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James Blake (TV presenter)

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James Blake
Born (1993-07-07) July 7, 1993 (age 31)
Belfast, Northern Ireland
Alma materFort Hill Integrated College
Occupation(s)Entrepreneur, television presenter, documentary filmmaker
Years active2016–present
Known forHunting The Catfish Crime Gang (2023)
Websitewww.james-blake.co.uk

James Henry Blake (born July 7, 1993) is a British entrepreneur, television presenter, and documentary filmmaker. He presents the BBC documentaries Hunting the Catfish Crime Gang (2023) and Hunting the Cybersex Crime Gang (2025).

Early life and education

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Blake was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland, and attended Fort Hill Integrated College.[1][2] As a youth, he played football for Lisburn Rangers F.C. and Lisburn Distillery F.C.[3]

Career

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In 2016, Blake founded Vindicta Digital, a digital marketing agency.[4][5][6][2][7]

Blake debuted as a documentary filmmaker in 2023 with Hunting the Catfish Crime Gang on BBC Three.[8][9][10][11][12][13][14] The film explored online fraud, identity theft, and human trafficking. Drawing on his own experience as a victim of identity theft,[15] Blake explored connections between organized crime and human trafficking, with victims coerced into operating scams.[16] He met victims in the US, Russia, Brazil, and the Middle East, uncovering exploitation linked to online fraud operations.[17]

Blake has publicly discussed about being a victim of identity theft.[18][15][19][20] He has discovered that fake accounts impersonating him persist on social media platforms.[21][22][23] His advocacy against online fraud and identity theft is a recurring theme in his documentaries, with his findings forming the foundation of Hunting the Catfish Crime Gang.[24][25][26][27]

In Hunting the Cybersex Crime Gang (2025), Blake will investigate cyber exploitation and digital crime.[28][29][30][31]

Awards and recognition

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Blake was a finalist for Young Business Person of the Year at the Belfast Business Awards in 2019 and joined the Forbes Agency Council in 2020 as its first Northern Irish member.[32] In 2024, he received the Royal Television Society Northern Ireland Breakthrough Talent Award and was included in the Belfast Telegraph’s 30 Under 30 list.[33][34][35][36][37][38]

