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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Is it real or..?

116 replies

Lucyyati · 27/10/2017 07:12

I met this guy just over 7 months ago. We are in two different continents.
I'm 25 and he is 37.
We talk all the time, video chat a lot, we text all day. We just love updating each other and making fun of each other. We laugh together and cry and we talk about all sorts of stuff. We both don't care about the age gap, and even though we haven't physically met, I have never been so sexually attracted to anyone.
So in a different scenario this would be an ideal relationship. He has been begging to come see me but I'm so scared that all this perfection shatters and it's not as great as I hoped.
The other thing is I find it strange that he hasn't had a relationship longer than two years, and only in about 3 relationships in his lifetime. All of which he had his heart broken. AIBU? Or is it normal? He is Christian and he is a very respectful gentleman so I don't know.
And he has had quite a few jobs in his life and now he is starting his own business.

I'm worried that he is afraid of commitment with his job changes and his relationship history. Although nothing else he does makes me think this way. He says he has never met someone who he can see a future with before, and the things I shared with him would send anyone running, but he stayed and said he will be supportive no matter what.

I'm taking very small tiny steps but not fully investing emotionally. As much as I want to I'm scared. What should I do?

OP posts:
Lucyyati · 27/10/2017 08:23

No I haven't given him any details. He doesn't even have me email. I'm super cautious.

OP posts:
whiskyowl · 27/10/2017 08:25

I have friends I've met once or twice but know very well online. One of the best of them is someone I chat to (briefly) nearly every day. We have written papers together! I meet up with these people maybe once every couple of years at academic conferences, but we're in touch a lot inbetween. They are friends, just like my "real life" friends. They don't vanish and become non-people just because they work in India or America!

There is a whole world of grey between 'real/total romance' and 'not real/total scam' here. The chances are that this falls somewhere in the middle - he probably isn't exactly how he appears (this can be inadvertent), and maybe you aren't either (again, inadvertently). Of course, you need to be careful, exercise sensibly precautions, stay safe, and make sure you don't part with lots of money to protect yourself. That goes without saying. But there's also no reason to assume that you can't have a reasonable handle on someone you know quite well over the wires. I think my advice would be - proceed carefully!

BeingATwatItsABingThing · 27/10/2017 08:25

How are you communicating with him?

Cerseilannisterinthesnow · 27/10/2017 08:25

I’d like to direct you to the big Dave vs naughty scammers Facebook page. It doesn’t seem like he is using the usual script on you yet but you could use that page as a reference point if those things do start to pop up

FlouncyDoves · 27/10/2017 08:25

I think this sounds really great OP! Don’t listen to the naysayers. I’ve been speaking to a Nigerian Prince and we’re madly in love too. He wanted to come and visit me, but wasn’t able to due to his engagements and commitments.

I’ve agreed to go to him but due to the regulations around visas and visitations I had to pay a small amount of £1,000 to his royal account (normally for a foreigner it would be £3,000, but he got me a great discount). I’m just waiting now on finding out when my flight is.

Go for it! Good luck! Love is amazing!

SherbertLemon2011 · 27/10/2017 08:26

You said that he is a Christian but also that he wants sex. Most Christians don't believe in sex before marriage, or at least not with someone they have never met... My point is could he have just told you that he is a Christian to make him seem more trustworthy /a nice guy?

NancyDonahue · 27/10/2017 08:27

That's a relief, op.

How about you take a little break from each other for a while. Say, two weeks? If he's not genuine chances are he'll start looking for another 'relationship'. After the two weeks if he's suddenly too busy to communicate with you on the same level you will know it wasn't real.

Lucyyati · 27/10/2017 08:30

LOL at Nigerian prince
Ahhh guys I don't knowww. He never said to me he was Christian per se, but he will randomly bring up something from the bible in a random situation. I'm not Christian.
I donoooooo

OP posts:
nosotros · 27/10/2017 08:34

Most Christians don't believe in sex before marriage, or at least not with someone they have never met...

This is not true. I know of plenty of Christians around my age range (mid to late 20s), and they're a lot more liberal than commonly believed. Just because someone's Christian doesn't mean they are staunch believers - plenty do it for the social aspect.

OP, no one knows if he's real or not - that's something you can only ascertain after knowing him for a period of time IRL. Even if everything he says is true, online relationships also don't always work out the same way in person. At this stage it's all theoretical. Meet him if you want to, but do it in the way you would if you were meeting someone off say, Tinder. Don't look at it as meeting a boyfriend.

Lucyyati · 27/10/2017 08:34

Nancy I did do that. I was super freaked out by this situation just as a lot of the people posting here are lol.
I backed away for about 3 weeks because I was scared. It was hard. He didn't change towards me. Said he understands it's a tough situation but I can take my time

OP posts:
TerribleTime · 27/10/2017 08:34

Wasn't there a thread on here a little while ago about a mother who's daughter was travelling to America to visit her online boyfriend. IIRC there was a lot of great advice on that thread about how to keep safe in such circumstances.

I wouldn't say don't meet him OP. It sounds like you have been relatively sensible so far. However, you need to keep your guard up as you don't want to be left in a dangerous situation. Take care.

