Internet dating can be great fun and I have on the whole had nothing but positive experiences…but there is always going to be the “Odd” one or two….
Visiting my favorite website “Toyboywarehouse” (TBW) I found a message had popped into my inbox and frankly the picture attached had my pulse racing..he was gorgeous. I quickly read his words ..very flattering and complimentary. I winged a suitable reply I had got good at knowing the right sort of things to say. We started to chat.
His name was Mark he was an executive and had a “thing” for older women. He was in France on business at the moment and was in his hotel room waiting to attend a meeting and was bored so he was playing on his laptop. He described the great hotel he was in and he seemed to have a very exciting life. Wanting to progress things at a speed of knots he asked for my phone number. I have found it was always best to converse on the phone its much easier to judge the nature of the person at the other end. So he called and we spoke about my job and his..where we lived and what we were looking for. He sounded lovely and fun and really knew how to live..or so it seemed.
Over the next few days we spoke on and off and he said we should meet when he got back. I was in!. Somewhere along the line we exchanged msn addresses too and as he logged on one day I noticed he had a rather odd statement attached to his msn name. Nothing sinister but just didn’t seem to match his profile. Hmmmm ..very strange! I then decided to check out his TBW profile in more detail. I always think its odd when people have only one picture. I always put lots up and keep them current. I really can’t see the point if you actually intend meeting people to put up either really old pictures or ones that aren’t true to how you look. The look of disappointment on a prospective Toyboys face would be too much for me to bear and its hardly a good start.
Reading through his profile it all matched what he said but that picture was now beginning to worry me. It was very staged and model like. How had I not noticed this before. TBW has discussion groups and I noticed someone had written something about a suspect profile. I read the comments and sure enough they were talking about my Prince Charming. I messaged one of the other ladies that he had hit on and we came to the conclusion that he was a fake and a fraud. It is so maddening and feeling like a complete Pratt I discussed it with Chloe in my office. She has a boyfriend who is a whizz with all things internet and he tells her that there is a picture recognition device on Google. Downloading the perpetrator’s picture we put it through the system. Low and behold a match is found on a model’s website! Got Ya!.
Passing this information on to TBW admin his account is suspended and the other women and I who he took in, have a good laugh at his expense. Later that day he text me. I told him what a pointless Twatt! he was and managed to persuade him to send me a real picture just to satisfy my curiosity. OMG! really ???..I can see why he used anothers Photo. Ah shame, he had fallen out of the ugly tree and hit every branch on the way down. Tempted as I was to upload it for the other TBW ladies to see I decided not to be that nasty. So that was that or so I thought.
About a month later at my desk at work I got an email. It read:
“I walked past your Enfield office last week, and was blown by a quite simply stunning lady, which I have now fathomed is your gorgeous self ! First up let me say what a totally stunning women you are!! I only wish I had dragged myself inside with some tosh about my job requirements ..Which I don’t need! I have got this far though and refuse to stop..so, on the very unlikely chance that you are single and in need of whisking away or maybe would be willing to settle for a drink and a bit to eat if your good, would be lovely to hear back from you . Hope you see and enjoy the sheer cheek of this craft email after all like they say don’t ask don’t get”. signing off John Blake
Laughing loudly and thinking how funny I showed Chloe. We are a shop front office,we get people looking in all the time…but honestly this was a first. So I replied
Hi John
Well I must say that was an unexpected email lol! Just clarifying you have the right person two of us work here and one of us namely me ! is of the much older variety ?? (Chloe was a very pretty girl and has the most stunning eyes she had acquired a stalker of her own, a young tousled haired runner who had put notes through our letterbox on a regular basis).
Johns reply was;
“Now then Now then I may have the wrong Gaynor Evans but…You a bit of a TV star madam? The older variety has much to appreciate I did check out your website too. so does this older lady have a soft spot maybe of the younger man apologies in advance if you are married,though hoping you not.”
A dialogue eschewed for a few days and meanwhile on TBW my page was being constantly looked at by a new member with a faceless profile. A day later pondering John’s last email the penny dropped there was something about the phrasing..it had a familiar twang and then I realised it was him! He was back! It was Mark or whatever his bloody name was! the pretender from TBW.
