Bellingham, WA councilmember targeted in YouTube impersonation scam

BELLINGHAM, Wash. - A Bellingham councilmember is speaking out after discovering someone has been impersonating him on YouTube, using his name and photo to post inflammatory comments.

Councilmember Michael Lilliquist, who has served on the council for 16 years, said he had no idea about the fake account until FOX 13 Seattle brought it to his attention.

Impersonation sparks concern

The backstory:

The fraudulent account, which mirrored Lilliquist’s identity, left offensive remarks on various YouTube videos. Some comments criticized affordable housing policies, while others contained more extreme and slanderous statements.

"It kind of doesn’t matter if I have truth on my side," Lilliquist told FOX 13 Seattle. "If someone is successful spreading lies, it’s really hard to get that back."

Lilliquist said the situation felt personal, as the fake account’s comments included references to a local bike lane project — suggesting the impersonator was familiar with Whatcom County politics.

"You can tell by what they’re posting they know something about the local situation," he said.

Struggling to take action

What they're saying:

Upon learning about the fake account, Lilliquist attempted to counteract the damage by replying to comments and alerting others to the impersonation. However, the person behind the fake profile responded, accusing Lilliquist of being the imposter.

"I actually replied and said, ‘Hey, this is a fake comment,’" Lilliquist recalled. "And they replied to me that I was fake."

Adding to the frustration, when he tried to report the impersonation, the scammer retaliated by falsely reporting him.

"They came back and said, ‘You’ve been reported for impersonation,’" Lilliquist said. "That, in my mind, shows that they are really enjoying the thrill of the trouble they’re creating."

Lilliquist is not the only target

Lilliquist isn’t the only local figure dealing with this issue. He said a woman involved in Whatcom County politics also appears to be a victim of a similar impersonation.

"If it can happen to me, it can happen to anyone," Lilliquist said.

He is now calling for more accountability on social media platforms to prevent reputational harm caused by online impersonation.

YouTube’s impersonation policy

YouTube has policies prohibiting users from pretending to be another person, including using their real name, image or other personal information to deceive others. The platform encourages victims of impersonation to report incidents for review.

Lilliquist hopes his experience raises awareness about the risks of online impersonation and the challenges of stopping it once it starts.

"I just think there needs to be some accountability. When you go out and harm someone else’s reputation, on purpose and go to great lengths to do that – that’s wrong. That’s illegal," Lilliquist said.

Update:

YouTube took action against the impersonation account targeting Lilliquist. A YouTube spokesperson confirmed to FOX 13 Seattle Thursday that the channel @MichaelLilliquist was terminated for violating the platform’s impersonation policy.

According to YouTube, terminated channels may be restricted from creating new accounts. The company encourages users to report content that violates its Community Guidelines to help maintain platform integrity.

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