Is Heather Chua for real?

She is at it again.

Yes, nefarious "Heather Chua" has hit Singapore's cyberspace again.

This time for an attention-grabbing Facebook post on Thursday, where she laments how her classmate from Raffles Girls' School has married an ITE graduate.

She wrote: "By going with an ITE graduate, she (the schoolmate) not only shame (sic) RGS but most importantly, she make (sic) her parents lose face in front of their friends (sic)."

The post was shocking enough to be posted and shared on multiple sites and forums, and made headlines in one Chinese evening daily.

Previously, Chua gained notoriety for her critiques on NS men and people who live in housing board flats.

Yesterday, there were new racist salvos on her account that got more people irate.

FOR REAL?

But growing evidence suggests that the controversial Heather Chua is not what she seems.

The information she provides about herself is hard to prove.

On her Facebook profile, Chua claims to be a 40-year-old Singaporean, a former student of the National University of Singapore, Raffles Girls' School, Temasek Junior College (TJC) and Xinmin Primary School.

When contacted, TJC said they could not find a "Heather Chua" in their records.

A spokesman for NUS could not verify if she was a student but said "the University does not condone disrespectful behaviour and comments among our students and graduates".

This reporter sent Chua a message on Facebook but she did not respond. We also tried calling a telephone number said to be hers, but the phone was switched off.

Other netizens have accused her of being a fraud. Photos of her luxury cars uploaded on Facebook have been doctored.

There are now Facebook sites dedicated to proving that this is, in fact, a troll account.

Psychiatrist Brian Yeo says that in trolling, netizens post offensive or provocative messages to upset or anger others. The comments are aimed at getting attention - the nastier and more venomous they are, the more attention they are likely to garner.

The anonymity provided by the Internet also lets the netizens feel they don't have to take responsibility for their comments, adds Dr Yeo.

"Trolling is more unsavoury than spontaneous posts, since there is an element of planning in setting up the fake accounts."

Social media expert, Mr Lars Voedisch, 40, says trolls says: "They (trolls) are just poking around to see if someone reacts. If someone does, the trolls poke more and more."

'FRIENDS' SAY

We contacted some of Chua's Facebook "friends", but even they did not know who Chua actually was, and suspect that the profile might be fake.

One of them, who declined to be named, says: "I've never met 'Heather' in real life. I accepted her friend request only to see how extreme the comments were."

Blogger Jolene Goh has also accused Chua of being a fake. The 23-year-old had responded to an ad by Chua seeking models for a car auction last June, but later discovered the event did not exist.

Miss Goh tells TNPS: "Some of the models even tried to find 'Heather' at her home and office address. But the addresses don't lead to any real place."

Student Chandni Pamnani, 20, had a similar experience. She says: "Many of us have heard of 'Heather', but nobody has seen 'her' in the flesh.

"We only connected with her over Facebook. When the conversation turned sour, she would just block us."

Chua also claimed former beauty queen Rachel Kum once commented on one of her photos on Instagram.

But when contacted, Ms Kum says she does not know Chua and has no recollection of the comment. Says Ms Kum: "My manager handles my Instagram account and might have posted a random comment. But I've never heard of Heather Chua before."

Another model, Elizabeth Goh, who had been seen commenting on Chua's Facebook account told TNPS that she had never met Chua and doesn't "know if she's real".

She adds that Chua messaged her first, with notices for modelling jobs. Miss Goh considers "Heather Chua" to be a stranger, but is still talking to her because some jobs are offered this way.

On marrying an ITE graduate:

"She brought shame to RGS by going with a guy who can't support her financially. What kind of woman will go with a man like him?"

On living in HDB flats:

"Am I intimidated by Sg men who live in (an) HDB flat? Answer: Not one bit as they are poor in everything so what am I supposed to be terrified of?"

Don't fall for the troll trap

In writing this article, I'm breaking a cardinal rule.

I'm feeding a troll.

I'm giving publicity to a provocative online figure that craves it, and one who could be fake.

So, why feed a troll?

Simple. To expose them and burst their protective bubble of anonymity.

"Heather" knows the right trigger words. Why else are almost all her Facebook posts directed at demeaning HDB dwellers, Singaporean men or people in non-branded schools?

They only serve to try and drive a rift between races, the haves and have-nots, or bait those of a particular political leaning.

Initially, I hoped "Heather" was a spoof of the worst kind. Or a joke.

But I can see now that the profile was created solely to attack ordinary people - those that can't afford sports cars or prestige condos. Some of her latest posts are outright racist.

"Heather" wants attention. To see her posts shared. To see people react.

What you read is Heather Chua the avatar. That's why her posts are so provocative. She is happily hiding behind the Internet.

It's doubtful that the profile picture is really of her. The photos of her cars are doctored. Her home and work addresses have been questioned.

None of the people I've interviewed have met her in person. Nobody has heard her real voice.

Granted, she's not the only netizen with a fake profile and I'm all for whistle-blowers who use the Internet to point out wrongs.

But these posts are toxic.

So what can we do?

For one, don't simply share an outrageous comment before looking at who is behind it.

Maybe the person behind the profile will have something to say about this column.

But will it be the real Heather responding? Will she post a genuine picture? Probably not. Trolls just start a fire and gleefully watch it burn.

"Heather" is not the first. Neither will she be the last. Don't get riled by her comments. Leave her to the duped sycophants.


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