Internet Fakes

I've been on line since March 2000.

When I first got my computer I didn't know a single thing about computers, not even how to turn one off. I thought you just pressed the "off button" and that was it. I didn't know how to even do email.

I somehow found my way into the MSN chat rooms where my online social life began. I started going into the odd one when I had a computer/internet question in order to get help. Then eventually I found myself going to one or two "just because" and soon found myself to be a regular visitor. Eventually I created my own chat room and it was in the top 5 most popular chat rooms in MSN for about 6 months before I finally gave it up.

I had lots of fun, and I "met" some great people, and some not so great people. I also met my share of fakes: People who design a persona/life and live that life out on the internet. The life is usually very different than their own real life.

That's that topic of this thread.

The first internet fake that comes to mind is a girl who at first seemed really nice, friendly and bubbly. She added a great deal to the chat room. She told people that she was in her mid 30's, a widow (her husband had died from cancer 3 years prior), and a lawyer who was currently off on a medical leave. She was caucasian with blonde hair and blue eyes, no kids. And she lived in New York City.

I can't exactly remember how it all came out, but we eventually found out that she was anything but what she described. She was in her early 40's, her husband was very much alive. She didn't work. In fact she hadn't even graduated from high school. She was African-American and had 3 or 4 young kids....and she lived in one of the Southern States.

Another one I "ran into" on a forum for a computer game that I used to play. The details of her "fake life" are too numerous to even get into. Suffice it to say that she preyed on people's emotions towards the end prior to being found out. Let's just say that it involved a terminally sick kid who played the game and had big dreams/goals before he died about owning a castle etc. etc. etc. The kid eventually died and the family was too poor to afford a funeral for the child. She even posted news paper articles etc.

Many were really touched by this little boy's story and donated in game gold and eventually not one, but 2 castles were purchased for him. Plus lots of rare items and things to decorate them for him.

She went to elaborate lengths to hide her identity and created several different posting accounts, including one for the alleged little boy, would doctor emails for dates and times and even change her IP address (not sure how she managed that part). From the get go when she made the first post soliciting donations of in game items/currency, I thought it was fishy. It just seemed too odd to me. Eventually some others started to question some of the facts. Some people who were good with IP tracing managed to get her to send them emails so that they could get her IP address. And I scruitinized all of her posts/emails and the posts.emails of the boy and one or two other posters and there was no denying that while she was making attempts to change her posting style, her grammar did her in. There were too many similar phrases and spelling errors between them all, that there was no denying that they were being made by one person. The boy was supposed to be in Cuba or Mexico, and she was in Florida. All of the emails originated from Florida in the same city in which she lived.

In the end she scammed people out of 10's of millions and millions and millions of in game dollars/items, which translated into several thousand real life dollars for some people because in game items/money were sellable on eBay and other such sites for real life cash.

Those are 2 of the more extreme ones that I can think of. But there have been others who have completely lied about their entire lives.

For me? I'm just me. I have no secrets, other than I won't post my picture on the internet. That's just a safety precaution for me because a picture is all some kook needs after they get your address, in order to shoot you! And I've had my fair share of creepy internet stalkers, one of which actually did find out my address and was stalking me offline as well. I've never completely gotten over that! Plus I'm really fat and I don't like getting my picture taken!

So anyway, tell us your experiences with "internet fakes"

WOW...Never paid much attention to the daily ongoings of life just the questions I can answer I try my best and the prayer/vibe requests for pets/ppl. I lurk at many animal places but only post here. I like the relaxed knowledgeable ppl that are on here. And I know few are in same boat with many cats that I never found elsewhere. Interested to see others experiences on this topic tho

I've been online since 1984, back then we called these types of places "newsgroups."

I don't know if I've met many fakes, though.I've met quite a few real people over the years from the internet, and they were all who they said they were. Some people on forums are inconsistent and you know it can't all be true! I never go to chat rooms, maybe that makes a difference.

Remember "Amber" from here? I believed it! I didn't keep up with their dramas, though, but remember when her boyfriend/partner/but-not her-baby's-father* posted "Amber is gone"?


*How did I miss the clues?

BTW I've met sarahp so she can verify that I am indeed SwampWitch.

Originally Posted by SwampWitch

Remember "Amber" from here? I believed it! I didn't keep up with their dramas, though, but remember when her boyfriend/partner/but-not her-baby's-father* posted "Amber is gone"?