I was so sure it was him and so furious that he had found my place of work (During our conversations I had told him what I did and the area I worked in the internet had done the rest) I wrote a retort listing the names he had used so far and had come to the conclusion that he was also the secret santa on TBW! so I added that as well. I then told him to sod off! he sent back a line of ???????. This I ignored. I mean what a “dick head”. What did he hope to achieved ?.
Some months past without event and we were working hard at work on a number vacancies. One of our regular clients was looking for a Senior Accountant and we had a lot of CVs in. One caught my eye..right background and experience and qualifications but, he lived a distance. We will call him C. Picking up the phone I left him a message. When he phoned back at lunchtime he was very articulate and explained he was looking to relocate. I sent him some forms and we had a number of chats on the phone and deciding he was a good candidate for my client I sent his CV over and an interview was arranged. The phone calls continued, he made me laugh and was a real character and I couldn’t be sure but he seemed to be flirting with me. I flirted back. He said to me if I get this job then I will take you for a drink..I said I would consider it!. He was due to come and register formally at the end of the week and then cried off saying his plans had changed. He had my mobile number and text me sometimes and said he had seen my picture of my business website and he thought I was gorgeous. I pointed out I was an older woman and he said he loved them!. I was still waiting to see sight of his passport so I said well you had better send me a picture. He said you wouldn’t want to see my ugly mug. I said I would!.
Eventually he sent me a picture…well he wasnt joking ugly he was but it was a very dark picture and I didn’t know how to reply. He did look a bit familar.Personality wise though he was funny and witty and I liked that about him.
The day of his interview loomed and he suddenly went off the radar. After numerous phone calls he evenutally answered telling me that he had got the most marvellous job offer..loads of money and bonus and in the city. Well our client couldn’t compete with that so I wished him well and he said” but Id still like to take you for a drink” I side- stepped expertly. A few weeks later he spoke to me on msn and said he was working abroad..I thought that’s funny, thought you said the job was in London.
Then he phoned me in the office and caught me completely off guard I kept it short and asked him how his job was going and when the inevitable question came up about a drink I said I was going on holiday .
Back on TBW I was getting lots of message from a guy from Newcastle called Nick he had relocated to London. He was nice looking and we progressed to MSN. Northern males arent my favorite I have to say, but I shouldn’t tar everyone with the same brush. We chatted over a few evenings and then there it was again the familiar phrasing. The use of words and exclamation marks calling me “Young lady” or “Trouble”. OMG not again!!!.
Back in the office I get Chloe to run his picture through the face recognition software on google and sure enough it turns up as a picture on a hair styles website and is of a model! Blocking him on TBW and Msn I send an email to the Admin telling them that the pretender is back and he is again suspended.
Honestly you would think he would give up and then staring out of my window one day at work I scream. I have pieced it all together . They are all one in the same..my candidate..C..John, Mark and Nick. I am speechless..I had got to know C quite well and under the smoke screen of professional etiquette he was very convincing. This must be his true identity. But how come I didn’t recognise his voice. Well it was some months before and I was totally thrown by him coming through the CV route I wasn’t suspicious. I speak to hundreds of people and look at thousands of CVS. But the picture..well it could have been him. Due to the demise of my Blackberry I had lost the picture C had sent me but Chloe still had the original from the so-called Mark. He was certainly from the same ethnic group and taken in different clothes and hair. It would explain why he never came in or sent his passport. I was reeling, I had been well and truly duped. How far would this guy go !. I was really quite unnerved!!
Wanting further confirmation I remembered that I still had Mark on msn blocked of course..So I unblocked him. Watching carefully I went on-line and he spoke to me (bearing in mind we havent spoken in 10 months, this was a mistake) I answered lightly..realising he had cocked -up he went off-line. I was till watching and as I expected C logged on…then went off and Mark logged on again but never were the two online together. That was all the confirmation I needed. BASTARD!
I could name and shame this man on here and everywhere else, but as he intruded into my business life I will not, im far too professional for that. But I have done a bit of detective work myself (with Chloe’s help) and lets just say that if he ever materializes again I have something on him that he would not want publicly known! So he had better watch out. I don’t think he knows that I have pieced the puzzle together..the tables have turned Mr and I have something in reserve….Elementary my dear Watson..Ha!. But for all the ladies out there that are internet dating beware the man that seems too good to be true and who only had one picture on his profile….all may not be as it seems be vigilant!!.
