Olympic medalist Jake Jarman battles fake TikTok accounts: ‘This ain’t me’

Image: jake_e_j/Instagram

If you’ve received a reply from user @im.jakethe.pirate_ on TikTok, you might want to do a little fact-checking because that account isn’t the real one.

In today’s digital age, where fame is just a click away, it’s not uncommon for imposters to create fake accounts to chase clout or gain followers. These fake profiles can sometimes even amass more followers than the original.

Olympic bronze medalist and Filipino British gymnast Jake Jarman, whose mother hails from Cebu, is no exception. Following his successful stint at the 2024 Paris Olympics, fake TikTok accounts began to surface, capitalizing on his rising popularity.

The 22-year-old athlete addressed the issue on his official broadcast channel, “Da Homiez,” where he shared a screenshot of an impostor account, @im.jakethe.pirate_, which had nearly 42,000 followers and over 310,000 likes. The first video on this fake account had garnered over 600,000 views, and a second video featuring his teammate, bronze medalist Harry Hepworth, had over 340,000 views.

“This ain’t me, gang,” Jarman declared. “Not my account. Adriel out here saving me, lmao.”

He acknowledged that the impersonator had done a convincing job, even going as far as blocking Jarman’s actual account to prevent him from seeing it. “Whoever is impersonating me on TikTok is doing a good job as well. Blocked my actual account so I can’t see it. Shame I can still see it when I’m logged out,” he explained.

Jarman humorously added, “Silly billy. The fake account will be taken down soon. My TikTok contacts are on the case, lol.”

To clear up any confusion, Jarman shared a screenshot of his real account, stating, “I’m sorry to disappoint some people who might have thought I replied to them. My real TikTok username is jake_jarman.”

Recently, the Olympian, who is friends with two-time Filipino Olympic gold medalist Carlos Yulo, gave a shout out to his Filipino fans on the same channel. With over 356,000 Instagram followers and more than 32,100 members on his broadcast channel, he recognized that a significant portion of his followers are from the Philippines.

“So according to Instagram, about 7% of all my followers are from the Philippines. Big up my Filipino followers,” he wrote, accompanied by a heart emoji and the Philippine flag. Filipino fans quickly responded, filling the comment section with national flag emojis, which, as of writing, had garnered over 2,700 reactions.

Meanwhile, a video has also circulated online showing Jarman during a live stream, where he was asked if he knows how to speak Bisaya/Cebuano. He responded with the British accent, “Gamay lang [just a little].”

You may like: Fil-Brit Olympic medalist Jake Jarman gives shout-out to Filipino fans