Munchausen Syndrome by Internet.

Steely Dan

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Most of us have heard about Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy. For those unaware, it's a disease of the mind that parents, usually women, use to gain sympathy for themselves. They will poison their own children to make them sick so that their friends lavish sympathy on the parent. They will sometimes go so far as to kill the child.

First, let me say that I'm not accusing anyone here of this. I want to bring it up because I'm sure some people here post on other boards. I think this board is moderated well enough that people with this problem are quickly identified and weeded out.

What I'm talking about is Munchausen Syndrome by Internet. Rather than go into what it is I'll let this article explain it. http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/the-lying-disease/Content?oid=15337239

So be very careful who you befriend when talking about your illness' on the net. There are people out there trying to scam you and they're really good at it. JMO

I put this up in the depression thread and I reposted it in the cancer thread too.

I started a thread here because I want as many people as possible to be aware of this and be careful about who they get too close to on the internet.

There are some very sick people out there.
 
A case in point:

http://www.vaildaily.com/article/20121103/NEWS/121109959

Leukemia story was a hoax
Police say Avon woman made up a story about a dying
boy that fooled Eagle Valley High School football players, parents and the media.

Pam Boyd
pboyd@eaglevalleyenterprise.com
Eagle, CO Colorado
EAGLE COUNTY — The community's emotional response surrounding the story of a cancer stricken child who loved the Eagle Valley High School Devils football team was real, but the Vail Daily learned Saturday that the child was not.

Some local residents closely involved with the story took their suspicious to the Eagle Police Department Friday. A subsequent investigation showed that claims involving the child were false. The Eagle County Coroner's office has verified there is no death certificate in Colorado associated with the child. The photo of “Alex” has been traced back to a Kids Cancer Crusade website and is identified as Connor Gerber, a South African boy who is still alive.
 
There was a recent case of a woman scamming people into believing she had cancer and received a lot of donations.

Sorry. I don't recall the woman's name but it did go to trial just recently.
 
Munchausen's by proxy is an even more disturbing phenomenon, especially when the person who has it is a health professional. I remember there was a nurse in England, Beverley Allit, who was convicted of killing 13 babies in her care and she was diagnosed with that.
 
Then there's Munchausen by Emu -- people who post emus (which, as they know, are completely irresistible to others) forcing folks to vote in polls, usually voting for the emu-related option, which wins the poll, further enforcing the emu love. And so the cycle goes on.
 
It's funny you posted this because I actually caught a person doing this on another forum. It was an older woman who kept having financial difficulty and started lamenting on being found homeless and desperate with her husband.

Then one of her friends popped up with Send me your paypal and I'll send you what I can. The woman then posted, "No I can't accept this" but she still gave out her paypal account publicly.

I commented that I didn't feel it was a good thing to allow on the forum. In response people accused me of being a heartless cruel person as they merrily toppled money into her account.

Finally 5 years later of doing the same thing people started to wise up. But I could see it immediately. (I have what I call a "Cassandra" complex in that I can usually see through BS in about five minutes and am lambasted by others for being too cynical only to find out later I was right the whole time. Sigh)

Anyway clues would be repeatedly asking for money but not directly. Instead the poster will offer to provide jewelry or other "how can I earn this back" type things. Kind hearted souls will offer to just donate, really what's the big deal. But when you look at at site with thousands of members you can do the math.

In spite of the help things never get better. People tend to crowd around with support of their friend and criticize others who are more critical of the situation.

Ex. In my case I used to be a geriatric case manager. When the woman lamented her destitution with her husband who is a senior as well, I pulled in some favors and dug through the mire to find her help through Catholic Charities in her home state.

Answers like "It's not that simple" and sudden issues that prevent getting help like, pets they can't afford or need to be near parents who also require help.

After a while it starts to look like the math isn't adding up, but since people got duped, they are not willing to admit this and will then continue in a state of cognitive dissonance.

So number one, anytime a person says they don't want to take money but gives out their pay pal account anyway, you can tell they are full of beans.
 