Autumnskiesarelovely · 27/10/2017 08:34

It’s just a bit mad, romantically it can feel wonderful to meet someone without any realities. But we need those realities, we need to see a person, see their family, friends. And we neeed to get to know them gradually over time,

You just can’t do that over continents.

pandarific · 27/10/2017 08:35

I do think people are being a teeny bit negative. I think it’s sensible to meet him once in real life to see if it could genuinely work as a relationship.

Do it carefully, so buy your own plane ticket, bring a friend with you, stay in a hotel, make it clear you’ll never invest in his business - but I’d meet him to see if he was the person I had liked. If he is, happy days, if he’s not, you know it won’t work.

Lucyyati · 27/10/2017 08:37

Thank you so much guys. This is so helpful.
I would never go see him, he would have to come see me.

OP posts:
Autumnskiesarelovely · 27/10/2017 08:38

It’s just meeting him once, twice, might be great. But you need dozens of meetings to form a solid view of someone. This will be so charged it will be very hard to gain a realistic view.

Find someone nearer!

Or enjoy a brief fling, safely, but really don’t invest long term.

pandarific · 27/10/2017 08:38

I say this as someone who’s made several Real Life friends from various places through a mutual interest (and there is nothing like bonding over an obscure interest), so perhaps I find it less odd than some.

Relevant question: how did you initially start talking? What site etc? Sorry if you’ve said already and I missed it.

Lucyyati · 27/10/2017 08:40

No I haven't said.
There was an online chat app where people talked in big groups. So we had talked for a while in a group, and I was fascinated by him so I was the one who talked to him privately and initiated this.

OP posts:
Skittlesandbeer · 27/10/2017 08:42

I’m interested that it sounds as though (if I’m reading it right) you guys haven’t met any of each other’s family, friends, neighbours, colleagues or what-have-you onscreen?

7 months is a long time for this not to have naturally come up? I’d be walking that iPad with Skype open around my life, if I was this into someone. Or I’d expect that I’d be talking to him when my friend knocked to pick me up and they’d ‘meet’, stuff like that. Mostly I’d imagine this would be spontaneous and accidental, but some part of me would also want a bit of validation that he was what I thought he was, and not emanating any ‘fishy’ vibes to people I trusted.

If all you guys are doing is FaceTiming while lounging on your respective beds, it’s a bit too far from real life to make any predictions for my liking. You get to know a person from observing him in little everyday interactions, not from how tidy his bedside table is.

Even if there’s nothing malicious and manipulating going on, you’re both just putting your best face forward. In essence, it’s like you’re having the same date over and over. If you were face to face, you’d have had 7 months worth of different dates, which would allow you to build a fuller picture.

It’s easy to say ‘but we do argue! We’re experiencing the spectrum!’ But the hardest part of being in the same space is not the argument, but that you have to deal with being out on a country drive afterwards awkwardly together all day, or putting out the rubbish because you said you would even though you want to dump it over their head instead.

Start including other people in your cocoon world, and it will be a bit more real. My advice is that if you arrange to meet it should maybe be at some halfway point, and only for a few brief days with lots of neutral activity options (not tropical honeymoon island). If the chemistry sucks, or big alarm bells ring then it’s not a huge investment. It’s a step at least?

Lweji · 27/10/2017 08:43

But he would never force me into anything.

You don't know. Not even partners in long term relationships should say "he'd never". Always assume they might.

But you must be careful about supporting his visit.
Will he visit on his own on a tourist visa, or will he need you to vouch for him? Be very careful. Don't take any responsibility over his stay.

Lucyyati · 27/10/2017 08:48

Actually, I haven't introduced him to anyone of my family or friends because I have major trust issues. But he has. I have met one of his friends in person as he was coming to visit and he sent gifts with him, and I have chatted to his sister and his maid when they walked in while we were skyping. I genuinely don't feel he is hiding anything. My question was about whether he has commitment issues.
Anyway I just said to him he can come visit and we will have lunch in a public place. He said yes. I would never vouch for him or anything visa wise. I can look after myself.

OP posts:
Ninabean17 · 27/10/2017 08:52

Tread very carefully. And just because he has a website, doesn't mean it's a real business. My 5yo DD could create a website.

Lucyyati · 27/10/2017 08:57

It's very tough because I don't want to lose what we have, but I also don't want to latch on feelings based on a created image rather than the truth.
I think it will take some time and definitely need to take it slow.

OP posts:
demirose87 · 27/10/2017 09:52

This kind of thing happened to me and it turned out to all be fake. He led me on for months, promising the world then when we met and it became real, he backed off and I was left high and dry. He had never had a relationship longer than 12 months and his parents had never known him to have a partner and he was 35. Some people want a relationship from a distance with none of the commitment and effort. I would be very wary until you are able to meet and be careful you're not being emotionally used. There's usually a reason people go out seeking others who are not immediately available.

smallmercys · 27/10/2017 09:53

Of course it's not real, it's a scam and the OP is exactly the sort of person they target - lonely, indecisive, vulnerable females with money.

What is it that you actually have, OP?
You have some online conversations and a visit from someone else to check you out. What you will have is an empty bank account if you fail to wean yourself off this dependency. No real life relationship will be forthcoming from this for you, I'm certain.

Ttbb · 27/10/2017 09:55

I would be more worried about his inability to hold down a job or have a long term relationship than about the fact that you met online.

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