A man she met on Tinder sent her an STD test … Only it turned out to be fake.
With just $20 and a few minutes to spare, anybody could obtain a fake STD test. Brut reporter Ghita Benslimane tested out how easy it is to generate one …
With just $20 and a few minutes to spare, anybody could obtain a fake STD test. Brut reporter Ghita Benslimane tested out how easy it is to generate one …
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00:00for some reason took it upon himself to send me a fake SCD test.
00:03For just $20, anybody could get a fake SCD test panel in a matter of minutes
00:08that looks just like the real thing.
00:10According to the sites that generate them, they're, quote,
00:13for entertainment purposes only.
00:15But what happens when they're used to deceive people?
00:17My Tinder bio was very, you know, upfront that I was looking for casual sex.
00:22Him, I was like, you seem like a likable person.
00:24So, you know, if you are, in fact, likable in real life,
00:27I'm going to ask you for a test so that eventually we can have sex.
00:29Unfortunately, that was met with resistance.
00:31His excuse was that he didn't have time,
00:33nor did he feel like he needed to get tested
00:35because he felt very confident that he was, quote, clean.
00:46So I decided to leave him alone and move on with my life.
00:49A week or so later, he texts me again and is like,
00:52you know, I'm really interested in you,
00:55so I'll go ahead and schedule something so I can get this test.
00:58He was going to get a same day test on a Saturday.
01:01So that was the first red flag,
01:03because I'm like, who in the world out here is doing same day tests on Saturday?
01:07So I'll believe it when I see it, right?
01:09Saturday comes along.
01:10He sends me this STD test as a screenshot via text.
01:22I see the test and I'm initially excited because I'm like,
01:25OK, great, I'm going to get to see this man.
01:26But then, right, I have to I know that I have to double check it.
01:29I'm like, OK, let me look up this lab that I've somehow never heard of.
01:33Lo and behold, the lab does not exist.
01:35OK, so this is looking a little sus because when I look up QV Laboratory Corp,
01:40pretty much the only thing that comes up is fake STD test dot com or whatever.
01:45Also, I can't seem to find this doctor listed on this test.
01:49The doctor that he listed on the test is a dead Japanese samurai philosopher.
01:53So obviously, this doctor did not exist.
01:55I'm like, OK, well, send me a picture of where you got your blood drawn,
01:58because, right, there's like hepatitis B and C on this list.
02:01Like you got your blood drawn to take this test.
02:03So he sends me a picture of a puncture wound in his arm.
02:13So I take this information and I'm like, you know, upon further examination,
02:18this test actually looks really fake.
02:20He's just not taking accountability for it.
02:21Like he's just not like this is not, you know, registering for him.
02:25The more that I thought about it and the more I shared it with people
02:29and received feedback about it, the more I realized like how messed up it was.
02:33After speaking with Sage, I wanted to visit a fake STD test site for myself.
02:37Let's see what it takes to generate one.
02:39Let's go ahead and try fake STD test dot com.
02:42It looks like you can get a free version of the test
02:44or pay $20 so you can customize the patient name, lab location and physician name.
02:50We'll pick the premium.
02:51And after picking which one you want,
02:53it does immediately take you to a user agreement page with a disclaimer.
03:06Practically speaking, though, these sites have no way to make sure
03:09that people aren't using these sites to deceive people.
03:12So we'll agree.
03:14And here's where I enter my information.
03:17I can customize the lab location, the doctor's name.
03:22You can specify what results you want on the test.
03:25We're going to go with negative for everything.
03:27HIV and herpes are not listed as options on the panel,
03:29which indicates that the site could be concerned about facing legal action.
03:33So I just got my test results.
03:35The process only took about three minutes.
03:37It looks like the test is from AM Lab.
03:39At first glance, it looks like a real test.
03:41Let's look up AM Lab and see what comes up.
03:44I did get a search result for AM Labs.
03:48It looks like it's a sex toy company.
03:50At the very bottom, in very small text,
03:52it does disclaim that this is a prank report.
03:55Someone could easily miss this if they don't zoom in
03:58and look at these test results in detail.
04:00I noticed that when Homeboy gave me the fake test,
04:02at the very bottom of it, it says, right, this is a fake test.
04:05But you could easily just cover that up.
04:08Now, I'm going to go ahead and click on the test.
04:10I'm going to click on the test.
04:12But you could easily just cover that up.
04:14Number one, is this funny?
04:15Like, who is finding this funny?
04:17Is this really getting the he-he's and the ha-ha's that they want?
04:20I have my doubts, you know?
04:22But it does concern me how not in your face it is
04:26that this is a joke if that is their intention.
04:29It is especially alarming to me specifically because,
04:32right, my livelihood is tied into my sexual health.
04:35I'm a porn performer.
04:36I have to take into account my sexual health
04:38and the sexual health of my partners on camera.
04:40I can't work if I'm not, you know, if I can't present like a healthy test.
04:44I also want to be very careful of not further stigmatizing STDs and STIs
04:48because everyone will get one, you know, it happens.
04:51Like, we're human beings.
04:53But I have to consider, right, the time that it would take
04:57away from my ability to make money.
04:59The stigmatization of sexually transmitted infections
05:02also plays a role in people not wanting to be tested.
05:05And ultimately, it seems, prank STD test sites exist because of the stigma.
05:09Some people don't want to get tested because they don't want to be seen at an STD clinic.
05:13There's also the stigma that if you are someone who gets tested frequently
05:16or likes to stay up on top of your test,
05:18you are probably someone who gets a lot of STDs.
05:20How is everyone going to keep their health in check if there's all these barriers?
05:23So I really do feel like unpacking the stigma around STDs and STIs
05:27will really help people be more proactive in their health.
05:30After Sage realized she had been sent fake test results,
05:33she took to social media to share tips on how to spot a fake STD test.
05:37Here's how you can see if a test is actually accurate.
05:40Look up the company that is listed on the test to see if this laboratory actually exists.
05:46Do the same with the doctor to see if the doctor actually exists.
05:48Or the dates, right?
05:50You can't get tested in the future.
05:52Make sure that the dates line up on the test.
05:55You could ask for a screenshot of the bank transaction in which they paid for their test.
06:02You could have someone screen record them opening up their test from the source,
06:06whether that be through email or the app that their health care provider uses.
06:11You could also do the old-fashioned,
06:12go into the same test clinic with them and get tested together.
06:16I think that this experience has simply opened my eyes up to
06:20the ways in which people can behave.
06:22Because quite frankly, this was shocking.
06:24I didn't know that people were out here doing this.
06:26And so it has definitely inspired more diligence within me
06:29when it comes to meeting new people and making sure that, you know, everything checks out.