Filmography

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  • Hunting the Catfish Crime Gang (2023) – Presenter, BBC Television
  • Hunting the Cybersex Crime Gang (2025) – Presenter, BBC Television[28][30][30]
  • Morning Live (2024) – Interviewee, BBC Television
  • This Morning (2023) - Interviewee, ITV[39]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ giovannaotapia (2017-01-16). "Northern Ireland- A place for Game of Thrones lovers (& Giant's Causeway, Belfast, and James Blake)". sinceramentegigi. Retrieved 2024-11-26.
  2. ^ a b "Digital Marketing firm is top of the charts".
  3. ^ "Anne Blake | Lisburn.com". lisburn.com. Retrieved 2024-11-26.
  4. ^ "James Blake | Champions Speakers". champions-speakers.co.uk. 2024-11-19. Retrieved 2024-11-25.
  5. ^ "James Blake | Founder & CEO - Vindicta Digital Marketing Agency". Forbes Agency Council. Retrieved 2024-11-25.
  6. ^ Living, Haute (2022-03-16). "How Entrepreneur James Blake Is Rapidly Transforming The Digital Marketing Landscape". Haute Living. Retrieved 2024-11-26.
  7. ^ "NI entrepreneurs and popular BBC presenter join forces to help unlock your inner boss". The Open University in Northern Ireland. 2022-05-24. Retrieved 2024-11-26.
  8. ^ Monella (2023-12-05). "Who is James Blake? Meet The Star of BBC Three's Hunting The Catfish Crime Gang". CelebMix. Retrieved 2024-11-25.
  9. ^ "BBC Documentaries - 2023x89 Hunting the Catfish Crime Gang". followmy.tv. Retrieved 2024-11-26.
  10. ^ "Hunting the Catfish Crime Gang - TheTVDB.com". thetvdb.plex.tv. Retrieved 2024-11-26.
  11. ^ TSC (2023-10-20). "James Blake Goes On The Hunt For Catfish Gang - TSC News Channel". tscnewschannel.com. Retrieved 2024-11-26.
  12. ^ "What's on BBC Three?". TV24.co.uk. Retrieved 2024-11-26.
  13. ^ "Hunting the Catfish Crime Gang, 10:00pm on BBC Three". TV24.co.uk. Retrieved 2024-11-26.
  14. ^ "James Blake Stars in BBC Three Documentary". Dakota Digital. 2023-11-30. Retrieved 2024-11-26.
  15. ^ a b "Hunting The Catfish Crime Gang entrepreneur James Blake reveals how his identity was stolen and what he learned about online scams". www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 2024-11-26.
  16. ^ "Lisburn man travels to Thailand on the tail of catfish scammers for new BBC documentary". The Irish News. 2023-10-16. Retrieved 2024-11-25.
  17. ^ "'Catfish' gang used NI businessman's face to con people out of their life savings". BelfastTelegraph.co.uk. 2023-10-22. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 2024-11-25.
  18. ^ "Catfishing: How I hunted down the gang impersonating me online". BBC News. 2023-10-20. Retrieved 2024-11-25.
  19. ^ Furbank, Kevan (2022-04-06). "NI entrepreneur James Blake victim of 'Bitcoin identity scam'". Belfast Live. Retrieved 2024-11-26.
  20. ^ McLaughlin, Sophie (2023-10-17). "NI entrepreneur felt "helpless" after having identity stolen in dating scams". Belfast Live. Retrieved 2024-11-26.
  21. ^ McLaughlin, Sophie (2023-10-17). "NI entrepreneur felt "helpless" after having identity stolen in dating scams". Belfast Live. Retrieved 2024-11-25.
  22. ^ "NI man James Blake who had pictures stolen for online scam focus of new documentary".
  23. ^ "'Catfish' gang used NI businessman's face to con people out of their life savings". BelfastTelegraph.co.uk. 2023-10-22. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 2024-11-26.
  24. ^ "TV picks: Hamish Macbeth; Hunting the Catfish Crime Gang". The Herald. 2023-10-21. Retrieved 2024-11-25.
  25. ^ "Businessman whose identity was used to catfish women tracks down scammer gang". SundayWorld.com. 2024-11-25. Retrieved 2024-11-25.
  26. ^ "New BBC documentary features IJM's work to stop forced scamming".
  27. ^ "New BBC documentary features IJM's work to stop forced scamming - IJM Hong Kong". ijmhk.org. Retrieved 2024-11-26.
  28. ^ a b "BBC Northern Ireland and BBC Three commission Hunting The Cybersex Crime Gang". www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 2024-11-25.
  29. ^ "NI man who had identity stolen to present new film hunting 'cybersex gang'".
  30. ^ a b c Lauren (2024-11-14). "BBC Northern Ireland and BBC Three commission Hunting The Cybersex Crime Gang". Northern Ireland Screen. Retrieved 2024-11-26.
  31. ^ Ryder, James (2024-11-15). "BBC investigate 'cybersex' crimes in the UK and beyond". Retrieved 2024-11-26.
  32. ^ "James Blake - Forbes Agency Council". Forbes. Retrieved 2024-11-25.
  33. ^ Lauren (2024-11-15). "Stars Turn Out in Force for Royal Television Society Northern Ireland Awards". Northern Ireland Screen. Retrieved 2024-11-26.
  34. ^ "FINALISTS REVEALED FOR 2024 RTS NORTHERN IRELAND TELEVISION AWARDS". Royal Television Society. 2024-09-11. Retrieved 2024-11-26.
  35. ^ Williams, Tom (2024-11-15). "Winners of the RTS NI Programme Awards announced". British Cinematographer. Retrieved 2024-11-25.
  36. ^ "ROYAL TELEVISION SOCIETY NORTHERN IRELAND UNVEILS PROGRAMME AWARDS WINNERS - SEÑAL NEWS". senalnews.com. Retrieved 2024-11-26.
  37. ^ "James Blake Secures RTS Breakthrough Talent Award Amidst New Documentary Release". VINDICTA® Digital Marketing Agency | Marketing Agency Belfast | Marketing Northern Ireland. 2024-11-16. Retrieved 2024-11-26.
  38. ^ "Entrepreneur James Blake in top 30 under 30 in Northern Ireland by Belfast Telegraph". VINDICTA® Digital Marketing Agency | Marketing Agency Belfast | Marketing Northern Ireland. 2022-02-11. Retrieved 2024-11-26.
  39. ^ "The man who had his identity stolen by fraudsters".
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