Are there a lot of fake posts at the moment?

[Ticktockk]

Is it just my overanalytical brain? So many posts at the moment read like the crap clickbait stories that pop up on Facebook. Is it just because so many people are using AI to write their posts? Some even come across as downright unbelievable.
I can’t tell if I’m being ridiculous or if people are weirdly making posts to get comments. Which seems odd on mumsnet. Or maybe trying to get ideas for their next online novella?!

There was a begging thread this morning and like clockwork people were offering to buy baby milk. A tin of baby milk is £££ and resells for a decent chunk of the RRP. 🧐 I reported but they just put the MNHQ boilerplate message on there.

Not just that but how long peoples OP story is. Some go one FOREVER

The single dad with the two month old?

Someone called someone out and MN deleted their post so......it's insane.

I rarely get unwanted DMs, so that is an improvement.

I thought that too. Either AI bots have invaded, school kids are bored or MNHQ whipping up more traffic. I guess all could be true.

Still going ...

The begging threads are normally very obvious, but they do get more coming up to Christmas. I think that may be because MN used to have a Christmas gift organised where people could nominate Mners who they thought needed/deserved a little treat. I can't remember when that stopped but it was normally quite sweet, I think though there were a couple which turned sour which finished it off.

What marks them:

Started some time between Friday night and Sunday night
Children with SEN, often twins
Normally a baby who needs nappies/formula
Small amount of precise money like 27p found down the back of the sofa
No transport
No friends
Reasons why they can't do anything locally suggested
Refusing any local offers of dropping food round
"I'm not after money...." indignation after the MN message
Normally some sort of sob story: domestic violence; exP drained their bank accounts; they do normally have money but they had to help their neighbour who is chronically ill and that took their last £5 etc.

They're consistent enough that I sometimes wonder if it's the same person over and over again.
Several years back iirc, someone put a pretend begging post up and reported afterwards that they'd had a number of pms offering to paypal money, can't remember how many but they were getting them even after they posted the truth on the original post.

I think Mn should disable the poster's PM for a reasonable length of time. if they really are on the level then they'll appreciate the people giving advice; if they're just after the PMs offering money then that would put them off.

The problem I see is more that it puts people off genuinely asking for advice for money issues because they don't want to be accused of begging.

@MargaretThursday Several years back iirc, someone put a pretend begging post up and reported afterwards that they'd had a number of pms offering to paypal money, can't remember how many but they were getting them even after they posted the truth on the original post.

I think I remember that. I remember that quite a few posters felt irate at being duped but instead of reflecting on how close they came to bring conned kept saying "I'd rather give a troll a tenner rather than let some kids starve" which is a nice sentiment but those fictional kids would be very unlikely to starve if the poster took up some of the helpful and generous non monetary offers they were given.

Jesus. I can’t believe how many people were born yesterday.

And the problem is that due to people's attitude of "I'd rather lose £10" this discourages the real people who are struggling to ask for help, making it more likely that real children will starve...

The one where she’s in a relationship with her sisters ex husband. There is now a second thread with the update that she’s told her sister. Definitely real, honest.

Yes, there is, even worse than the usually made up trope that pops up here by real people who decided to create an unrealistic thread.

I've literally seen two in the last few minutes. Yes, getting very clickbaity and downright ridiculous. I fully agree with you and it'll make lots of people stop using MN tbh

There was one a few years ago I remember vividly as I was on it and reported it repeatedly and got the generic MN reply 'we have no reason to think the OP isn't genuine but don't give more than you can afford'. Which was the same message they posted on the thread.

Friday night. OP said she lived rurally with no transport. OP said her DPs wages hadn't been put into the account she had access to and when she texted him he said he'd left her and with no money. Her kids had only had breakfast that day as she was waiting for the money first thing and there was no food in the house but she'd been intending to walk a distance to the local shop to buy food once DPs wages were deposited.

No food banks as Friday night and all GP surgeries/social services closed. No family or friends she could call on as DH had been controlling and isolated her. No SM accounts where she could ask for help locally. No-one could drop food round even if they wanted to because she lived so rurally it wouldn't even come up on sat nav. And also, OP understandably wouldn't want to give her address to strangers on the Internet when alone in the house with DC.

