to want to contact this girl for answers?

[MrsHannibal]

This is bound to be long, sorry. Am regular but N/C for this.

6 months ago I went back to college to get my GCSE's. I met a girl there doing another course (I forget which) and we became friends quickly, I thought she was brilliant although it was clear she had some problems (home problems, and perhaps ADHD). She had 2 kids, a boy and a girl, who were living with their dad and was always showing me pictures of them. She was 18 so had had them very young.

It came up that she had nowhere to stay, her nan that she'd always lived with had died, and with her dad having died a few years back, and her mum not on the scene she had no family. I let her live with me, fed her, paid for everything for her as she had no money either. I tried to help her get on some kind of benefits, but we were unable to as she told me she has no birth certificate or NI number.

A couple months went by, we were having a good time although the financial strain on me was quite hard. I'd drop her to various places so she could go and see her kids, buy her what she needed etc. She moved her clothes and various but minimal belongings into my house.

She came home in tears one day, telling me her childrens father had got into a brawl, her little girl had got in the way and had a serious blow to the head. She was absolutely hysterical, i was heartbroken and sat up all night with her, the next day things worsened and she told me the girl passed away. I dropped her to a house she told me was the fathers house, and over the next few weeks missed college and work to support her. Gave her money for dresses for her and her daughter for the funeral and was generally an emotional mess myself.

But then, this happened: I received a message on facebook telling me this girl was not who I thought she was. Her name was actually different, she'd lied to them before about a girl being very ill, she didn't even have children and lived at home with her family with a link to her real facebook. I did some facebook snooping, horrified, and then looked through her stuff and found her birth certificate with her real name on (not the one she used with me).

When she came in I confronted her, and she just grabbed her stuff and ran out. Literally. That was it.

This was 2 months ago now, and I just have no clue where to go from here. I feel so violated. I can't understand why it happened, money? I didn't give her anything hefty, but if she's done it to other people maybe she does get a lot? Do I contact police? A hospital? Do I contact her? Her family through facebook? I'm still eaten up about it and feel SO SO stupid.

100% let the police know! this needs looking into for the sake of future victims and Don't contact anyone else on fb just give police all info as they will contact them and her family.
Don't beat yourself up As your intensions and actions were honourable, please don't change as there really are people who need help love and care from kind people like yourself!!!! You were unfortunate

OP, you were contacted by someone who she has already done this too. Which pretty much say to me that she'll do it to another person now that she can no longer do it to you. How do you feel about that?

YANBU to want answers, but you won't get them from this girl. I would suggest going to the police. Her last victim (because that's what you are - someone who has been targetted and duped) was able to warn you before this girl reached her endgame. We have no idea what she could have taken from you, given the chance. Please do not give her the opportunity of finding her next victim. Go to the police and tell them what you know. Either put them in touch with the person who warned you, or contact them yourself and ask them to approach the police with you. Help the police to put a stop to this horrible confidence trick. You know how shattered this has left you. You can't change that, except by perhaps preventing it from happening to anyone else.

I truly believe the best way to 'move on' from something like this is to tryn to resolve it first. Otherwise it will always play on your mind. Go to the police, and put a stop to this.

I also think you should talk to the police. I shudder to think you were asleep with this woman in the house. I think you have had a lucky escape and someone else might not be so lucky.

Another vote for the police. Let them decide if anything criminal took place (I'd bet at the very least fraud, obtaining goods by deception). And then move on with your life.

It's hard I know, my group of friends were victim to a con artist after our friend died; she pretended she was his girlfriend and did some awful, awful things. The damage was mostly emotional so I know how hard it can be to get over it, but it's all you can do. Sorry you had to meet someone like that.