Quote From: mrszornWell, your story is the first I've heard where an online, long distance romance worked. Congratulations.
But I have to ask, 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? Why on earth would you share your tax information with an online stranger?? And how does someone "fall in love" with instant messages on a computer within 15 minutes? What if this guy turned out to be a female teenager, or a pedophile? What exactly did this person write for you to "fall in love" in 15 minutes?
Sorry to ask such questions, but it's soooooo dangerous for women to "fall in love" with someone they know absolutely nothing about. And although your situation worked, if I heard someone else starting such a relationship that you described, I would tell her to RUN as fast as she can away from her computer!
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.
You asked:
...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.
(Original Air Date: 09/28/06) It begins on a dating Web site with flattering e-mails and IMs with handsome photos attached. The man pours on the charm and soon professes love, but he needs money -- to pay medical bills, fund investments and, most importantly, to get back home to the States and finally meet his long-distance love. Is his love for real, or just an elaborate con? Despite being taken for thousands of dollars in bogus money orders, Dee-Dee believes the man she knows as Cole just needs to get home from Nigeria to make good on his debts and marry her. Then, Annette is sure she's being deceived by a man who claims to be a contractor in Africa, but that doesn't stop her from sending him money. Have these women really fallen in love or just fallen for an international scam? Share your own online dating stories and talk about the show here.
