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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

AIBU to think this was the start of something twisted?

85 replies

ShockedP · 15/01/2026 07:05

I don’t know if I should have done something more but I have just had my worst online dating experience ever.

I was talking to this guy from a foreign city I was recently in. We matched the day before I flew back to England a few days ago. We had been messaging off and on. I do go to that city a lot so the plan was to meet next time I am there.

He was 34, worked in SEO for a digital marketing agency, very good looking, well dressed in his pictures, seemingly personable and had good conversational skills. A rare find on there tbh

Last night was probably the longest chat we had had, it was going back and forth talking about anything and everything and initially it was fun. But gradually I started to realise he was slightly off.

First it was little things like using too many of these 😂😂 emojis when what he was saying wasn’t that funny. I’ve noticed the men who do that end up a being a bit too crazy and not in a good way. He seemed fairly reserved then slowly was becoming a bit too hyper.

And then when I asked why his 4 year relationship ended the only thing he could point to was because she kept sunbathing topless on the beach in front of his friends.

I said did you have any other problems with her? And he said she also swam naked in lakes or something.

I don’t go topless myself, but it seemed weird how fixated he was on this one thing when he didn’t seem a particularly conservative man.

I could only guess she must have dumped him, because he had nothing of substance to say about their breakup or against her . He said she was “not serious” in terms of her personality.

He asked if I like younger men lol he’s only 5 years younger. I just said not too young and not too old and that I prefer men around my age. Hint hint - you ain’t that young dude!

Then I asked him how old was his last ex. She was 24.

Hmm so he was 30 and she was 20 when they got together. That did put me off tbh while I wouldn’t bat an eyelid at 34 and 44, to me 20 and 30 is questionable.

It makes me question why a grown man went for a young woman so close to teenage years when he’s 30. Especially because he was essentially complaining she was “not serious” .

It annoys me when older men go out of their to date younger women, not long out of school then complain about their lack of maturity. I did point that out to him.

But I also thought it could’ve just been a coincidence and it is not that he targeted a 20 year old specifically. Because he was talking to me and I was older than him.

Then out of the blue he said his first girlfriend was a “little girl”. Now I thought he was referring to the “not serious” topless bathing loving 24 year old and I was like yeah early 20s is so young. But I was still uneasy that he had described her that way.

He says “no, I mean my very first girlfriend”.

I said how old were you then? He said 20.

I was going to change the subject away from exes but something stirred in me and told me I needed to ask how old was this first girlfriend. Now I assumed he was going to say 16 and the red flags were already forming. Then he comes out and say 12.

12 he dated (abused) a 12 year old old 🤯

note, I am using google translate for a lot of this as I am a beginner only in his language. But obviously he just typed out 12 so there could be no mistake.

I eventually asked him neutrally - so you are saying as a 20 year old man you chose a 12 year old child to “date” (abuse)?

I was trying not to react so I could draw it out of him.

But he must’ve realised my disgust and kind of backtracked and said he only “dated” her for 5 weeks and they didn’t do anything sexual.

Even if that’s true I definitely think they must have at least kissed and it’s still utterly horrifying.

I asked him one final question “what did you see in a 12 year old child?”

His answer “at that time she was the only one who would listen to me.”

What a creep. I felt like crying for this child.
I don’t know if he done anything illegal as he supposedly didn’t sleep with said 12 year old but he “dated” ie. Preyed upon a child. I am sure it would have went that way if he had hung about a little longer.

I couldn’t pretend not to be disgusted any longer so I immediately blocked and reported him. My reason given was “ he said he dated a 12 year old” I doubt anything can be done but I just wanted to report him to someone at least.

AIBU to think this could have been the start of something very twisted? He felt comfortable to tell a complete stranger he dated a 12 year old.
What was the motivation for this I wonder 💭 And what else would he have shared as time went on?

If I had talked more maybe I could’ve got more out of him , enough to share with authorities in his country , but I just couldn’t stomach it any longer.

Sometimes I watch true crime about an abusive couples with strange illegal “kinks” and I wonder how did they find out about each other being so perverted? Who told who first? How did they figure out the other person was a fellow creep and it was safe for them to disclose these desires too?

It has kind of made me sick that he felt he could disclose that to me, especially on the same evening I had shared that I work with kids as part of my freelance work.

It’s just terrifying the type of men that are out there hiding in plain sight. His hard drive wants checking.

OP posts:
Halfthethrill · 15/01/2026 07:08

You’ve written a novel about a guy you haven’t even met, who lives thousands of miles away, and you’ve just had a few virtual chats.

You sound as though you might be a bit of a red flag

Halfthethrill · 15/01/2026 07:10

He sounds like someone you went to block and not give a nano second further thought to.

Obviously

ShockedP · 15/01/2026 07:11

Halfthethrill · 15/01/2026 07:08

You’ve written a novel about a guy you haven’t even met, who lives thousands of miles away, and you’ve just had a few virtual chats.

You sound as though you might be a bit of a red flag

Edited

no, you are the red flag because you are talking about the length of my post, while ignoring a man disclosed he “dated” a child.

🚩🚩🚩🚩

OP posts:
PennyLaneisinmyheartandmysoul · 15/01/2026 07:13

It’s stuff like this that makes me feel old. All this was done over chat, never spoken to or met? So could be a complete fantasist? I just
watched The Beauty Queen and the Catfish and I’m starting to see that people do get caught up in this madness despite never actually meeting!

Whitesidetable · 15/01/2026 07:14

Why did you even entertain this nonsense ?

