DATING SITES.
The internet is a world of its own, a world where whatever you imagine can become a reality especially when you have the right tools and skills. With social media being one of the highlights of the internet, our interaction and lifestyle have been greatly influenced mostly because we are exposed to the way of life of other cultures, countries and people.
With a swipe from the comfort of your home, you can connect to someone who is a thousand meters away from you and literary not feel the distance between you two. The younger generation might think that online dating started with them, but you will be surprised to learn that it dates back to 1870, when the first newspaper for singles began its publications and by 1900 there were up to 20 of such publications. Craigslist became popular around the year 2000 and was famous for their erotic section for which they were later accused of facilitating prostitution and sex trafficking, that section had to be closed down. Since that time until now, various dating sites have emerged, all of which offer the service, matchmaking.
The internet is a world of its own, a world where whatever you imagine can become a reality especially when you have the right tools and skills. With social media being one of the highlights of the internet, our interaction and lifestyle have been greatly influenced mostly because we are exposed to the way of life of other cultures, countries and people.
With a swipe from the comfort of your home, you can connect to someone who is a thousand meters away from you and literary not feel the distance between you two. The younger generation might think that online dating started with them, but you will be surprised to learn that it dates back to 1870, when the first newspaper for singles began its publications and by 1900 there were up to 20 of such publications. Craigslist became popular around the year 2000 and was famous for their erotic section for which they were later accused of facilitating prostitution and sex trafficking, that section had to be closed down. Since that time until now, various dating sites have emerged, all of which offer the service, matchmaking.
I do not understand the concept of dating sites, in the past couple of years, I must have signed up to about 4 of such sites, the thing is that I do not think I have ever gone beyond the signup stage, I just can't keep up with any of them, so if you ever come across my picture on a dating site, don't be too shocked, lol.
MY CATFISH EXPERIENCE.
Now, you would think my experience must have been from one of the numerous dating sites have available now, well that is not the case, this happened through Facebook.
"Na jeje I dey O" when I got a friend request from a stranger, this was almost 6 years ago when I was just online for the fun of it and without any agenda or goal. The man whose picture was used looked like someone in his mid-thirties, he was tall, dark and really handsome. Immediately I accepted his request, he sent me a message and that was the beginning of a poorly executed scam attempt.
We got off talking, he was very funny and seemed caring. He said he was in the US, a widower who had his daughter living here in Nigeria with his aged mother. The storyline was that he wanted to come home and settle down, but he was being careful not to marry a lady who couldn't love his daughter as his late wife would. Now anyone who knows me can attest to the fact that I adore children, so being that I enjoyed our many chats, night calls and random love talks, I was down for this cruise.
At this time, I was in school and also working as a cashier in a supermarket. He was very inquisitive, he wanted to speak with members of my family and even my friends and honestly, I was happy to let him into my life. In one occasion, he actually spoke with my mother and made so many promises to her. She was even more excited for us, you can't blame her, I never told her how I came across the man.
After establishing his friendship with a member of my family, he decided it was time I spoke with his daughter and mother whom he claimed were in the east. He sent me a number and gave a name (I really can't remember now) I was very nervous. What if his mother does not like me, what if the daughter rejects me? I was having a sincere nerve wreck over these people.
I finally made the call, an elderly woman picked up and spoke Igbo immediately, I figured she did not understand English well, so I switched to my poor Igbo as well. After introducing myself, she sounded so happy to speak with me, she prayed for me and all that before passing the phone to the granddaughter. That one also sounded very jolly, it was definitely a little girl. We spoke for a while and laughed too before saying goodbye.
I had no reason to suspect anything, I mean our conversations sounded genuine. This Facebook account was very active with lots of active friends and some of his posts grossed up to 100 likes, so what was there to suspect?
After several calls between me, this man and his non-existent family, I finally noticed something odd. I called the mother one day to say hi and I immediately noticed the change of voice, it was not the previous woman I had been speaking to, In short, who I spoke to that day, was not a woman, but a man pretending to be a woman. It was damn too obvious. It was at this junction that I began to question certain things. That voice change really tipped me off, this was where it dawned on me that I was being played.
WHAT HAPPENED NEXT?
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With Love,
Nina💙
With Love,
Nina💙
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