Likes Friends Followers

Likes, Friends, Followers

Allen Spector was, as they say, out there. He was Facebook famous. He was an Instagram fixture. His TikTok followers hung on his every word. He was easy to find on Snapchat and YouTube. Allen had so many fans and followers you could say he was a bona fide, big-time celebrity. But what makes his story special is that Allen Spector doesn’t and never did exist. At least not in the way real people do.

Blake Allen had time on his hands. His job as a wealth manager at Pacific Financial kept him busy during the day but at five o’clock, after he’d left the office, he was ready to unplug. He’d always promised his wife, Anna, and himself, that he’d never be one of those guys who brought his work home in his head. That worked for the first couple of years they were married but lately he’d found himself restless in the evenings. He needed something more to fill his time.

It was a rainy Saturday morning. He and Anna had both finished reading the newspaper online and were sitting at the kitchen counter over coffee but not talking much. When Anna let out a deep sigh he turned and asked, “Everything okay?”

“Oh, I guess so. It’s just so depressing whenever I think about us buying a house and seeing what the prices are. It all seems so out of reach.”

Blake folded his laptop and sat for a moment. “Yeah, it’s depressing. We both make good money but it’s been impossible to stash any of it away. It’s like we’re just treading water.”

“I was just looking at the real estate section and there are a bunch of houses that are perfect for us but, oh my god, the prices. I guess that’s just the San Diego market right now.”

Blake shook his head. “I know, it feels hopeless sometimes. I’ve been wondering how to make it happen and it all comes down to one thing, bringing in more money.”

“I’m not due for my next review at work for about six months so that’s the soonest I have any chance to get a bump in salary. And Computer Graphic Arts isn’t the highest paying field to begin with.”

“I’m in the same boat. Until the Pacific management team meets in November nobody in my department will be getting anything more.”

“We’re both busy but I wonder if there’s a way to work in a part-time job somehow.”

Her words triggered a thought, an idea he’d been toying with for a long time. “Well, since you brought that up let me tell you about something I’ve been thinking about. I’ve been reading more and more about how people are making tons of money online as influencers. Most of what they do seems really lame and silly but I think I could make it work.”

“There’s a woman at my hair salon who told me she’s making more money doing that than she makes cutting hair. What would you do, like what kind of influencing is there in your field?”

For the next hour and a half, over more coffee, Blake explained his elaborate idea for creating an online presence. He felt he was too young and too green to be a credible influencer in the financial and investment world. For people to take him seriously he’d have to look more experienced, more seasoned. It was an idea that sounded bizarre no matter how he explained it. He would have a new, online presence under a different name and with a different appearance. Blake Allen would become Allen Spector.

As he explained his idea to Anna he tried to read her expression. It was a combination of doubt and confusion. When he paused, she said, “Honey, that’s the strangest idea I’ve ever heard.”

“I know. I figured that’s what you’d think but hear me out. The office has a rule against employees doing consulting on the side, but I can offer a lot of good advice to people. I just can’t be me when I’m doing it.”

“What do you mean you can’t be you?”

“I mean I can only do consulting as long as nobody recognizes me.”

“And exactly how does that work?”

He paused and smiled. “Okay, hear me out. Listen closely because this would involve you.”

He began a detailed description of his plan. He would use Anna’s talent and experience with AI generated photos and videos to age him and alter his appearance. It would be Blake online talking about investing and financial planning, but viewers would see a man named Allen Spector. They’d see a bearded man in his fifty’s, with gray hair and wire-framed glasses. His site would appear to be based in his luxurious home on the beach. That would give him immediate credibility as someone who knew how to invest and make money.

At first people would find him when they were window making a Google search. On his site they’d see his resume but Pacific wouldn’t be included. They’d also see list of the services and advice he provided along with his fees. He’d also make money from sponsored posts by people in related fields like tax preparation and banking. He’d have his own unique code with those sponsors who would pay him a commission for every hit they get from his followers. That, in a nutshell, was his plan.

Anna had been listening attentively but still with a very skeptical look on her face. When Blake was finished, she said, “Okay, I understand the basics of what your services would be and how you’d make money but it’s some of the other stuff I don’t get. First of all, if you do this how is that not competing with your employer?”

