The internet opened up a world of possibilities for people in every aspect, perhaps the most important being the way it has opened up our access to others. With the help of the World Wide Web, we can reconnect with long-lost loved ones or meet new ones. But for all the good this accessibility can do, it can also lead to some disturbing behavior.
One woman learned this the hard way after she discovered her roommate and best friend had been using all of her photos to "catfish" (pose as someone else) her internet boyfriend for five years.
The woman, who on Reddit named her BFF "Maggie," says it all started in 2015 during college when Maggie spent spring break out of state.
The roommate says that after "meeting" this man after matching on Tinder, she came back excited to talk about the boy she met. Maggie showed her a picture (the only picture she had ever seen of him), and it was all Maggie ever talked about.
"Over the past five years he’s literally been her whole world …" the roommate explained. "She always has her nose in her phone. She gets clingy when he takes too long to text back, she’s cried to me a few times because she’s lurked on his social media and seen he was around other girls (my roommate doesn’t have social media herself). I had asked a few times why they have never met up again and she said they’re both too busy and don’t have the money for the trip. I even told her that he could stay with us and that would save some money. He’s sent presents and even flowers on Valentine’s Day every year. They’ve basically been dating this whole time."
One day, Maggie picked up an extra shift. When the roommate heard a knock on the door, she opens it up to a guy. (Ahem, this is where it gets good.)
"He says hi, and I give a confused hi? And then he barges in and scoops me up into a hug. He starts saying 'I thought you were working? I was hoping your roommate was here so I could surprise you when you got back.' And I am so confused. I immediately get down and back away and let him know I have absolutely no clue what he’s talking about. My brain can’t even process what’s happening."
Oh. My. God.
After going back and forth for a bit, she figures out this is Maggie's online boyfriend, who she calls "Adam."
Poor Adam asks to come in and sit down, and then proceeds to tell the roommate that for the past five years, he thought that he was talking to her.
"Every picture he’s ever seen of Maggie has actually been pictures of me," she dished. "I’m completely dumbfounded and we don’t know what to say to each other at first. So he gets out his phone and shows me proof. He has tons of pictures of me saved on his phone, and went to their messages and showed me proof that she’s been sending them to him. I felt and still feel completely sick to my stomach. I get out my phone and show him real pictures of her. I tell him maybe they could just talk when she gets off of work? And he’s really p—ed at this point. I say maybe we should call her first and let her know he’s here."
They call Maggie, and she absolutely loses it -- refuses to talk or come home. And after an extensive freak-out, she finally does.
"He’s hurt and accusing, she’s crying, I’m sitting there awkwardly. She tells him that she’s still the same person he’s had feelings for and he screams at her, 'no, I thought I was in love with your roommate!' And that completely makes her break down so I tell him maybe he should leave for the night and everyone should have their own space. He agrees and after he leaves she goes completely psychotic on me and starts throwing [expletive] around the living room. Tells me she hates me, I start crying, it’s a mess."
Now the roommate is staying with a friend and doesn't know what to do. Should she go back home? Should she move out? That's when she asked Reddit for advice.
Reddit's collective response? RUN, ROOMMATE, RUN!
"I was the Adam in a situation like this," one Redditor warned. "It was three years. You need to move out, get away from this Maggie. People like that are not ok. Don’t put yourself through this anymore. I went NC when it happened, effective immediately. My Maggie messed with me for years to come and we were countries apart. Just get away and stay away. That’s all I have to say."
People warned the roommate that this was beyond hurtful -- it was downright creepy.
"Move out and cut contact," advised one user. "If this is real there's no way to salvage the trust and you certainly shouldn't be living with someone so nuts.Super odd she gave this guy fake pics and her real address. Was he sending her gifts? And then this moron shows up out of the blue without even ever Face Timing or Skyping?"
All in all, it sounds like she needs to cut some very toxic ties, and fast.
These stories are based on posts found on Reddit. Reddit is a user-generated social news aggregation, web content rating, and discussion website where registered members submit content to the site and can up- or down-vote the content. The accuracy and authenticity of each story cannot be confirmed by our staff.
