As we learn more about Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te’o and his cyber “girlfriend,” one thing is clear: Online relationships that turn out to be grand fabrications aren’t as uncommon as you might hope. Here are five shady Internet dating stories gone wrong that you won’t find on MTV’s “Catfish.”
A Good Man Is Hard To Find
Paula Bonhomme was convinced she’d finally met a good man and then some in Jesse Jubilee James. Jesse was a volunteer firefighter, animal lover and alliteration enthusiast. Their online love blossomed via e-mails and phone calls between Bonhomme, James and even James’ family.
Three months into their relationship, however, James died suddenly from (previously unmentioned) liver cancer. Bonhomme was devastated. Her shock turned to outrage when she discovered that the entire James family was the fabrication of a 58-year-old woman living in Batavia, Ill. Bonhomme eventually sued her hoaxer, but the Illinois Supreme Court dismissed the case.
Obsession breeds tragedy
Perhaps the most infamous of online-love deceptions is the tale of Talhotblond. The details are complicated — though the Lifetime movie hits the major points. In 2005, Thomas Montgomery, 46, began frequenting Internet chatrooms. Using the screen name MarineSniper and using photos from his long-ago military days, Montgomery pretended to be a young Marine. Then he met “Jessi” (Talhotblond), an 18-year-old from West Virginia, in a chatroom. Though Montgomery was a married man, his casual flirting with Jessi grew into an obsession.