“That was the first thing I thought of too. I won’t be working with any existing clients. Each time someone contacts me online I’ll ask them who they’re currently working with on their investments. If it’s Pacific, I’ll suggest they stay with them and thank them for contacting me. If it’s with anyone else or no one at all then of course I’ll work with them”

“You said I’d use AI photos and videos to change your appearance. I know what I’d have to do to age you and give you a different look. But the part about you living in an elegant house on the beach, that I don’t get.”

“Well, when we were looking through the local real estate online did you notice the really nice houses with beach frontage?”

“Yeah, what about them?”

“Those homes are shown by appointment only. We’d contact the realtor for a date and time then get a complete tour. I’m sure everyone who’s looking for a house like that takes a few photos. We’ll take a whole lot of photos, of all the best rooms and views, even shots of the beach. You should probably get some video too.”

“No problem, I do that kind of stuff all the time.”

“Right, and when you do it this time, you’ll get specific shots we can use on my site, like a home office if they have one, a shot of a big fireplace or a patio I can be shown sitting on while I sell my services and talk with clients.”

There was a long break in the conversation and Blake had time to use the bathroom. When he walked back into the kitchen Anna looked at him and said, “Honey, this idea of yours sounds borderline illegal.”

“Yeah, I thought about that too. Using a fictitious name and altering my appearance sounds strange but I wouldn’t do it if it was illegal. I did some online research and from what I found, if I provide a requested service at a pre-agreed upon fee, it doesn’t matter what my name is or what I look like.”

What about using someone else’s house and saying it’s yours? You’d be misrepresenting your income and your wealth.”

“Well, try to think of the house as a backdrop in a commercial. Consumers know the people in the commercials don’t actually live there.”

“That’s cutting the truth really close.”

“I know but please trust me. I won’t do anything illegal and I won’t tell anyone but you what goes on. And you have to admit, the extra income will make a big difference for us.”

Anna sighed and nodded. “I still think it’s an edgy idea but I guess I’ll help you with it.”

On Sunday morning they began the work to bring Allen Spector to life. Anna’s talents in using AI and computer generated imaging were apparent from that very first day. Using photos and videos of Blake in casual but professional looking attire, from different angles in different positions, she started to develop the visual base for Allen and his online activities. The two of them sat side by side at her computer screen and a large flatscreen monitor and built Allen’s basic appearance. It started with a front-on photo of Blake. They tried out a few hair styles until they found one long enough to be different from his real style and then turned it gray. Next came the aging process. By adding age lines and a few small wrinkles Anna took his age from thirty-one to fifty. She even changed his eyes from blue to brown. When they sat back and looked at the finished product Anna smiled and said, “Wow, you’re gonna be a very cool middle-aged guy someday.”

Blake chuckled. “Even I don’t recognize me.”

It took all afternoon to fine-tune things and Anna was even able to alter Blake’s voice a little. She played back a short video clip of him sitting at the desk in his home office. Allen Spector was looking into the camera saying, “Hi there, I’m glad you got in touch with me” repeatedly. It looked totally real.

The following weekend they toured three homes listed for sale. All three were beautiful California Spanish Revival style with stucco walls and tile roofs. One had a patio overlooking a private beach. Another one had a large, arched fireplace that was just a few steps from a home office. Anna took a few minutes of video of Blake walking past the fireplace and into the office then sitting down at the desk. They agreed that scene would be a regular part of Allen’s presentations. Anna cropped out the background behind the desk and turned it into a blank, white wall that would be used whenever they recorded new scenes.

Over the next three weeks Allen came to life with his own Facebook page and made-up profile. It included a slightly altered version of his resume and a list of friends from both of their own pages. Next came an Instagram page with multiple photos of Allen enjoying life in his beautiful, ocean-front home. He even enjoyed walks along the beach. A boosting program would increase Allen’s engagement numbers. YouTube and Snapchat came next. He also got his own email address. Allen Spector, the middle-aged financial expert, was alive and ready to go to work.

