Fake MW targets trade on social media
25th October, 2012 by Patrick SchmittA person called Janice Bailey is falsely claiming to be a Master of Wine on social networking site LinkedIn.
Janice Bailey’s pixillated portrait on LinkedIn
News of her bogus claim to have achieved the notoriously difficult qualification surfaced after she targetted MWs and MW students on LinkedIn.
The Institute of Masters of Wine has issued a warning not to connect with her although there is a belief she may not exist at all.
Indeed, looking at her profile on LinkedIn, it’s evident her photograph (see left) is highly pixillated and may be a false identity designed to amass contacts for future sale.
Her LinkedIn profile describes Janice as a “Master of Wine, author, journalist, consultant, wine critic and educator”.
It also claims she holds a Bachelor of Science (BS) in Wine Business at TO Wine College and that she is based in the Greater New York area.
You can view her LinkedIn profile here.
If this person is fake, Warren Bobrow must feel awfully silly for endorsing her skills & expertise in both Wine & Wine Labels on LinkedIn.
Seems a rather long-winded method of acquiring MW contact names, when the full list is avilable on the IMW website, with emails.
Rather ironic ;0)
The whole story is so funny, and from so many different angles, I’m not sure where to start! Good chuckle fodder but good that he/she’s been outed, either way.
I’ve never thought of selling my contacts before reading this – but I’m not that kind of person anyway.
XOX
Not nearly as foolish as everyone who said they knew before the scam was uncovered that they had been duped. I’m sure my dear friend that I am not the only one duped.
I suppose you never made a mistake?
I don’t know everything. In fact, I’m still learning.
Without being privy to the list of MW’s I suspect others were confused as well
I accept responsibility for my error.
Anyone can see the official list of MWs here:
http://www.mastersofwine.org/en/about/meet-the-masters/search-alphabetically.cfm
Not only that in Italy there fake MS too, here’s the link http://acevola.blogspot.com.ar/2012/10/do-you-want-to-be-master-sommelier-fast.html
Anyone can see the official list of MSs here:
http://www.courtofmastersommeliers.org/sommeliers.php
First clue from the pixelated photo – An MW would bever hold a wine glass by the bowl!
@DaleCruse – It must take one pixilated cartoon character to know another!
Interesting to view those on LinkedIn proclaiming to be alumnii of “Wine College”:
http://www.linkedin.com/college/alumni?eduSchool=Wine%20College
Several of these photos are heavily cropped and dithered, probably to hide their origins. One of them, a “Tracy Graham”, has been inundating “her” LinkedIn connections with spam. Her picture appears to be cropped/dithered from this publicity photo:
http://www.tastethesouth.com.au/cache/path/:upload:pages:home:group-tasting.jpg/width/960/height/800/name/group-tasting.jpg
Quite a novel way to spam, if somewhat labour-intensive.
I remember young Janice’s father in the last war, dam fine chap. we served briefly together with the 9th Hussars in the the Desert. The man knew his Second Growths and was the only fellow who had his own collapsible claret jug in his kit. to think that Janice is not an MW troubles me, we wine writers need to stick together, otherwise who else will believe us.