Samantha thought she'd found love online, but all was not what it seemed...
Samantha's Story
Two years ago I joined a chat site, and made loads of new friends. It was brilliant - just a fun way to pass the time.
Then one day I started chatting to Dan. We had so much in common! Every day I rushed home to see if he was online and, if he was, we'd talk for hours on end.
No-one else could compare. I found myself speaking to Dan more than any of my other online friends.
“I knew I could grow to really fancy him”
Getting to know Dan
He asked me where I lived, and I told him. He said he lived in London, so we weren't really that far apart.
He told me that he was the same age as me, which I thought was perfect. When he sent over a picture, he wasn't exactly my type, but I knew I could grow to really fancy him.
We talked for ages, every day, telling each other about our lives, our hobbies. He seemed so perfect, when he suggested that we meet up I got really excited. What if we had the same great connection in real life too?
Images posed by models. Some names have been changed.
Page 2 of 2
The lie
Then he revealed something horrible. He wasn't my age at all. He was nearly twice as old, and now he knew where I lived.
“He wasn't my age at all. He was nearly twice as old, and now he knew where I lived. ”
He told me he was coming to get me the next day, at midday, so we could hang out like we'd planned.
I didn't want to come round, now that I knew the truth, but I was scared and didn't know what to do.
Mum to the rescue
The next day at about 11:30am I was so eager to go on a day trip, play outside, anything to get away from him. I kept saying to my mum, "Mum, Mum, can we go out somewhere?".
In the end she grew too suspicious and asked me why I was so anxious, so I had to tell her.
I expected her to be really angry, but she wasn't at all. She just sat down at the computer and told Dan to leave me alone forever, which he did. I'm alright now, but it was an awful experience.
If you're ever thinking about meeting up in real life with anyone you only know online, you should definitely talk to a parent or someone responsible before. And always be careful about giving out your address. You never know...
(Oh, and the picture of him? His little brother.)
More information:
The Surgery's Online Relationships factfile
Slink's online safety guide
Images posed by models. Some names have been changed.
Pictures posed by models.
Your comments
Chelsea, 13
I'm so sorry. What a pervert! Stories like these definitely need to be told - this type of thing really can happen to anyone.
Abby, 12
Just shows that you can't trust people you meet online!
Maya, 15
People, don't be naive. Yeah, it sure does seem like a fairy tale doesn't it? We hear similar stories like this everyday.We think "Oh, that's unfortunate, but it'll never happen to me." Well,it's possible if you're not careful, so don't trust anyone easily even if you "have a a lot in common".
sasha, 14
i think its really brave and good of you to tell your mum; and also really smart of you not to meet up with him x
Asha, 14
aww poor you! My mate has this friend who she talks to online only like she met him through bebo.. Theyve been mates 4 a really long time now but i still warn her about the perverts online ! The reason why mainly people talk online to the people they 'fancy' is cause its waaaaaayy less scary but if u think about it, you have got to face that everything can be scary/frightening ..its about how you deal with them X
Franchesca, 12
OMG!Wat a creep! But the thing iz bare teenagers think they can trust some1 dat they dunt even no!But im glad ur okay!
Leanne, 14
Never meet someone from online, pictures mean nothing, it could be anyone. You shouldnt of told him where you lived tbh.
Sabriah, 13
oh my gosh sounds scary i think your mum is very caring for understanding.
Kristina, 14
Oh yeah, telling him everything and where you live. Isn't that intelligent. *eyeroll*
alcione, 15
you did well telling your mum the truth! I dnt think i could do that!
