Cyberpath

[henchwench]

I've been a victim of a cyberpath , whom I have encountered through here.. I just need to warn people.. the consequences.. of trusting so many people.. particularly here.. whom you haven't met, but trust because you expect you'll only find ( and usually do!) sane souls, who are going through the similar parental problems/marriage as you... and then.. well...manipulation is easy...
I'm kind of left in bits...I confided so much...they obviously think mumsnet is an easy target... please READ...This person pretended they were a celebrity, convinced me with plenty of evidence. I'm not an unintelligent person, and I think the whole cyberpath thing, is that they like to lead intelligent, conversive people into tangles and play with them.... It led to a police and BBC investigation.. and me.. well... i'm just a 'willing participant' so it doesn't matter....:-/
I'm seeking help and will be ok , thanks to a supportive family. But anyone could have their life destroyed by this kind of person. For me it was LOLBABY. They have been reported to mumsnet. i haven't heard anything since.

enpsychopedia.org/index.php/Cyberpath

What a strange post - both in content and layout, with all the full stops and no coherent sentence. what are you trying to say? Why are you writing this in Mental Health?

Ditto madmouse really .

Oh or are you trying to infect us?

I'm sorry I can't really understand what this is about. How were you hurt by a member of this site?

No I checked out the link it's clean, just whacky. There are no serious/credible sites about cyberpaths...

You're right. Not well written. I shall try again. Yes, 'whacky' but no, they do exist.
I've been a victim of a cyberpath, whom I have encountered through here. They messaged me privately and started a 'relationship' of kinds which lasted a year.

I just need to warn people of the consequences of trusting so many people online, particularly here, whom you haven't met, but trust. This might be because you expect you'll only find (and usually do!) sane souls, who are going through the similar parental problems/marriage as you and will be supportive. This trust that is then built, means manipulation is easy. It happened to me.

I'm kind of left in bits, I confided so much,they obviously think Mumsnet is an easy target. This person pretended they were a celebrity, convinced me with plenty of evidence. I'm not an unintelligent person, and I think the whole cyberpath thing, is that they like to lead intelligent, conversive people into tangles and play with them. It led to a police and BBC investigation and me well, I'm just a 'willing participant' so it doesn't matter :-/
I'm seeking help and will be ok , thanks to a supportive family. But anyone could have their life destroyed by this kind of person. For me it was LOLBABY. They have been reported to mumsnet. I haven't heard anything since.

Why is this in mental health? Because an interaction and 'relationship' conducted, firstly through this forum, has effected me profoundly, including waking up at night in fear. You may read the 'whacky' link and believe it's not credible but it has happened to ME and my family, so yes, it does exist.
Sick, twisted people out there, exist and use the internet for their entertainment' not worrying about the consequences for those they play with emotionally.

I leave it to you guys. I just felt it was my duty to post a warning in the place where it all started.

Basic cyber safety rules:

Don't give out personal details to someone you only know online
Realise that they may not be who they seem
If you meet - meet in a neutral place and tell others where you are going
Stay open to a feeling/intuition that all may not be as it seems

That should prevent it surely?

Here is another clean link
cyberpaths.blogspot.com/2006/06/composite-profile-of-online-predator.html

I guess, madmouse, I was vulnerable as this person could already read and assume from previous postings ( suffering from depression) :-/
They knew and found a way in, I was lonely and they worked me very well. I can't say any more or justify myself. Yes, stupid me.

I sort of understand it a bit better thanks henchwench. Whatever you've been through (and I'm still confused about exactly what has happened to you) it's clearly upset you. Did you 'meet' your stalker in the mental health section then? Good luck with your recovery.

No. I met them in another section, light hearted banter, then a private message sent. ( 'Please don't tell anyone but I just wanted to thank you for your lovely comments about me. ..Oh, I think you know who I am...' )
I was gullible, most definitely, but then- not in the right state of mind at the time, quite needy because of other stuff in my life.
I kind of wanted it to be true that it was this person and so it was easy for them to draw me in from there. Lots of information/photos taken, with ridiculous obsessiveness, from other people's FB pages, in order to convince me, a whole VERY intricate story, interwoven with carefully researched and therefore very possibly valid, other characters...the time devoted to this was frightening!
A year later, I was 'in love', I was doing what they wanted, when they wanted, giving more and more time to this person, by text, phone and email. I had hope.. it would be real eventually. It nearly destroyed me. I got out. I went to verify the situation and found out the truth.
I don't really want to go into detail , it's still quite ridiculous and yet traumatic and hideous at the same time. This person was texting me, by the end, every ten minutes of my waking day and every time I needed or wanted to leave, they drew me back in.
Of course, no sane, intelligent person would EVER let it happen to them..so I thought.
I'm writing a book about my experience. I'm sure it's only the tip of the iceberg.
Thanks for taking the time to listen. I will close my account now because I sincerely feel way too vulnerable on here.

Hi, Henchwench,

I just want to offer my empathy here. I was not a victim of a cyberpath, in that the manipulation for me wasn't just online, but in person, too (though a lot of it was online).

I am a sensible, intelligent woman, consider myself to be savvy and insightful, but I was totally, totally taken in by someone who convinced me she loved me, and I ended up losing an awful lot when she finally unmasked as the evil, manipulative woman that she is.

Unfortunately, the power they have over you and the devastating effect on your emotions - I have never experienced such anger and despair, such raging, terrifying turmoil - can make you look completely insane, especially when they sit back, cool and collected and say, 'Look, I did nothing. I told you she was mad.'

Even more unfortunate is the fact that psychopaths are generally able to hide their insanity/evil behind a mask of charm and charisma, so most people in the world see only the charismatic face they put on. Very few people are unlucky enough to see the depraved human being behind the mask - the person who, quite simply, enjoys destroying other people.

My lesson for 2011 is: evil exists. It's a horrible, horrible lesson to learn, and you have my sympathy.