anxiety and panic attacks. And I think overall I was sort of resentful of the fact that I was so innocent in a lot of ways because that seemed to be the factor that these men love so much. And so I wanted to be like that tough girl that could just walk into a room and like be in control. And so I remember like trying to join gyms, like I had three gym memberships. I was like, I’m going to do this and try to, you know, have that persona, but at the end of the day, I think I just came to the realization, like, it’s just not me. my brain is not wired that way to think of people in that way where I just, it’s just not who I am. And so I think the more I just learned to accept, like, it’s okay that, you know, I’m more innocent in some ways and the ways I think. And not letting them take that from me and just like, no, this is, this is who I am and they can say whatever they want online. And again, it goes back to, I think sort of what the police were trying to remind me of earlier of just like, just like, be you focus on the people you do have in your life, even if there’s ones out there that are causing you hurt. And I think that eventually got me to a much more stable point.

Fight the New Drug (27:33)
Yeah, but I mean, that’s so difficult. went through such a disempowering experience, right? Knowing all of this is happening and no one is able to provide you help, even with something this severe. I mean, I think most people would assume if something this severe is happening and you have all of this proof of it happening that you would have some law enforcement who would be able to help you. And so, so discouraging to not be able to experience that initially and to kind of be put in a situation where you’re just told to find a way to kind of go on with your life, you know?

Lorna (28:30)
Yeah. yeah, it was very, it was a very powerless feeling and it was sort of, it felt like my life was sort of being taken from me because the best advice, you know, they could give was, hey, change your last name on socials. Then people can’t find you as easily. don’t post like, like post delayed. like, then you’re a little bit more safe where they can’t track where your location is. but it felt like I had to change everything in my life, but nothing really could be done.

Fight the New Drug (29:05)
Yeah. And like someone else had all of the power, right? They’re telling you, well, just change who you are and then you’ll be fine. And of course, nobody wants to be put in that position. So tell us about a little while later, you did get a visit from Homeland Security. Tell us a little bit about how that happened and what that felt like.

Lorna (29:26)
Yeah, so that was about almost two years later after I had closed things with the police that I got a call actually, I was away from my house at the time and my mom called and said, hey, the Homeland Security showed up and they left you their information. They want you to get back with them as soon as possible. And I think understandably after sharing some of like what it was like during that time.

I think my first response was like, no, I’m not doing this again, because I had just gotten to a place where I was at just like a much better spot. And so the thought of having to reopen all of that hurt again. And then to be put with that whole possibility of nothing happening, I was like, I’d rather just not like, I’d rather just stay where I’m at. But I eventually met up with them and I’m really thankful I did because

This time it was such a different experience because obviously before it was me going to the police and trying to advocate for myself and to ask for help. Whereas this time it was them coming to me and asking for help. And it was really interesting because they had actually started the case a year before I had even gone to the police initially, but we never correlated the two. And so when they approached me, they had no idea about anything I had gone through.

Fight the New Drug (30:38)
Yeah.

Wow.

Lorna (30:53)
or about my cases with, or about my cases, but yeah, with the police. And so it was just like a lot of me sharing my story and sharing like the cases and everything that I could with them. And then they came back and just explained their role as Homeland Security, how they had been gotten some tips and were investigating a certain person.

that they believe was involved with some child pornography. And so that was when things really started coming to a close for me where it still took a while for the investigation afterwards, but now when I would get these messages or just with any information I could, I would just forward it to them and they would use it for their investigation and they were able to get obviously access to the dark web and eventually track the person and make an arrest. And so it was a very different experience because again, it was very validating to have somebody tell you like, I’m so sorry for what you went through. We’re going to do everything we can to catch this person.

And I think one thing they said that just really stood out to me is they just said, you know what, we can’t go back and fix what happened to you, but we can make sure it happens, doesn’t happen to the next little girl. And so I think for me, that was what I needed to hear because at that point I didn’t really care about me. Like I was just, I didn’t want to have to go through everything again. But then to think about my experience and how some other person might have to go through something similar if I didn’t speak up, I wanted to make sure I could stop that because it’s terrible thing to have to walk through.

Fight the New Drug (32:54)
Yeah, and it takes a lot of courage, I think, to be able to come forward and be willing to participate in this investigation to help others so they don’t have to go through what you did, especially after everything that you had been through. So it’s commendable that you did that. And also, I just want to ask you, what was it like to be able to help figure out who the person is who did this to you for this affected years of your life? And what was it like to be part of that investigation and to actually figure out who it was and to have some consequences for this life-altering set of circumstances that they put you through.

