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Relationships

Mumsnet has not checked the qualifications of anyone posting here. If you need help urgently or expert advice, please see our domestic violence webguide and/or relationships webguide. Many Mumsnetters experiencing domestic abuse have found this thread helpful: Listen up, everybody

I am cat fishing my boyfriend

114 replies

Goatsmilkcleanse · 30/08/2024 12:35

I’ve been going through a difficult period of time with the death of my father and I have been feeling insecure and slightly all over the place. I have not found my boyfriend of two and a half years to be as supportive as expected and I have had a feeling in my gut. Wasn’t sure if this was to do with grief or a genuine suspicion.

I was with a friend when something from Instagram popped up and it was my BF posting. I do not check his insta much or go in it very much myself. But when I took a closer look, to my surprise, his profile is open.

I took my old work iPhone (from before I met BF) so he doesn’t know the number, and set up a new Instagram account. I put a few fake photos of an attractive woman (I know this was stupid please don’t judge me.) I started following him and I sent him a message. Very innocuous about his hobby. Anyway, long story short fake me and him are now talking everyday about him, his life; everything, it’s gone over to WhatsApp, instigated by him, and it’s a continuous conversation.

he has told “her” about me and he veers between being respectful of me and testing boundaries. The implication is we’re very stressed and not very happy as a couple right now. He wants to meet around a hobby group that “we” both have in common (my fake profile and him) but is sitting in the camp of “friends” at the moment. He has sent both pics of him alone and pics of him and me but has implied that he can meet “her” alone and I will not be there.

honestly all I am feeling from this is that I hate myself. I feel dirty and like I am the deceptive one. I think I wanted to know for certain whether he was open to other people or not or whether I should protect my heart or not. And I am still on the fence. If I confronted him with any of this there is nothing in particular I could accuse him of, even if he “showed” me the messages. Willingness to meet someone else about a hobby, responding to very direct buttons being pushed by me under my fake profile in his specific areas of interest. Or am I being delusional?

one slight spanner in the works is that we always from the beginning of our relationship agreed that we would both like to have a threesome at some point with another woman. In the last 6 months we have talked about it quite a bit but life has got in the way including the death of my dad. So even some of the offering to meet this woman alone could also fall under this banner (“I was meeting her for us”.)

I am now stuck. I can’t take it to any conclusion - unless you have any bright ideas of things I should ask him while I am still pretending? And I feel guilty and embarrassed I have done it.

just wanted to vent and there is no way I am telling my friends or anyone IRL I have done this

OP posts:
TheClawDecides · 30/08/2024 12:41

You're both as bad as each other.

Dump him and stop sneaking about. If you feel like you're the deceptive one it's because you are (you both are).

And stop dragging some poor innocent woman into this mess, by using her photos without her permission.

It's toxic, end it.

username44416 · 30/08/2024 12:41

I'm sorry about your dad 💐

Your boyfriend wasn't there when you needed him and he's now having an emotional affair with a view to meeting up.

He's not doing it to organise a threesome as he would have discussed that with you first and invited you to meet her too.

I wouldn't bother to confront him. I would finish the relationship and find someone who cared about me.

RickyGervaislovesdogs · 30/08/2024 12:41

It was a stupid thing to do, I don’t know how you can get out of this now- other than to dump him
(there’s no trust) and just delete your fake insta. He’s responding to a woman he’s never met, even switched to WhatsApp.

Has he told real you about fake woman, does he have a lot of female friends? anything flirty?

If you decide to stay, knowing he’s very open to meeting new women (without you) 🙄🤷🏼‍♀️ then delete the fake profile, no good can come of it.

Does he WhatsApp message the fake you in your presence? Ask him who it is? I don’t know, it sounds like a tangled web. If you admit to him that it’s you he’s messaging, he’s going to turn this on you.
I couldn’t deal with, I’d have to walk away. I couldn’t be doing with threesomes either, I just think that leads to heartache- for someone.

Sorry about your father 💐

Emmanuelll · 30/08/2024 12:43

He deserves everything he gets!

Ponderingwindow · 30/08/2024 12:43

Break up with him and get a therapist

SatansBobbleheadedDashboardOrnament · 30/08/2024 12:44

Whether your boyfriend is having an emotional affair, whether it evolves into a physical one - it doesn't matter. Your relationship is done. You don't trust him and he isn't a supportive boyfriend. It's over.

