Barton, I soon learned, was one character among a roster of fake personas used by Movchan to pitch journalists on stories. All told, I found dozens of emails from at least fifteen distinct fake personas operated by Movchan, hailing from a potpourri of fake PR firms. I couldn’t help but wonder how many other journalists were being pitched by fake personas operated by Movchan. “I had no idea they were using fake personas — this goes entirely against our brand values and standards. I reached out to company explaining what I’d found, and that its clients had told me they weren’t aware of the firm’s practice of using fake PR agents and firms.