I hurt a stranger online unintentionally

System

I'd still hear him out though.

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

Stuff it. He can't be trusted. Not even to show you his face. He LIED to you.


And probably to his wife and kids as well.

Moreover, there's no evidence regarding his identity if something were to happen to any woman meeting him. Perfect for somebody planning fraud or worse.

For your own safety, keep him blocked. And report him to the site, so other women don't get fooled into taking insane risks.

**professor~yaffle**

Don't feel bad, OP. Dating websites are renowned for blokes (and probably women too) putting up fake or old pictures of themselves to try and attract someone. They're also known as bit-on-the-side dot com, probably not without reason.

He does sound a bit of a weirdo, sitting there in the dark because he doesn't want you to see him.

marleyboy

I would be extremely weary of meeting a complete stranger from the internet, who goes to such length in concealing his or her identity. There are far too many dodgy characters out there looking for potential victims to make such disguising of facts a risk not worth taking.

Mojisola

yvonne13 wrote: »

His profile stood out as it felt honest like he had written it from the heart.

It's ironic that you were attracted by the honesty of the profile when he was concealing such basic information about himself.

I don't think you have any reason to feel bad at your reaction.

Mind you, I'm probably soft enough to have a further Sykpe conversation with him to ask what experiences have driven him to use a fake photo.

yvonne13_2

Mojisola wrote: »

It's ironic that you were attracted by the honesty of the profile when he was concealing such basic information about himself.

I don't think you have any reason to feel bad at your reaction.

Mind you, I'm probably soft enough to have a further Sykpe conversation with him to ask what experiences have driven him to use a fake photo.

The thing is was his profile really written by his own words or did he take it from somewhere the same way he did the photo?

I've just done a google image search and I feel such a fool as I can see all his activities and it doesn't look good. I doubt he could explain all I found and I'm more annoyed with myself for not taking everything with a pinch of salt. At this point I dont even know how to feel as I keep thinking if I never asked to go on Skype...Would have/could have/should have spring to mind and I feel embarrassed more than anything as I told my friends about him

bagpussbear

Don't feel bad about it - he IS a trickster/fraudster!

In your shoes I wouldn't hear him out - perhaps I am cynical, but I would feel if he lied about something as obvious as his ethnicity/skin colour etc, then what else is he lying about that isn't going to be obvious.

itsanne

monty-doggy wrote: »

I'd be wondering what else he has lied about, and what he would lie about in the future. Is he not using his real pic because he is married/stalker/criminal!! You never know and to be so dishonest so early on, IMO you've had a lucky escape xx

Jojo_the_Tightfisted wrote: »

Stuff it. He can't be trusted. Not even to show you his face. He LIED to you.


And probably to his wife and kids as well.

Moreover, there's no evidence regarding his identity if something were to happen to any woman meeting him. Perfect for somebody planning fraud or worse.

For your own safety, keep him blocked. And report him to the site, so other women don't get fooled into taking insane risks.

monty-doggy and jojo have it right. Forget about what possible reasons he might have (and how would you know if they were genuine?) - he's a potential risk. He could be a risk to you and others, so you need to report him.

Mojisola

yvonne13 wrote: »

The thing is was his profile really written by his own words or did he take it from somewhere the same way he did the photo?

I've just done a google image search and I feel such a fool as I can see all his activities and it doesn't look good. I doubt he could explain all I found and I'm more annoyed with myself for not taking everything with a pinch of salt. At this point I dont even know how to feel as I keep thinking if I never asked to go on Skype...Would have/could have/should have spring to mind and I feel embarrassed more than anything as I told my friends about him

In that case, I wouldn't contact him again but would report him to the dating site.

FBaby

That guy was there to decieve, not by his picture only but his life. There are a number of them on the site. You find them out and you bin them, it's their fault and nothing to feel guilty about.

However, if I can give one advice, don't put too much importance on pictures. I did, until I was contacted by a man whose profile was perfect in every way, email and telephone conversations were very encouraging, but his picture really put me off. It wasn't nice and he looked much older than he claimed to be. Still I agreed to meet him, thinking that I probably wouldn't be attracted to him, but thought he could be someone to become friend with...4 1/2 years later, he became my husband. The second I saw him I was amazed how different he looked in the flesh, much younger and attractive. He just isn't photogenic at all...which I am so glad as it restricted the number of women who contacted him on the site, so he went and looked for me! The idea that I could have passed by the love of my life just because of a stupid picture gives me cold sweats!