Lorna (33:33)
Yeah, I think on one side there was like that validation and that just when they finally were able to make arrests and like that closure in a way, I think on another side it was hard, I guess to add in because still at this point they’re like, technically nothing that happened to you was illegal as horrible as it was. However, for this person, like fake images was not enough and so that’s why they got into a lot of trouble and so I think it was also very difficult though because even though I knew it was going to be somebody who was close to our family and that I knew just because of all the information they had about us, I still had never actually processed that, processed it and so that reality of seeing someone you know and that your family has trusted over the yearsbget arrested and just watching, I mean, they had a wife and kids and how it just ricochets and ripples and hurts so many people outside of me and outside of them was really hard to see. And so I think initially I’d always thought like, this is gonna be this amazing moment. Like we’re gonna find this person. I’m finally gonna feel like a moment of triumph in a way, but I think the actual moment was a lot more devastating than I had ever prepared for because in a lot of ways I think like ignorance is bliss and I was able to sort of disassociate that in my mind where I had someone random that I pictured being a part of it. And so the reality of it being like, no, this is someone like my family knew specifically that did this was really hard.

But yeah, it was a seven, it took me seven years from the time I knew to the time of their trial was set. And that’s what they were sentenced, which I thought was pretty ironic.

Fight the New Drug (35:45)
Yeah. You were able to share a victim impact statement. Can you tell us a little bit about that?

Lorna (35:51)
Yeah, so they had asked me if I would be willing to share a victim impact statement specifically with everything I went through. They thought like it would be powerful in the courtroom, but then also they thought it’d be powerful like long term and even for the judge to hear to realize like the impact impact that deep fakes has on people and just the fact that like nothing could have been done up until that point where you read through everything and you know, since the time I was 13, 14, this person pretended to be on me online, they started relationships with different men and then through that I was getting stalked, harassed, blackmailed, and these deep fakes were created, they were sent out, I was put on porn sites and all these different things that were very devastating for me but because of the regulations that were in place. It was just sort of nothing can be done. And so that was, I think, really beneficial. I think for one, just being able to share that moment. And I think it did bring a lot of closure and healing, but then also, I think to be able to speak up and share long-term the changes. And I know there have been changes made since then, but the importance of making new regulations, especially as the internet and it’s more powerful and access to things like AI and everything. So it was a really important thing, I think, to do.

Fight the New Drug (37:32)
Yeah, I think it again takes a lot of courage to be able to, you know, come forward and share again, you know, you’ve already had to do this to law enforcement. You’ve already had to do this as part of the investigation and to continually be put in this position where you’re having to share some of the most horrific things that have happened to you. But again, to be able to do it to ensure that others wouldn’t have to go through the same thing.

And thank you for doing that. I want to talk a little bit about your healing journey. Obviously you went through so much. Can you tell us a little bit about how you began healing?

Lorna (38:06)
Yeah, like healing is definitely a journey. And it doesn’t happen overnight. And I think like what you had just mentioned, it’s such like a horrific thing to go through, but at the same time, it’s very isolating because at least for me, I didn’t really know how to talk about it. from the beginning, I knew it was someone close to my circle, but I didn’t know who, so.

I mean, the police were like, it could be your dad, it could be your brothers, it could be your uncle, it could be your classmates. And so you’re just like doubting and questioning every person around you where you don’t know who’s safe, who can I talk to about this? Like what’s going on behind my back that I’m not like connecting with? And so I think it’s such like an isolating thing to walk through because you’re not sure who you can trust to share this information with. And at the same time, it’s a very

Fight the New Drug (38:42)
Yeah.

Lorna (39:02)
vulnerable information to share and so it’s not something you want to have to talk about and I think it’s hard for people to really understand what it’s like to see those images of you and what it’s like to be sent these messages and what it’s like you know to read all this information with what these people want to do to you and see images of you know all these other children who are also walking through some of the things and they probably don’t even know it. And so it was such like a horrible thing to walk through and then also just to have to do it alone in a lot of ways, even though I did have, you know, great support and again, people who were just like encouraging me through it. I think it still was really hard to really grasp a lot of what was happening.

Fight the New Drug (39:39)
Yeah.