Blake’s plan for TikTok was fairly simple. Every week they’d record a differently dressed Allen walking past the fireplace, entering his office and speaking from his desk. Each week would be a different theme, from taxes to retirement goals to specific funds. The presentations would be brief and focused. Allen would then tell his followers to email him with questions and comments. To make it believable Anna would use video of Blake speaking and match it to Allen’s mouth . That was something she’d had some experience with at work. It took quite a bit of trial and error but eventually she perfected it. It was Allen’s mouth making the pitch.

On a sunny Saturday afternoon they sat on their patio with a bottle of wine. They talked about the launch of Blake’s plan. There was no other way to explain it or spin it. They were engaged in a con job. Anna still felt uneasy about the whole scheme, but she admitted that it was more than a little exciting. They were ready to see what came next.

Even with the speed of the internet they knew it would take time for Blake’s scheme to bear fruit. Allen’s Facebook page was the first thing to show activity. The likes and friend requests were coming in daily and every evening after dinner Anna sat down and responded to Allen’s growing list of new friends. When she was finished with that she took care of Instagram, Blake had been busy scripting his brief sales pitches for TikTok and Anna turned them into video clips. They decided that Anna would stay focused on managing things on the social media pages while Blake concentrated on TikTok. He’d keep his focus on turning the TikTok page into a moneymaker which was the reason behind the whole con. TikTok had to make them as much money as possible or the project wouldn’t be worth their time. Blake worked out partnership deals with a local bank and several tax preparers. The commissions they’d pay him through a referral link would be a significant part of his income. Still, despite all of the work involved, they both enjoyed the fun of creating an interesting life for a man who didn’t exist.

The Allen Spector Project was three weeks old before Blake got his first potential client; a widow from Van Nuys who was looking for help with her retirement goals. She had viewed Blake’s video on that subject and her message to him had a sense of urgency to it. Through a series of emails he developed a basic plan for her to follow. It was a very abbreviated version of the things he did in his office at Pacific. She was happy with what he’d created for her and paid his fee.

Three months in there was enough activity for Blake to spend his evenings working as Allen. His client list was growing and the consulting was bringing in a nice amount of income. Anna stayed busy responding to the rapidly growing social media contacts. Allen Spector had become a very popular guy and that led Anna to remind Blake to be careful about being two different people.

A month later what had started as a part-time project had grown into more work than Blake could keep up with. He’d been skipping dinner and working until midnight. Anna was also reaching a burnout point. On a Saturday, sitting on the patio, Anna asked the question he’d been dreading but expecting. “Honey, is this what you pictured when you first got your TikTok idea?”

“No, not really. I expected a handful of hours bringing in some money for our savings account, nothing more.”

“Well, it’s more than that now, a lot more. I don’t think I can keep doing this night after night. The money in our savings account is nice but it’s like we don’t have a normal life anymore.”

Blake nodded in agreement. “I feel the same way.” He paused then said, “You know, there have been times when I’ve wondered where I ended and Allen began. Is he me or am I him?”

Their Saturday lunch out wasn’t the laid back hour it usually was. They’d both gotten used to constantly checking Allen’s emails and social media contacts. When they got home they opened a bottle of wine and went back to the patio. After a few minutes of silence Blake said, “You know, babe, I never expected anything like this, this flood of work added to our day jobs.”

“Me neither. Something has to change.”

There was more silence, then Blake asked, “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”

Anna waited a moment then answered, “If you mean end the whole project, then yes.”

He took a sip of wine, sighed and said, “Okay, I hate to say it, but let’s wrap things up.”

Winding down the project turned out to be as much work as creating it. Blake finished his work with his current clients and turned away new ones. Anna stopped posting anything new on social media. No new content was added to YouTube or Snapchat. When they’d reached the point where everything seemed to have come to a stop they talked about their final task.

“Blake, since you were the inspiration for Allen why don’t you do it?”

“Yeah, I started this so I guess I should be the one to finish it.”

Three days later it appeared on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok; an obituary for Allen John Spector. It included his smiling, bearded face, the backstory of his life and his final words: “Thanks, everyone. It’s been a great ride. I just wish it could have lasted a little longer”.

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