Former Smiths frontman Morrissey has provided a new update regarding his ongoing legal challenge against what he terms the “very worst case of online identity fraud”. The singer, who previously revealed he was engaged in a legal dispute over alleged online impersonation, now claims that nine individuals are behind the extensive campaign.
Last spring, Morrissey first informed fans via his website that an online protection firm, The Web Sheriff, had contacted him. The firm reportedly uncovered a widespread “campaign of fraud, disinformation and defamation” targeting him. This campaign, according to the update on Morrissey Central, involved fake websites, social media impersonation, identity fraud, and persistent harassment across platforms like Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), and Instagram – social networks Morrissey maintains he has never used.
The Web Sheriff, which has worked on similar high-profile cases for artists such as Beyoncé and Adele, reportedly described the scale of manipulation against Morrissey as among the most malicious ever encountered. The posts impersonating him are said to date back several years, with emerging online data falsely signed in his name in an attempt to link the artist with fabricated narratives designed to damage his career.
The latest update, shared on his website, details that The Web Sheriff contacted Morrissey’s former manager, Merck Mercuriadis, eighteen months ago, advising of the extensive online identity fraud. It is now alleged that nine individuals have been masquerading as Morrissey, operating on behalf of various political groups. The update claims these individuals have been urging fans to actively participate in factions and movements advocating specific political ideas, though the precise nature of these movements was not explicitly stated.
Among the nine alleged impersonators, one is accused of posting 1,800 online messages. Another is claimed to have connections to a former member of The Smiths and to have posted messages that severely harmed Morrissey’s reputation and character. Morrissey’s update concluded by stating that a “planned operation to take police action against the nine individuals” is underway, requiring the appointment of two legal firms. However, he noted that the “financial commitment of extensive and unremitting expenditure is outside of Morrissey’s personal capacity to shoulder,” indicating that the next steps are currently “under consideration.”