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That's the only one that i've experienced. I've always been a suspicious person, and with that member my first thoughts were "Why on earth has he come onto a site to post when his partner has just died?!"

I havent really met many fakes just because I dont do the chatroom deal. TCS is my first venture into the world of forums and I only actively belong to one other forum for animals. One thing about the net that bugged me was in high school being a cheerleader wasnt being popular, it was the exact opposite. There were a lot of people from school I was really good online friends with but the next day at school they wouldnt speak to me. In its own way it really hurt my feelings and just added to me having a dislike towards people in real life. Even just stupid stuff, not just girls that I was friends with online but guys, I always had 'my' football and basketball players on my AIM list to make sure I knew what type of snacks they liked and for those who didnt give their locker combo out (only to put snacks and stuff in their locker not sneakyness) to make sure I was at the school early to give them their snacks before everyone showed up. After high school I basically gave up having friends in real life and only have a few people online I would actually say Im probably close enough to to be friends. Its pathetic but it keeps me safe because I have a tendancy to believe that someone in my life is actually my friend and then when they just walk away it hurts. This way I dont get hurt.

I've been a member here for a long time. I have been poster then mod then admin. There have been plenty of fakes that became members here- but rather than go into personalities, I will just say this-

To some people who are mentally challenged, who don't have a life or who have predatory tendencies, the Internet can be a goldmine. If you are weak, they will seek you out- if you are sensitive, if you have money- if you have a life, they will find you and play with your mind.

There are no repercussions here on what you type. The Internet police isnt going to show up at your door if you are fabricating a life. There are no consequences to your actions in this life when it comes to the Net. The Net can be a wonderful thing- and it can also be your worst nightmare.

I saw a bumper sticker once and it made me laugh at first -then it made me think- It said:

"I am not a doctor, but I play one on the Internet."

If someone, I don't care who they are gives you advice about the care of your cat- be very careful how you proceed from there. Always- if the cat is really ill- check out the advice with a professional that you can touch and see. Often when cats become ill- what works for one cat doesn't work for another.

In your personal life- just know that whatever you type no matter where you are it stays on the internet. You can't take it back. It is filed and it will resurface.

I have known of people who fabricated their whole lives. One who lived as a teenager on the net, yet when she died, it was discovered she was elderly. As I said- there are no repercussions. Not everyone is honest and lives in the land of reality. Just be careful because there are many out there who will target you.

I am who I am. Here and facebook and anywhere else you find me. Now, when I was single I did change my age on certain chat sites, along with some description (hey, I can drop 20 lbs!) but it was just fantasy. Ok, won't go into that, and what I was doing...but it wasn't a bad thing because there everyone lied. It a fantasy that luckily I didn't get a stalker from.

When it comes to real things, like cat help or dog help, I'm me. This is who I am take me or leave me. I don't have a lot of pics of me on the internet (at least, I don't think!) so you have to deal with pics of my kitties and doggies.

I remember Amber, and I was heartbroken. Both from what I believed and what I found out. So, even we aren't immune to this, but I trust most people here. I just don't trust most people OUT of TCS.

I am a member of a dog forum (about 7 yrs now) and have met people off of there and these people were exactly as they presented themselves. So no fakes

I'm not much of a socialite, but back when AOL chat rooms were first in vogue, I pretended to be. I used to be a pretty gullible sort, and have always been a sucker for well-written prose, so when I struck up a long, engaging conversation with this particular woman, it was just another uneventful bit of trite internet dialogue to lose myself in for a few hours.

There came a point though, where she "confessed" to being a transsexual, still in the operative stages. At the time, I handled it poorly, and felt "deceived", logging off, never to engage them again. Looking back though, there were so many components to this; for one, they didn't have to come clean about who they were; things were just fine without introducing any drama. So, perhaps they felt compelled to, being that some measure of trust was established for them. Maybe they NEEDED to, and entrusted ME to be that sole person that was going to receive them well in life. And then I failed them. I'll never know.

It may seem a silly story on the surface that works better as a metaphor, but I always harken back to it and how it elevated my distrust of people, especially on the Internet. Ironically so, because ultimately - without knowing any facts surrounding that incident, only assumptions - it was me that couldn't be trusted to do the right thing. It's the sort of failure that can haunt you for some time.