Lorna (40:01)
And then I really just dealt with a lot of guilt, especially knowing that this person specifically knew me because I felt like because they knew me, they were targeting all my friends as well. And so I really blamed myself a lot for how all my friends were affected. And I think with that, again, dealt with just sort of like the question of like, why am I even here? Because

I just feel like I’m causing more hurt and chaos in this world than anything else, you know? And so I think that was just a really dark place to walk through. But then with that came finding like the freedom and forgiveness and just knowing the fact that like I couldn’t have done anything different as a 12, 13 year old girl. Like I didn’t do anything wrong. And it wasn’t like my fault that this happened to me and to my friends and it was very unfortunate. But I think just again, bracing like who I was and my beliefs and values and letting the people around me help me was really important as I started healing and moving forward.

Fight the New Drug (41:22)
Yeah. And what does life look like for you now today?

Lorna (41:27)
Now I am happily married, which is amazing because there’s a point like I just thought it was never going to happen again, where I just had a very like hard time within that field. But I am happily married. We have a little dog living on the complete opposite side, living on the West Coast. And I think through everything I’ve gone through, I found one of the keys, at least for me, in healing is when you’re going through something hard, loving on other people, because it’s easy to begin to like wallow in what you’re going through. And I didn’t want that to happen where I let myself drown in the hurt, in the pain. But realize like there are other people who have experienced similar things and that maybe my story and what I’ve experienced can help and help me be more empathetic in those circumstances and so I’m able to volunteer locally at the courts and then as well as internationally just like advocating for kids which is really important for me. I think a lot of times people don’t need someone to be a voice for them they just need someone to remind them that their voice matters and so I think that is really important as I work with the kids locally and internationally just making sure that they feel seen and loved and heard and that they’re reminded that they matter.

Fight the New Drug (43:04)
Yeah. Well, thank you so much for that, Lorna. And your voice certainly matters. And those listening to this hopefully can be reminded as well that their voices matter.

Lorna, after everything that you have been through, what made you feel ready to come forward and share your story now?

Lorna (43:21)
Yeah, I think as I mentioned in the very beginning, like this is my first time sharing this outside of immediate family and a few close friends. I think for one, I appreciate your platform where you’re not trying to target the individual who did these things to me, but are merely trying to raise hope and awareness to other people, which was really important to me. think some people in my story, they would love to just tear apart different people and like the circle I grew up in but not really draw awareness to the actual importance of the effects of deep fakes on people and how it is so important today’s age as well because it’s grown so much and I think I one wanted to just hopefully bring encouragement and hope to someone else who’s going through this who has gone through it and just be a voice to represent them and for them to be able to understand and share with.

And then I think on the second point, I think again, just to raise awareness because I know it’s easy to think that it would never happen to me because of maybe what protections you have put in place, which is all great. But I think also understanding that even for me, I didn’t have any social media, my parents didn’t have any social media, but it still affected me and unfortunately in the day we live in, like anybody, it can happen to anybody and it doesn’t matter. And so I think it is important just to remember that as you post things online, not to like scare people, but also just to be honest and real, like some of those images, they’re gonna last there forever and they go in places that you have no idea about and that can cause damages down the road. And so it’s just something to be, I think, aware about. But then also just a reason to just, yes, I think social media has its benefits, but also just enjoy relationships around you because in the end, that’s what matters. Your family and your friends and your loved ones, just keep investing in them. And yeah, just remember.

So live your life to the fullest, no matter what happens.

Fight the New Drug (45:53)
Amazing, thank you.

For anyone who has experienced something like this, would you have any words you would want to share specifically with them?

Lorna (46:02)
Yeah, I think what I could have used, I guess, during that time was just the reminder that it’s not your fault. Don’t give up. You do matter and your life is beautiful. I’m so sorry that it’s happened to you. I’m so sorry for your pain and the hurt that you’re feeling. But there is hope at the end of the journey and there is still beauty in life and so yeah just keep going.

Fight the New Drug (46:39)
Thank you so much for that, Lorna. And from me personally and from our team, I just want to say, of course, we’re so sorry that you had to experience any of this at all and that you’ve had to go through, I mean, for so many years, your life was dictated by so many pieces of this. And I’m so grateful still that you are willing to come forward and share your experience with us so that we can help others learn more about this and so that we can all do something to help create change so that others don’t have to experience this.

Lorna (47:10)
Yeah, thank you so much for having me. I appreciate the work that you guys are doing and I know even through everything I went through, it was an encouragement being able to hear other stories and be reminded that again, is hope in the journey and there’s other people who have walked through this that you can sort of learn from and empathize with, which was super important and impactful for me as I walked through this journey.

Fight the New Drug (47:38)
Thank you