Lots of 'I'm not asking for money, just advice' but the only possible solution seemed to be that someone put money in her account so she could walk to the local shop with all the hungry kids to buy food.

Lots of 'check your DMs OP'.

OP disappeared from the thread and ignored all the 'please update OP, we're worried and want to know you're okay' posts.

Next day someone posted on the thread saying they'd DM'd the OP and offered to transfer money which OP accepted and gave her bank details. And that poster had only sent £10 as that was all she could afford but the OP had a distinctive name and rural area so they'd looked her up on FB to see if she was on there and the OP had dozens of friends and lots of family on there so that poster felt duped and lied to.

A couple other posters then posted they'd sent £10 or £20 and were also angry they'd been duped.

Surprisingly, OP actually came back. Angry that someone had looked her up on FB and saying yes, a few people sent her money but she hadn't asked for it so it was up to them that they did and it was no-ones business why she hadn't asked any of her friends and family on FB to help her out.

Then thread was deleted as OP had 'privacy concerns'.

And yes, the MN Christmas present exchange ended because some people took from the scheme and didn't give back so it was abandoned.

What kind of a fuckwit sets up a scheme like that with their real, unusual name and doesn't scrub their social media first?

I demand a better class of scammer.

The current one about the stepdad with the stepson celebrating his birthday just feels so much like an AI story. I half expected a ‘read more’ link directing me to a paid for story app.

The really long ops scream chatgpt.

There are definitely lots of made up posts on here. If I don't believe one i tend to report it (in case it is a PBP) and hide it

That one is definitely bollocks.

I’m always really surprised by how easily people believe these things. Ones with a follow up thread/multiple threads to continue the saga are usually bollocks.

It was thick but that applies to a lot of people using the Internet.

I don't think they were planning to get a load of money as a big scam though.

I think they were a regular on MN who'd seen how easy it was to get money and wanted cash on a Friday night to go out or whatever and thought ' mention hungry kids on MN and they're likely to hand over cash' I'll give that a try and it works or it doesn't.

And as it wasn't a huge amount from each person, thought the people giving donations wouldn't bother to look her up or if they did, she'd just do what she did - say well I didn't ask for money and I said that, if people wanted to donate that's up to them so it's not wrong.

It's amazing how people can justify things to themselves but they do.

I’m suspicious of the Ipad one at the moment..,

And they wonder if it's even worth going to work or should they give up their six figure salaries to enjoy a life on benefits! If only they didn't have that darned work ethic and sense of personal responsibility they'd give it up in a flash.

It is entertainment for some lonely or bored people by writing some posts. I'm always suspicious of the marriage/ affair/ divorce ones that go on and on with everyone applauding the wife and telling her how wonderful she is. She's always utterly composed despite the devastation that a break up causes. There's never any sign of that. She's a hero! She lives for her children. It expands as it goes along. I guess I remember a long running similar saga which was a total con. The audience were fans giving advice and worship.

I remember one that went on for thread after thread and there was lots of debate at the time and for years after if it was a troll or not because she'd be mentioned on those which MNetter do you still think about? threads and some thought she was a troll and others would get furious defending her. She had twins.

It got really weird with people seriously overinvested and acting like the OP was some kind of betrayed spouse figurehead and one of the most wonderful women to have ever lived. Posters in tears of happiness because OP bought a new pair of jeans and said she felt she looked good in them after heartbreak had helped her lose some of the twin babyweight. The new jeans were the title of one of the many threads.

And an annoyance of mine, when OP wouldn't post for a few days there'd be a series of 'darling, just post quickly so we know you're okay. We're all so worried' 'OP, I can't sleep for worrying about you'. I always think if she hasn't posted after the first request, another 20 isn't going to make it more likely!

And take a break from the Internet if you can't sleep for worrying about a stranger on a forum whose story might be entirely made up.

She came clean, and everyone ultimately “just wants her to be happy.” 🤔