Forum Frausters
By GreenMoo
@GreenMoo (11833)
June 2, 2012 2:06am CST
I've just been reading an article on the BBC about people who enter internet health support forums and pretend to have illnesses, or have children with illnesses, in order to seek attention. It's Munchausen syndrome, played out on the internet, so they're calling it Munchausen by internet.
The story told a horrible story about someone who invented a you=ng child who was struggling with, and subsequently died from, cancer. Many people were hoaxed into making an emotional connection. In another case the story cites, someone actually had someone's name tattooed on themselves. They obviously had no idea that it was an imaginary ill person that someone had invented.
Have you ever come across an internet forum fraudster like this? Does a story like this make you more suspicious of stories you hear on the net? Do you tend to take what people say on forums at face value?
Here's a link to the full story if you want to read it yourself - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-18282277
1 person likes this
3 responses
@inertia4 (27978)
• United States
7 Jun 12
I have heard about that Munchhausen by proxy syndrome before. I read a book about this sickness. It was very interesting and horrifying at the same time. These people are extremely mental. I cannot understand how anyone could hurt their children or anyone for that matter to make them selves look like a good care giver. And it does not surprise me that there are some of these sick people doing this on the internet. Simply scary.
@GreenMoo (11833)
•
7 Jun 12
I suppose that on the internet they are at least not having to harm a real person to elicit sympathy. I don't know a huge amount about this illness, but like you I find it very hard to understand how someone can justify harming their own child for attention.
1 person likes this
@SIMPLYD (90717)
• Philippines
2 Jun 12
Because of many case of scams or frauds done in internet, it is very hard to discern whether a story being told is true or not. Specially when it seems to ask for a favor or some donation.
@camalich (1117)
• Spain
2 Jun 12
There are so many people trying to scam others in order to get money and the Internet has just made it easier. At my early stages using the Internet I got an email from an online friend asking me to send him and his wife money as they went in holiday somewhere and then robbed and had lost credit cards and passports. He send me a bank account number and asked me to lend him about $2000 so he could make it back home. I was really worried and emailed him and he replied telling that that email wasn't send by him and that he was allright :O
In some cases it might be truth and in other it might not. The problem is that because of scammers you don't know when it is real or not :(
So sad....
@GreenMoo (11833)
•
2 Jun 12
It's very sad. In the case I flagged up, I don't think the perpetrators were looking for money specifically, but rather the attention and sympathy their fantasy illnesses would illicit.
You must indeed be very careful on the internet, even when things seem to originate from people you know. As you discovered.
