Nick Sauer: US politician resigns amid ‘catfishing’ scandal

An Illinois state representative has stepped down from public office after he was accused of “catfishing” men.

“Catfishing refers to creating fake personas to trick others into bogus online conversations,” the BBC explains.

Nick Sauer, a Republican, is accused of setting up an Instagram account, populating it with nude photos of his former girlfriend Kate Kelly, and using it to lure men into “graphic” sexual discussions.

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Sauer resigned just hours after Politico reported that Kelly had made a formal complaint to the Illinois Office of the Legislative Inspector General.

“Nick would use this account to direct-message men with my photos to engage in graphic conversations of a sexual nature,” the complaint reads. “The men believed they were communicating with me and Nick shared private details of my life.”

Sauer’s resignation letter neither confirms nor denies the allegations, referring only to them as a “distraction” that would affect his ability to fulfil his obligations as a state representative.