I don't think I've ever run into anybody who was a fake. Most of the people I've met on the internet (other than people on this site), I also had the good fortune to actually meet in person at one time or another. Everybody was pretty much who they said they were and I can honestly say that I had some good times with them. Vacation trips, shopping trips, dinners, and simply spending time together. There was a lot of fun going on there. Some friendships have lasted longer than others and I think the friendships that fell by the wayside were simply because of personality clashes and the like. And sometimes, friends just grow apart. And that's OK, too.

My two best internet friends are women I've known now for a long time. One lives in CT; the other lives in Texas. I would do anything for either one of those women, they are that special to me; I love them both dearly. And I first met them on the internet, on a cat forum.

Just yesterday I was having a similar conversation with a friend who is a non computer owner.

We are both out of work and looking for a job. I mentioned that I was looking on line. The conversation began with a note I had received about e-mail addresses. The job sites all tell you to use a more professional sounding e-mail address.

This started the discussion because I started my cyber life back in the day when it was all supposed to be anonymous. In those days almost nobody used their real name as the account or the e-mail.

Today my "official" e-mail address has nothing to do with my name. It's the one I have used for business and personal use for the last 10 or 12 years.

Sure I have had a number of screen names and e-mail addresses from web based services that I used in my social life. I never used the e-mail address that is connected with my ISP.

Back in my chat days I had a number of people that I considered friends. Some I knew going in were probably fake. But those days a lot of people were. Most of the time they came and went and eventually disappeared.

I can think of a half dozen that I considered friends, chatted with them, exchanged e-mail for two or three years but to this day have no idea what their real names were.

There was one guy who conducted his cyber life from work. One day he sent me a quick note telling me that he had just been fired so I probably wouldn't hear from him until he got another job. I did hear from him again but he eventually disappeared.

I have to say the only disturbing instance for me of an inter net fake was the one here where the person posted as two different people and the told us one had died.

These days people tend to be more open with their person information. You only have to look at Face Book to see that.

Still, I don't use my "official" e-mail address on my resume or my Face Book. But what you see is really me. I don't have the time or imagination to come up with someone more interesting.

I'm just me, I post with my real first name, always have.
I'm a 40-something, overweight, typically unlucky in love, borderline poverty stricken, I live in a travel trailer, with perhaps too many pets.

I work my butt off in order to have a place to park my trailer and keep my power on.

i dont think ive ever met a fake person off the internet im very careful with my personal details

however i took a chance with one person when i was 18 when faceparty was in its hayday and it was the best thing i ever did! 6 and a half years later me and blaine are still very happy

I've met my fair share of fakes. After a while, they usually end up weaving a web of lies so big and tangled that they can't keep it straight. Or else they end up saying something outlandish to try to impress people. But then again I've also met a few people who have said unbelievable things that turned out to be true.

Originally Posted by SwampWitch

BTW I've met sarahp so she can verify that I am indeed SwampWitch.

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I don't know, there was no pointy black hat or broomstick...

The only situation I've come across like this is the one with "Amber." Fortunately, I've had the benefit of meeting a number of TCS folks in person and they're as wonderful, caring and fun in real life as they are online. And, the good thing is they can vouch for me. I really a nun with a thing for George Clooney, who works for a Catholic newspaper and gets involved in way too many crazy cat situations.

Originally Posted by sarahp

I don't know, there was no pointy black hat or broomstick...

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I'm inviting you guys to dinner next time you come; I have a broom, lol!

I have always avoided Face book, My Space, and general chat sites as well as rooms purposely avoiding those who I already have met in my past life and know are fake, much less fake groupies!

I've ran into a few fakes, not for quite some time though. I pretty much stick to the same sites anymore; TCS, Facebook, Twitter, Gaia, etc… Though this girl I went to high school with is my friend on Facebook and currently she has somehow managed to gain close to 2,000 friends and seems to think she's an "internet celebrity" and I often see that she puts fake info/photos of herself.

I have never had any negative issues with people on the internet that affected me in real life. I don't give out much info at all when I first meet someone, and if they seem strange then I'm not afraid to click the ignore button. The only person I've met online who I have met in person is my boyfriend, and we now live happily together. I do share some info about myself, but not everything. I guess it depends on the website. Like on Facebook, only my friends can see all of my info, friends of friends can see a little, and everyone else can see like my name, photo, gender and relationship status, and aren't able to find me in a search. On other sites, I'll show like the state I'm in, but not the city, my birthday, but not always the year, possibly a photo of myself, and stuff like that. If I do share my name, it's just my first name. All in all I feel pretty safe on the internet, really.