Replies to '11/23 Love Scams?'

My story isn't even the 100th long distance and/or online romance working out that I've heard of.  When I first went online in 1997 I happened upon a chat room with a whole bunch of normal nice people from all over the world. We were a pretty small group. Most of us have met at least 1 person from the room. I also met my best friend in the room and all these years later he's godfather to my children, and I love him to pieces. I felt no danger meeting him either, which I did alone and in a hotel. I had known him for years, talked to his kids, his wife and other online friends we had in common. It seems all the stories I've heard about are some silly woman running off after talking to someone online for a month or whatever. I don't think you  really read what I wrote or you could have answered your own questions.

You asked:

And how does someone "fall in love" with instant messages on a computer within 15 minutes?

I said:

We still can't explain it... we've stopped trying.

...did you ever think it was a security and safety risk to give out your ID numbers, driver's license, tax file number, license plate number, etc?

I said:

Total honesty is a must. Long before we ever "met" I had talked to his friends, family and co-workers.

You asked:

What if this guy turned out to be a female teenager, or a pedophile?

I said:

Total honesty is a must. Long before we ever "met" I had talked to his friends, family and co-workers.

It was nothing he said it just was. We don't know . He says it was an answer to a prayer. I don't believe in that sort of thing. (Big shoulder shrug) All I can tell you is the truth. That is what happened. I knew, he knew, we were right.

As for being a nut or a pedophile people meet those in high school and marry them all the time. Priests, teachers, lawyers, soldiers, ditch diggers, doctors... pedophiles fool you by walking upright.... sorta like humans.

If he was anything other then what he said he was there was a massive Australian conspiracy to fool me. It took us about a month to admit we were in love, and by that time I'd spent many hours on the phone with him. All the exchange of information, pictures and that stuff came later. The love part hit us like a brick and we thought we were nuts too at first.

Never be sorry to ask a question. I put all this out there. I am light hearted because I'm happy. It was smoke and mirrors and magic, and it worked. Still amazes the crap outta me too.

I'm afraid there are a lot of careless, desperate, lonely, not so bright people with access to computers. It's very disturbing when people are unable to take care of themselves.

No one online has ever asked me for money. They have asked what I was wearing and that got the same response that asking me for money would get... after picking myself off the floor from laughing it would be a quick and firm F off.