Then there's Munchausen by Emu -- people who post emus (which, as they know, are completely irresistible to others) forcing folks to vote in polls, usually voting for the emu-related option, which wins the poll, further enforcing the emu love. And so the cycle goes on.

Steely has a bad case of this. We certainly don't want him cured, who would make us laugh, who would make us smile, who would make us feel better when we are down? Steely and his emuitis is the guy for this. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!:great:
 
Then there's Munchausen by Emu -- people who post emus (which, as they know, are completely irresistible to others) forcing folks to vote in polls, usually voting for the emu-related option, which wins the poll, further enforcing the emu love. And so the cycle goes on.

mad.gif
What exactly are you driving at! :snooty:
 
There was a case of this on another forum I participate in. Chick was always X number if dollars away from being able to get a job/ fix her car to get a job/ go to the doctor for some veiled horribleness. She then made the fatal mistake of not being able to do math - turned up 'pregnant' during a time her (possibly imaginary) husband was overseas and she was stranded in the apartment for several months. She then backtracked and claimed to have 'lost' a whole three months somewhere............ people sent her greater and lesser sums of $$, but she always had a reason why tangible help (food, clothing, transportation) would 'not work'. Disgusting
 
BTW, my emus aren't having a good Thanksgiving. I couldn't afford the filet mignon or lobsters that is the traditional Emu Thanksgiving fare.
smiley-sad023.gif


I'm not asking for money, I can't stress that not enough. Don't PM me, don't ask me for my Paypal number, don't think that, if I were in fact asking for money, that $250 is too small an amount to send me. If I were looking for donations that is.

It just breaks my heart to see them stuck eating the small bits of grass I can scrape off the lawn during the winter time.
smiley-sad023.gif
 
I sometimes wonder if people think of me that way, but I really HATE when people feel sorry for me. That's one of the things I use to judge if someone is being honest with me about all of their problems. I know there are people with real problems who practically beg for sympathy, but most of the seriously ill people prefer genuine support to sympathy (and none ever ask me for money!) I'm not always the most sympathetic person in the world, but I am usually a good listener (even if I know I'm just listening to a story.)

I've been thinking about starting a blog asking everybody who reads it to send me just $1 to help pay for something, but I keep running into two main problems. First, I can't think of anything I'd need the money for, and second, I'd have to give out personal information - which I try not to ever do. I guess I'm just destined to be broke for life, but what ya gonna do? :banghead:
 
I sometimes wonder if people think of me that way, but I really HATE when people feel sorry for me. That's one of the things I use to judge if someone is being honest with me about all of their problems. I know there are people with real problems who practically beg for sympathy, but most of the seriously ill people prefer genuine support to sympathy (and none ever ask me for money!) I'm not always the most sympathetic person in the world, but I am usually a good listener (even if I know I'm just listening to a story.)

I've been thinking about starting a blog asking everybody who reads it to send me just $1 to help pay for something, but I keep running into two main problems. First, I can't think of anything I'd need the money for, and second, I'd have to give out personal information - which I try not to ever do. I guess I'm just destined to be broke for life, but what ya gonna do? :banghead:


BBM

What?
 
You know, I'm sitting here, kicking myself. You mean to tell me I could have used my cancer to have gotten you all to pay some bills? Seriously?

Well, in that case, I've got a surgery coming up that will cost probably about $12,000. Which I don't have. Anyone want to donate?

LOL.

Best-
Herding Cats

PS: Steely, you're laboring under the impression that my critters are wild and uncontrolled. I am, and always will be, the leader of this particular pack. FRED IS MINE. You can't have him back. Too bad, so sad...go eat some grass.
 
I was scammed on another site.
Someone opened a separate chat in which we could freely disguss
an infamous crime.
There were about 12-20 of us
Well 1 day someone collected money for 1 ladies husband died.
Then a week or so later someone didn't have heat.........needed money.
I dropped out quick.
I saw it coming.
Lucky for me I wasn't out allot of money.
It did make me feel guilty, I'm not a cold hearted soul.
But I saw scams starting.............beware!
Thank goodness WS says no money donations!
I remember when Billie Dunn's friend asked us for money to help BD.
It was stopped asap!
 

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