And you need to take those photos down of the random attractive woman you're using right now. That is not fucking on.

TomatoSandwiches · 30/08/2024 12:45

Jesus christ,, kindly, please get some therapy.

FatmanandKnobbin · 30/08/2024 12:45

He can't say he was meeting her about a threesome, you would have to be involved in that.

I would personally just ghost him and never utter another word to him, then delete the fake profile a few weeks later.

You don't trust him, he's proven pretty untrustworthy, there is no way forward.

DadJoke · 30/08/2024 12:45

Ask him if he likes pina coladas.

Flopu · 30/08/2024 12:49

You need to just split up, this isn’t a redeemable relationship, there’s no trust in it at all from any side.

Coz97 · 30/08/2024 12:49

OP, I agree with some of the other comments, that you would benefit from seeing a therapist because this kind of behaviour your describing is strange, obsessive and irrational. Nothing good can come out of it. As for your relationship, it doesn't sound like you trust him. And like you say, he hasn't been very supportive when you've needed him the most. I think you should consider leaving him and seeking support from a therapist.

Figgygal · 30/08/2024 12:49

Wow this is fucked up
Sorry about your dad and grief makes us do all sorts of things .....you need to sort through those feelings probably alone

Hoppinggreen · 30/08/2024 12:53

Yes it was stupid and I am judging you.
If you feel the need to sneak around gathering evidence of infidelity then the relationship is dead anyway.
Dump him and take some time for yourself and consider why you needed to do this

AuCo44 · 30/08/2024 12:56

Delete your fake profile and end your relationship with your boyfriend now. You’re making a fool of yourself and him. Get some specific grief counselling.

bostonchamps · 30/08/2024 13:01

Tbf OP if we were friends and you told me this in the pub over some wine, I'd tell you it was genius. Absolutely something I would do.

Dump his sorry ass, grieve your dad (and the relationship) and in six month laugh about the bullet you dodged.

RareLemur · 30/08/2024 13:01

Whether he is having an emotional affair or not with fake person, you don't trust him and he isn't supportive enough. It doesn't sound like this relationship is working for you.
You need to stop the catfishing immediately and take all the photos down.

ThaTrìCaitAgam · 30/08/2024 13:02

DadJoke · 30/08/2024 12:45

Ask him if he likes pina coladas.

Yes! Thought about that too! 🫢

QwertyWitch · 30/08/2024 13:04

What I would do right now is end your fake relationship by saying that you feel bad that he has a girlfriend, you're a strong believer in commitment and he should focus on his relationship.

AdviceNeeded2024 · 30/08/2024 13:04

Yikes! This is seriously fucked up!

Maybe you feel unloved and unseen by him and you’re using this as a way to ‘prove’ to yourself you’re right or there was a reason for this, I.e. that he’s been cheating somehow. (I’m not a therapist so don’t know 😂)

Either way, if you tell him he’ll never forgive you. You’ve essentially entrapped him. You clearly
don't trust each other, and don’t even think about having a threesome it needs a really strong, trusting relationship for a threesome not to cause problems.

I think you need to move on and call it day, this is not a healthy relationship. Don’t tell him about the profile but finish it and stop talking to
him pretending to be someone else.

BobbyBiscuits · 30/08/2024 13:04

I guess you could start getting sexual with him as 'her' and see how he responds. That way you'll either have more solid evidence or not. Then after that just ghost him (as her). Then you can decide if you want to tell him what you did, or just dump him, both, or neither.
But yeah, I think you can see now that it wasn't a great idea to go there.

Conniebygaslight · 30/08/2024 13:05

DadJoke · 30/08/2024 12:45

Ask him if he likes pina coladas.

Beat me to it!

ThaTrìCaitAgam · 30/08/2024 13:06

Conniebygaslight · 30/08/2024 13:05

Beat me to it!

We must be old! 🤣

SatansBobbleheadedDashboardOrnament · 30/08/2024 13:06

Stupidity alert - I don't get all of the pina coladas references. Somebody explain please. 😂

TheCadoganArms · 30/08/2024 13:09

This would make a fine 'Dear Deidre' letter, or even better, a photo casebook.

ThaTrìCaitAgam · 30/08/2024 13:11

SatansBobbleheadedDashboardOrnament · 30/08/2024 13:06

Stupidity alert - I don't get all of the pina coladas references. Somebody explain please. 😂

It’s a song called ‘Escape’ (the pina colada song). Its a recommendation😉

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