Claire Berlinski, Ed.: Primoris Era, the Twitter Honeypot?

I would usually introduce a story like this by saying, "I couldn't make this up," except in this case, I know for a fact that I could make it up, because I wrote a whole novel with a remarkably similar plot. So actually, I have a proven track record of making this kind of thing up, but as it happens, this time I didn't. 

PrimorisEra was the avatar of someone I followed on Twitter. She was, according to her profile,

1st Lady Of Missiles

Doyenne of Air & Space, Missile Defense & Arms Control; Rocket Scientist & hints of me; intelligent, well educated, outspoken & sarcastic; views are solely mine

And according to her photographs, she was pornographically good-looking and apt to caper about in fishnet stockings. I always found that a little suspect, but I just figured PrimorisEra was a nerdy defense analyst who spoke Russian, liked missiles and liked pretending he was a chick. Believe it or not, "honey trap" never occurred to me. And if it didn't occur to me, to whom would it occur?

It occurred, apparently, to an authentic hot chick on Twitter with some real connection to the US national security apparatus. She goes by the name FrostinaDC. She got into a spitting catfight with PrimorisEra over scuba wetsuits--I couldn't make this up, except demonstrably, I could--then denounced her as a honeypot. You all know what that is, right? Think Anna Chapman. 

FrostinaDC @PrimorisEra Your feed is riddled with lies about yourself & I can assure you... the house of cards will fall. 

PrimorisEra shortly thereafter disappeared in a cloud of mystery--along with many avatars of surprisingly hot women with an oddly nerdy angle on national security. These accounts were wiped. Of course, they left behind telltale clues, because nothing disappears completely on the Internet. And a task-force of self-appointed Twitter sleuths began digging:

Shaqton @FrostinaDC | PrimorisEra and LadyCaesar are clearly the same person http://j.mp/gx7brnhttp://j.mp/emkZKy no doubt about it now.

MT @samlagrone: After couple hours of digging @primorisera. The woman's name attached to account has no record of being current DoD employee

And, indeed, the PrimorisEra feed had certain odd inconsistencies. Many, really. Not one of which I can claim to have spotted, despite my credentials as a professional spy novelist. Among other things, PrimorisEra claimed to have won a beauty pageant that never occurred. Someone told me that a good deal of what she said about missiles was lifted verbatim from various defense publications. I can't confirm that. I always figured it sounded credible, but that's consistent with her (or him, or it) lifting it all from various defense publications. And frankly, I wasn't giving it much thought. 

doylecjd In hindsight, was it bad to DM @PrimorisEra my SS#, CC#'s, and mothers maiden name? She just seemed curious?

Galrahn @PrimorisEra sighting? MT @BreakingNews: Hundreds of anti-nuclear protesters stage 'die in' on the Franco-German border http://t.co/XbxtjFo

 c4i Wondering what the politically correct term in DoD IA OpSec classes will be for "Don't think with your [expletive deleted]"; - Robin Sage @primorisEra

If you like spy mysteries, click here.  Tell me what you think: Was PrimorisEra a honeytrap? A terrifically enterprising 14-year-old kid? A middle-aged cross-dressing nerd? Or a spectacularly good-looking, semi-naked multilingual missile defense expert who got on the wrong side of a catfight? 

Whatever the case, quite some number of men are still trying to send her their best missile tips.