Sunday, October 25, 2015

How a date out-stalked me!

As my close friends know, I love a good stalk. Doesn't everyone??

I recently met my match - I'd lined up my first date since that guy left me hanging after deciding "he wasn't feeling it".

I'd been chatting to this new lad for a week and a half before we met and things started slowly at first (which sometimes happens). Once he was a little liquored up, he relaxed and admitted to me her knew where I worked.

By this stage I thought it was strange he hadn't asked me where I worked (I don't volunteer this info - I want the guy to actually be interested in knowing the answer). So when I did tell him, he fessed up saying he already knew........

Ummmmmm, how?

Then he tells me about how it was really his sister's fault....

I forgot to mention, I'd closed my online account one night after we'd been chatting and he'd given me his number. I sent him a online message saying I was closing my account, I had his number and would be in touch...(that was the nice thing to do, right?).

He woke up the next morning (I'd sent the message quite late) to a notification I'd sent a message but he couldn't read it. Apparently when you close your account, noone can read your message (note to self).

He goes and meets his sister for breakfast and explains his predicament after she asked if was chatting to anyone online at the moment.

He said he'd been chatting to this one girl, but she'd closed her account and she'd sent him a message, but he couldn't read it.

She does the next logical thing: Googles! She typed in my name and journalist and the first hit was my LinkedIn profile.

Is this her, she asks, showing him a photo of me along with my work history?
Yep.

So in one quick step he not only knew where I worked, where I'd worked and what my surname was so now he could stalk me on Facebook!

This is a first for me - I'm the one who cyber stalks a date - it was a weird feeling having the tables turned. But it was quite refreshing to know other people stalk and there's nothing to be ashamed of!

My date even questioned me about a certain profile photo of me with a guy (it was my brother).

It's just a shame we didn't see each other after our second date.

He sent me a polite "thanks, but I don't want to take things further" text. At least he had the decency to tell me and not leave me hanging for a week..