Jump to content

can I get into serious trouble for setting up a fake account on an OLD site?

Eddy Street

By Eddy Street,
in In Search Of...

 Share Followers 2

Recommended Posts

Eddy Street

Eddy Street

Posted
Posted (edited)

I want to open a fake account on an online dating site for the purpose of bettering myself. I want to do a social experiment. I want to pose as an attractive woman so that I could receive lots and lots of e-mails from men to get an idea of the sort of message women get on OLD sites. I want to do this primarily because 1) I want to take elements from the good e-mails and incorporate them into my own e-mails and 2) I want to get an idea of what "bad e-mails" are so that I could avoid making them myself. I also want to get an idea of what percentage of e-mails on OLD sites are 1) creepy and 2) overly weird so that I know exactly what I need to do to be "original" and "interesting".

 

I found some pictures of an attractive woman from Germany (far away from here) and came up with a convincing life story with lots of exciting details. I'm sure she'd get lots of attention. The only problem is... I know it's against the rules and possibly illegal? But, I'm doing it to better myself, which is for the greater good I think.

 

What are your thoughts on this?

 

P.S. I don't plan on replying to many of the e-mails and if I do reply, I will not lead anyone on or be rude, troll, etc...

Edited by Eddy Street
Link to post
Share on other sites
d0nnivain

d0nnivain

Posted
Posted

Serious trouble with whom?

 

It's still a mean thing to do. Men have a hard enough time on OLD, especially if you read the threads on the subject, why would you want to add to their pain / frustration?

 

I made a fake profile to check my then new BF's profile on a site where I was not a member. I think my name was Not Interested & it had the bare minimum of info on it. As soon as I confirmed his profile was down I closed my fake one. (My real one had been down for months before i met DH) Nobody ever messaged me so to me that was a no harm, no foul situation.

  • Like 3
Link to post
Share on other sites
clia

clia

Posted
Posted
I found some pictures of an attractive woman from Germany (far away from here) and came up with a convincing life story with lots of exciting details. I'm sure she'd get lots of attention. The only problem is... I know it's against the rules and possibly illegal? But, I'm doing it to better myself, which is for the greater good I think.

 

What are your thoughts on this?

 

 

My thoughts are that it is highly inappropriate, and very possibly illegal, to use this woman's photographs without her permission.

  • Like 2
Link to post
Share on other sites
  • Author
Eddy Street

Eddy Street

Posted
  • Author
Posted
Serious trouble with whom?

 

It's still a mean thing to do. Men have a hard enough time on OLD, especially if you read the threads on the subject, why would you want to add to their pain / frustration?

 

I made a fake profile to check my then new BF's profile on a site where I was not a member. I think my name was Not Interested & it had the bare minimum of info on it. As soon as I confirmed his profile was down I closed my fake one. (My real one had been down for months before i met DH) Nobody ever messaged me so to me that was a no harm, no foul situation.

 

With the police... or with the person whose pictures I'm using (and hence with the police if she reports me), if she ever travels to the US and opens an account with match and searches her competition, or if some of her male acquaintances have accounts on match.

 

I know what you mean, I too have an incredibly hard time on OLD. Besides the crazy chick who wanted to use me to get back at her BF, and another Kenyan chick who asked me for my credit card information, I have had zero attention. But I might end up writing a book about this in the future and help men who are struggling if I get enough out of it. It's for the grater good.

Link to post
Share on other sites
  • Author
Eddy Street

Eddy Street

Posted
  • Author
Posted
My thoughts are that it is highly inappropriate, and very possibly illegal, to use this woman's photographs without her permission.

 

That's what I want to know, how illegal?

Link to post
Share on other sites
GemmaUK

GemmaUK

Posted
Posted

Your IP address might get banned. The location of your IP addy won't show as Germany.

 

I don't think you will learn a lot as good (interesting and funny) first mails are very rare but it should be enlightening.

You would need to give it at least a month without getting a ban to get past the initial barrage of those who watch out for newbies joining.

  • Like 1
Link to post
Share on other sites
writergal

writergal

Posted
Posted

Eddy don't do it -- that's called "catfishing." How will you feel better about yourself after you trick a nice guy into an online friendship/romantic relationship?

 

If you want to better yourself; be yourself. Invest your time and energy into doing things offline that you enjoy. Take a class. Go out with friends more. Start a hobby.

 

Creating a fake online dating profile is not using your time constructively. Nothing good will come from doing that.

  • Like 2
Link to post
Share on other sites
  • Author
Eddy Street

Eddy Street

Posted
  • Author
Posted
Eddy don't do it -- that's called "catfishing." How will you feel better about yourself after you trick a nice guy into an online friendship/romantic relationship?

 

If you want to better yourself; be yourself. Invest your time and energy into doing things offline that you enjoy. Take a class. Go out with friends more. Start a hobby.

 

Creating a fake online dating profile is not using your time constructively. Nothing good will come from doing that.

 

I will not start a friendship/romance with anyone. I just want to read the initial e-mails. I might reply to some, if they're overly sexual, just to tell the guys I'm not interested, because if they're that direct about sex they probably aren't thinking with their heads anyway, so no real emotion to worry about.

Link to post
Share on other sites
  • Author
Eddy Street

Eddy Street

Posted
  • Author
Posted
Your IP address might get banned. The location of your IP addy won't show as Germany.

 

I don't think you will learn a lot as good (interesting and funny) first mails are very rare but it should be enlightening.

You would need to give it at least a month without getting a ban to get past the initial barrage of those who watch out for newbies joining.

 

My character would be American.

 

Maybe I shouldn't use pictures at all. Or younger pictures of someone who is now in their 50s, like my aunt.

