by Sandra Lowen

Created on: November 17, 2009

HONESTY AND ON-LINE DATING SITES

Bringing Down the House, the movie staring Steve Martin and Queen Latifah, makes fun of the purposeful 'errors' people may perpetrate on dating websites: Steve describes himself as 31 years old with 'boyishly light' hair, and Queen fails to mention that she is not the attractive young lawyer in the photo she sends, but the woman behind her: a convict in handcuffs, being hustled into a police car.

Oops! Hah-hah!

Steve goes back to his wife, Queen snags Steve's law partner, and all ends well. All too often in real life, however, things do not turn out so swimmingly. While many on dating websites have a legitimate right to be there and every intention to seek a life partner, far too many horror stories emerge; individuals duped and victimized by the unscrupulous, the murderous and the already spoken for.

Recently a friend told me of a heartbreaking experience he had. A dedicated father whose wife had taken off on him years before, he turned to the Internet after enduring too many church socials and bar scenes. After sifting carefully through what he could identify as the dross, he came across the profile of a lovely young lady, a photographer, in a distant town. They began a correspondence. She told him how much she loved children; how hopeful she was that she could make a life with him. And her photos, which she took herself, were beautiful. She was fearfully and wonderfully made, he said, and while he wasn't certain how he felt about how scantily clad she was, well, that wasn't really a problem, was it? After a few exchanges, he found himself on a plane. The beautiful creature picked him up at the airport and spirited him off to her home, a palatial expanse on a scenic hillside. As he searched for a bathroom to freshen up after his trip, he blundered into a bedroom, where he espied photos of his princess in compromising pictures with another man. Enquiring about this individual, he learned that it was somebody who still comes around now and then. He was warily accepting until he discovered similar photos with another man. It began to dawn on him that blackmail was the money that paid for her fabulous digs. He managed to arrange for an 'emergency' call from home and then discovered she had managed to 'doctor' a few photos of him that cost him a few thousand to 'purchase'. He still fears she may turn up with further demands.

Beyond the frankly criminal, there have been plenty of incidences of bored married people who have submitted

• 1
• 2
• Next Page >>