Since February, thousands throughout Saudi Arabia have been buzzing on Twitter about the plight of an apparent cancer victim named Sara Ibrahim. The Twitter account acquired more than 75,000 followers and spawned thousands of tweets posted with #Friend_of_Sara in Arabic.
People tweeted things like, "Sara you are my sister and daughter and I hope to see you a bride and happy," according to the BBC . Many people contributed financially to the cause of the young girl and if the story stopped here, it would be another heartwarming example of the positive impact social media can have.
Except, the story doesn't stop there. Sara Ibrahim isn't real.
Some sick Twitter user decided to con social media users into transferring funds to support the fake cancer patient, using photographs of real life 11-year-old American cancer patient Esme Miller . One Saudi Tweeter wasn't convinced by the account and investigated further, finding the real account created to garner support for Miller.
Of course, the con was quickly the new trending Twitter topic throughout Saudi Arabia, with even Prince Khaled Al Saud tweeting a phone number of someone he had spoken with who claimed to be running the campaign on behalf of "Sara." A new hashtag also arose, translating to "Sara Ibrahim's Lie."
A Kuwaiti tweeter pointed out that "what's sad about it is that anyone who has an illness in future will find it difficult to find any sympathy even if he is being truthful." Many Tweeters expressed their anger, especially those who had already contributed financially. Haram.
According to BBC, the fake account has now been closed and it is unclear whether Saudi Arabian law enforcement is investigating the con further.