Link to post
Share on other sites
d0nnivain

d0nnivain

Posted
Posted

The commercial use of somebody else's photo is a tort (civil wrong) not a crime.

 

If you must use a fake picture, get a friend to wear a wig do yourself up in drag.

Link to post
Share on other sites
writergal

writergal

Posted
Posted

So you are doing this because you are bored, lonely?

 

What's wrong with your own photos, your own written profile content?

 

Misleading yourself online so you can be entertained by the men who send you emails, is not a good use of your time.

 

If you have low self esteem, this is not the way to improve it. Try dating guys offline. Online dating isn't foolproof or the only way to find men to date.

 

I will not start a friendship/romance with anyone. I just want to read the initial e-mails. I might reply to some, if they're overly sexual, just to tell the guys I'm not interested, because if they're that direct about sex they probably aren't thinking with their heads anyway, so no real emotion to worry about.
Link to post
Share on other sites
Harradin

Harradin

Posted
Posted

Myself and a friend pranked another friend by making a fake profile and started sending him messages! We felt bad so we stopped after a couple of hours and told him, he laughed and thought it was funny! But the account was only online for 2 days, it'd received 50+ messages, it was insane.

 

But this is sorta frowned upon, you're better off asking girls who have accounts who you know!

Link to post
Share on other sites
  • Author
Eddy Street

Eddy Street

Posted
  • Author
Posted
So you are doing this because you are bored, lonely?

 

What's wrong with your own photos, your own written profile content?

 

Misleading yourself online so you can be entertained by the men who send you emails, is not a good use of your time.

 

If you have low self esteem, this is not the way to improve it. Try dating guys offline. Online dating isn't foolproof or the only way to find men to date.

 

You seem to have the wrong idea about me. I am a man who wants to see what other men send women, so that I could base my own e-mails on that.

Link to post
Share on other sites
  • Author
Eddy Street

Eddy Street

Posted
  • Author
Posted (edited)
Myself and a friend pranked another friend by making a fake profile and started sending him messages! We felt bad so we stopped after a couple of hours and told him, he laughed and thought it was funny! But the account was only online for 2 days, it'd received 50+ messages, it was insane.

 

But this is sorta frowned upon, you're better off asking girls who have accounts who you know!

 

The way I see it, there's no harm done if I don't reply. If I led them on, I'd feel bad, but initial e-mails get ignored (from the things I've read online) so often that adding one more to the mix probably won't make much of a difference in these guy's days.

Edited by Eddy Street
Link to post
Share on other sites
d0nnivain

d0nnivain

Posted
Posted
You seem to have the wrong idea about me. I am a man who wants to see what other men send women, so that I could base my own e-mails on that.

 

Do you have any female friends who are on OLD? Ask them what they get. Perhaps ask women here on LS to send you excerpts from messages but don't catfish people.

  • Like 2
Link to post
Share on other sites
clia

clia

Posted
Posted
That's what I want to know, how illegal?

 

Who cares "how illegal" it is? Don't you think it's a crappy thing to do to someone, regardless? How would you feel if someone was using your photos?

  • Like 3
Link to post
Share on other sites
  • Author
Eddy Street

Eddy Street

Posted
  • Author
Posted
Do you have any female friends who are on OLD? Ask them what they get. Perhaps ask women here on LS to send you excerpts from messages but don't catfish people.

 

Well... I don't know any women besides my mother.

 

If women on here would be willing to send me some messages they got on OLD, I'd be really happy, but that seems like a lot of trouble to go through.

Link to post
Share on other sites
writergal

writergal

Posted
Posted

Still that's not the right way to improve your chances with women online Eddy.

Why not try being yourself instead? Base your own emails on yourself because that will attract the right women. What you're doing is counterproductive.

 

You seem to have the wrong idea about me. I am a man who wants to see what other men send women, so that I could base my own e-mails on that.
Link to post
Share on other sites
gaius

gaius

Posted
Posted

What are your thoughts on this?

If you're really looking for male attention that much that you'd go through all that effort and pretense, just post an honest profile in the male for male section. It doesn't make you a bad person. =/

  • Like 1
Link to post
Share on other sites
gaius

gaius

Posted
Posted
Well... I don't know any women besides my mother.

 

If women on here would be willing to send me some messages they got on OLD, I'd be really happy, but that seems like a lot of trouble to go through.

You don't like that idea or just looking at the billion other times this has been done because it would defeat the real purpose behind this whole thing. Getting guys to talk to you like they want to date you.

  • Like 1
Link to post
Share on other sites
normal person

normal person

Posted
Posted

This is creepy. If I found out someone was using my pictures I'd be freaked out. When you put your (or in this case, someone else's) pictures on a site like that, the company pretty much owns them and can do whatever they want at that point. It's really terrible to subject a stranger to that and waste other guys' time.

 

You're obsessive about this and it's very disconcerting. Most people don't care what message they get. If they like the other person's profile, then they'll respond. Rather than making a fake page and ooze with insecurity, you should focus your time and energy on being a person people want to respond to. Because right now, you're not. No offense.

  • Like 3
Link to post
Share on other sites
  • Author
Eddy Street

Eddy Street

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Yeah, it probably is a waste of time and money, even if done for kicks. I'd have to pay for the month subscription and then there is this whole automatic renewal thing, what if I can't cancel it myself for whatever reason (intentional glitch on the site)... not worth the risk.

 

That being yourself thing thing is probably the best way to stand out anyway. Thanks for all the replies.

Link to post
Share on other sites
 Share
Followers 2
Go to topic listing
×
×
  • Create New...