Announcement On Internet Awareness - Cyber Fakers

So, myself and the rest of staff wanted to bring up an important issue as of late--cyber fakers. First and foremost:

What is this?

In the simplest explanation, they are people who fabricate an identity and then lure you into emotionally investing your time engaging with them in some way. This can be by gaining your sympathy over how their life might be, by getting you to share deep and personal information with them, even by getting you to share pictures of yourself with them. Meanwhile, what do they share in return? A completely fabricated identity to lure you in even further. They might share fake pictures with you, create a backstory about themselves to help you relate to them or empathize/sympathize with them...a slew of things of this nature. The crux of it all, however, everything they share will be FABRICATED. Thus, NOT THEM.

Biggest thing to remember is that on the internet, no corner is truly safe from these cyber fakers. They are literally everywhere. So, what can we do to keep ourselves safe from these sorts? Possibly see through their façade, if you will? Well, first off...you can look for inconsistencies of story. Chances are if you notice that their story changes a lot--and I'm not talking minor things, I'm talking about details that really shouldn't be changed...like a name or location or just something very specific such as an event they mentioned. Those things suddenly change up, you probably have a faker on your hands. Next, pictures. Not for nothing, but scrutinize those if someone is bold enough to share them. Look for inconsistencies or photoshopping, try and notice if the person is a model or someone else who might be famous (in other words, just not your average person). Also, question things if the person only wants you to share yet never shares in return. Next, be mindful of syntax. Not sure about any of you, but syntax says a lot......sometimes you might find that the syntax of one is almost identical to another's. More often than not, when this occurs, it's for a reason. Just sayin'. <.< Last, cyber fakers often want attention. Thus, they do things in order to gain it. This means they tend to do things in the public eye to gain that attention, something a bit over-the-top. So, if you notice something that seems to TRY and purposefully draw your eye...there's probably a reason and that person is possibly a faker (or at least one to be very wary of).

That said, no one should be afraid to be themselves on the internet. But everyone should practice some level of precaution and safety. Things happen and there are people out there who don't care about your own emotional security. Therefore it's up to us to stay aware, alert and at the ready. If we do this, we can have fun and be safe on the internet...and most certainly while having fun here at BMR.

Thanks!
DA.

are there any dangers involved in this? i mean, like, if you talk to a Cyber fake it runs the risk of high emotional damage for yourself or others and i understand that, but is there more of a threat than that? bringing it up in such a major way makes me feel like something might have happened.

Depends on how involved you get and what specifically they target. There are all kinds of fakers out there. And--not saying that this has happened here, but you just never know--a faker could also be underage or just....anyone. You've no idea of their mental state, nothing. They might gain your trust, even over a year, to a point where you exchange information (or so you think). What if you gave them your picture? Not meaning to scare...but who knows what a person might do with it, especially if it's the kind of picture you might not share with the general public. Just sayin'.

Ah! i get what your saying. that does make a lot of sense. i suppose a Faker could be a Con Artist, a stalker, a kid looking for attention or just someone wanting attention or to make other people hurt like they do right? it's a good idea to keep watch i suppose. i never really considered needing to on such a safe website like this one. thanks for the tips on what to watch for ^^.

Exactly.

And this place is pretty safe, for the most part. But the sad truth is that fakers are everywhere. So, it's just good to stay on top of things and keep everyone educated on what to look for. Staff knows what to look for and we do our best to keep this place free of those sorts. But, if members know as well, then we can make doubly sure that things won't happen that can cause issue for anyone's safety--be it emotional or something else. Awareness by EVERYONE is key. It shouldn't be something known to a select few, but to everyone. That's what helps keep this place as safe as possible. : )