Internet Romance, or Internet swindlers?

[ms_dragon_red]

I can recall my earliest days on the 'Net being full or warnings not to believe all you see or hear online, not to trust people are who they say they are and never, ever meet anyone from online without some sort of 'safe call' set up for security - a safe call being someone you call to let know all is well after you have met the person.

Comments

[dabble]

I read that article yesterday with some horror. Even sifting through the usual Advertiser beat up it seemed very sad. While his case is fairly extreme, there are probably a whole lot of people out there who have been ripped off in someway because they are vunerable. And we will never be able to tell them that they themselves are human and that there are good people out there because these poor victims will never admit that it happened.

I've had my share of internet encounters. The biggest loss I experienced was probably my own self respect and the sadness that I hurt someone else. But that's another story.

[ms_dragon_red]

I honestly think the Internet - among its other uses - has become a modern day venue for meeting people. I used to like the notion that I could socialise online while my daughter was safely sleeping in her own bed with her mother at home with her.

I believe if caution is used in meeting - public places, with safe calls arranged - then there is no harm is what media was used to contact the person in the first place. After all, what difference is there between the internet and an ad in a personal column? Both allow just as much room for dishonesty.

I think that common sense has to be used with this as in all things dealing with people that are not known to us or to others that we know. As tragic as his story is, I don't think Mr Gregor used a terrible lot of commonsense. What is sad is that he should have to...:(