Online Deaths02:14 Oct 16 2011
Times Read: 799
So here's my story on Online Deaths. Shortly after I first joined VR four years ago, in the course of rating and leveling up I met a young Englishman who was in medical school. He would message me now and then for a chat, but after he found out how much older I was he kind of lost interest. Well, that's how these things go.
One night, he sends me this cryptic message: I have to go somewhere and do something. I'll be back later.
Oh-kay. My first thought was, are you messaging the right person? I didn't reply, but just thought how weird that sounded, like a spy movie or something. Anyway, I didn't hear anything for several days, then I get another message from his account, but signed by some guy named Danny. The message said Phil had gone out for an evening and was stopped in his car at a light, and some other car rolled up next to him and fired five bullets into him. He was in hospital clinging to life. The message went on to say visits are not allowed but the family appreciates any support.
I thought, what the hell? This is someone I didn't really know all that well, and I get a message like that? The next day it got worse. I get a message saying Phil died. Well, hell. I messaged back saying how sorry I was, and where was the funeral going to be, so I could wire some flowers or something. I was told there wasn't going to be a funeral, and I thought oh well, a private family thing. It was sad, but as I heard no more, I figured things just moved on.
One night about two months later, I get messaged on yahoo by someone with a similar name as Phil's....he said he was living undercover in Germany, because he "knew too much" and was in hiding from drug lords. He said he had faked his death and moved to Berlin, even his family thought he was dead.
What the fuck? This was just crazy. He kept insisting that I not tell anyone or he would be in trouble, and I asked why he contacted me. He said he might need to move to the US, and needed a contact! Well, fuck. I have relatives in the UK, who didn't live all that far from where Phil's family lived in Yorkshire. They were able to do some digging and found he had not been killed, he hadn't even been hurt, his death was not faked, it all was a lie. His mother was extremely shocked when she found out that he was spreading lies over the internet that her son was dead.
Phil was furious at me for exposing his sham, but like I told him, WHY did you lie in the first place? If you didn't want to talk to me anymore, just don't talk to me. He told me I had made his life miserable, his family were so mad at him (my relatives had thoughtfully given them a print out of all the chats I had with Phil and they got to read all the lies he had told). I just blocked him on yahoo and went about my business.
Then, a couple weeks later, I was perusing the BBC's online site and spied a little blurb in one corner..."Do you have a story you think the BBC might be interested in?" Boy, did I. I typed it up, leaving out Phil's real name, and sent it. I still have the email they sent me back : "The BBC are interested in your story." Heh. They sent me a form-thing to fill out, that I verified all the info was true, and I sent it in. I didn't hear any more, but I did ask family and friends in the UK if they had heard anything.
Apparently the BBC did run the story, because a furious Phil contacted me again on yahoo, under a new ID....even though the names had been changed, his family and friends identified him from the story and were really giving him hell. I wasn't the only one he'd tried to scam, other people came forward to say he'd done the same to them, online.
As far as I know, he isn't on here anymore. He might be, under a new ID. His old account is still here, inactive of course. If he reads this, I hope he's behaving better these days. He should be about halfway through med school.
I guess the moral of the story is...don't go telling tall tales online. Once the truth comes out, you look like a real ass, and your credibility goes out the window.
COMMENTS
-
Requiem
00:11 Nov 01 2011
o.O Fuck patience! They should have sorted the effin' threads!