Cosyblankets · 15/01/2026 07:15

Sounds to me like he was winding you up and you fell for it

ShockedP · 15/01/2026 07:15

PennyLaneisinmyheartandmysoul · 15/01/2026 07:13

It’s stuff like this that makes me feel old. All this was done over chat, never spoken to or met? So could be a complete fantasist? I just
watched The Beauty Queen and the Catfish and I’m starting to see that people do get caught up in this madness despite never actually meeting!

There are people of all ages on dating apps btw

If a man fantasises about dating a child it’s because he wanted to even if he hasn’t.

OP posts:
ShockedP · 15/01/2026 07:15

Whitesidetable · 15/01/2026 07:14

Why did you even entertain this nonsense ?

How did I entertain it? I blocked him within a minute!

OP posts:
thisisalot · 15/01/2026 07:16

I think everything he has said is a red flag, but I’ve learned that in online dating you unmatch as soon as you see the first one. Play it like a game, detach from men, have high standards for yourself.

So of course he’s a creep, and he may have a “kink” for this sort of thing, but you’ve given him a platform by not unmatching as soon as things seemed off.

Edited to add that his behaviour is not your fault or acceptable. Unfortunately it’s the world we live in and we need to do whatever it takes to protect ourselves.

ShockedP · 15/01/2026 07:16

Cosyblankets · 15/01/2026 07:15

Sounds to me like he was winding you up and you fell for it

Surreal. No men I know would joke about being with a 12 year old.

OP posts:
ShockedP · 15/01/2026 07:17

thisisalot · 15/01/2026 07:16

I think everything he has said is a red flag, but I’ve learned that in online dating you unmatch as soon as you see the first one. Play it like a game, detach from men, have high standards for yourself.

So of course he’s a creep, and he may have a “kink” for this sort of thing, but you’ve given him a platform by not unmatching as soon as things seemed off.

Edited to add that his behaviour is not your fault or acceptable. Unfortunately it’s the world we live in and we need to do whatever it takes to protect ourselves.

Edited

yeah I should’ve unmatched when he kept banging on about his ex being topless but to be fair it wasn’t long later than he said about the 12 year old and then yeah I did unmatch within a minute or two.

Yeah I think he has a kink too.

OP posts:
Halfthethrill · 15/01/2026 07:18

Cosyblankets · 15/01/2026 07:15

Sounds to me like he was winding you up and you fell for it

This

Franjipanl8r · 15/01/2026 07:18

You don’t even know if this person is real.

SumTingWongwithme · 15/01/2026 07:19

That is a very long post for a man you have never met.

HoppingPavlova · 15/01/2026 07:20

Lost me at looking to date a person you need to use Google translate to converse with. You have zero idea if you are compatible with someone in this scenario. Who knows, maybe given this they even got their figures backwards and it was actually 21yo? Or, the guy doesn’t even really exist and it’s a 67yo fantasist catfishing you? Who knows, and unless I do, I can’t get outraged.

Catza · 15/01/2026 07:20

Ok, so you talked to a bloke who said he dated a 12 year old and you reported and blocked him. No more information was necessary in your post.
How can we help? Why are you still thinking about it? What's your question?

ShockedP · 15/01/2026 07:22

HoppingPavlova · 15/01/2026 07:20

Lost me at looking to date a person you need to use Google translate to converse with. You have zero idea if you are compatible with someone in this scenario. Who knows, maybe given this they even got their figures backwards and it was actually 21yo? Or, the guy doesn’t even really exist and it’s a 67yo fantasist catfishing you? Who knows, and unless I do, I can’t get outraged.

He knows English too but i am learning the language so i try to speak in theirs , it helps! I have chats with many people in his country who are women.

It was scary stuff even if it was someone pretending.

OP posts:
Cosyblankets · 15/01/2026 07:22

ShockedP · 15/01/2026 07:16

Surreal. No men I know would joke about being with a 12 year old.

Before I got to that part, my reply was going to be be that you were a bit fixated on his ex. All the talk of being topless etc sounds like it was said for a reaction. It doesn't take 4 years to find out someone likes to sunbathe topless.

ShockedP · 15/01/2026 07:22

Franjipanl8r · 15/01/2026 07:18

You don’t even know if this person is real.

True.

OP posts:
DeftGoldHedgehog · 15/01/2026 07:24

YANBU. What an odd bunch of incel comments.

ShockedP · 15/01/2026 07:24

Catza · 15/01/2026 07:20

Ok, so you talked to a bloke who said he dated a 12 year old and you reported and blocked him. No more information was necessary in your post.
How can we help? Why are you still thinking about it? What's your question?

I was just shocked tbh and wonder if that’s how these creepy relationships I’ve watched on true crime start. More offloading I guess.

OP posts:
Halfthethrill · 15/01/2026 07:25

I can’t imagine continuing this conversation for as long as you did.

disappearingfish · 15/01/2026 07:26

Franjipanl8r · 15/01/2026 07:18

You don’t even know if this person is real.

I would bet my house on this person not being real.

Don’t waste time “chatting” with someone online. Anyone can type anything. It’s the easiest thing to fake. He could have been using Chat GPT to generate answers. You cannot get a sense of someone until you speak to them and/or meet them irl.

ShockedP · 15/01/2026 07:27

DeftGoldHedgehog · 15/01/2026 07:24

YANBU. What an odd bunch of incel comments.

Thank you! I was like wth?

Yea maybe I should’ve cut him off earlier but the way some posters are going on you’d think I had arranged a date with him or spoke for days AFTER he had revealed this.

He started to feel off but he had something anything completely wacky so I kept talking until he said that, then I unmatched within a minute or so. But their focus is only on the length of time I spoke to him or using google translate or an app.

I don’t think I’m at fault here, I was just really shaken up and wanted to share.

OP posts:
Halfthethrill · 15/01/2026 07:27

Who did you report him to?