Breastfeeding moms sent naked photos, videos to purported lactation consultant on Facebook. Now they fear it was a scam.
Published in Women
“I think that’s the scariest part,” Gonzalez said. “She — and I say she, because that’s how I perceived her, everyone perceived her. That’s how she presented herself. Who knows? It could be — I would say they/them, because it might even be like a group of people. It might be a guy. It might be a girl. We don’t even know.”
Gonzalez also fears for the fate of all of the sensitive videos and photos the “Cathy Marie Chan” Facebook account might have collected; one of the Facebook groups lists its creation as December 2022, though others appear to have been started more recently.
“That’s the part that makes people question everything,” Gonzalez said. “Because she could have sold them. She could have put them on the dark web. … She could have done anything.”
Magnitude of scale
It’s unclear how many women were impacted by these Facebook groups.
One that focused on breastfeeding and pumping support had more than 43,000 members, according to screenshots. There were groups designed for different populations: Young moms. Older moms. Asian moms. Another focused on postpartum sexual health and self-care, with discussions about healing after childbirth.
Since the “Cathy Marie Chan” profile was deactivated, some members started a new Facebook discussion group for those who feel they were victims, which has grown to more than a thousand members.
The Tribune has interviewed eight women — three from Illinois and the rest from other parts of the United States — who said they sent naked photographs or videos of their breasts to the “Cathy Marie Chan” profile through Facebook Messenger.
One lactation consultant said some of her clients had sent pictures of their breasts and vaginal areas to “Cathy Marie Chan” on Facebook. Another woman said she never sent images but recalled some of “Cathy Marie Chan’s” comments to her in private messages seemed oddly sexual and inappropriate for a supposed health care professional.
Several of the women the Tribune interviewed said they filed complaints about the Facebook groups with the FBI. An FBI spokeswoman said in a written statement that the agency’s policies prevent “confirming the existence or nonexistence of any specific investigation that may be occurring.”
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