Who is Casey Serin and why should I hate him?
The man CNET called the "most hated blogger" is suing his detractors and allegedly hiding in Australia, according to CNET's new report. Who is this real estate blogger, why's he so hated, and why do I recognize the bitter taste in my mouth?
WHO: Casey Serin is a 24-year-old real estate swindler entrepreneur who blogged his failure at life in "I Am Facing Foreclosure." He says he's over $2 mil in debt; which dampens the joy of his blog's success (he's earned a few thou from Google ads).
WHO ELSE: Griefers calling themselves "haterz" — you can tell they're an original sort of crowd — joined Serin's site to kick him while he's down. They've peppered the web with parodies and even a Caseypedia to document the whole affair. They've discovered a secret business plan and figured out that Casey's cohort Marty Stewart may be an alternate Casey personality.
IS IT OKAY TO HATE HIM: Yes. Casey is unremorseful about defrauding investors of hundreds of thousands of dollars; he apparently abandoned his wife when he recently fled the country. (The haterz have suggested raising her a divorce fund.)
WHY IS THIS SO FAMILIAR: Casey seems a lot like Michael Crook, who wrote a fraudulent Craigslist post and published private responses with identifying information. Crook then tried to silence his detractors. Like Casey Serin, Crook took on multiple personalities, once calling a critic on the phone and pretending to be his own gay lover.
