Woman's online 'boyfriend' revealed as housewife, lawsuit filed

[Liberal_in_LA]

Woman's online 'boyfriend' revealed as housewife

CHICAGO -- When the Colorado volunteer firefighter she loved died unexpectedly of liver cancer in 2006, Paula Bonhomme tenderly re-examined his gifts to her: a rubber duck with a firefighter hat, a lock of his hair, a flattened quarter he'd stuck on the train tracks as a kid.

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Even though they had never met, Bonhomme left an unhappy marriage in Los Angeles and was set to move to Colorado in 2006 when she learned James was dead. He hadn't told anyone else of his diagnosis, James' sister said, and didn't want a memorial service. "You all have temples within you," he wrote in a last note, "go there if you want to honor me."

About seven months later, Bonhomme's friends uncovered the creepy truth. James, his young son and about 20 other friends and family members Bonhomme had been communicating with for months were characters allegedly created by a woman in Chicago's west suburbs.

The depth of the alleged deception stunned Bonhomme. Janna St. James, who lives in Batavia, Ill., had allegedly used a voice-altering device to pose as Jesse James on the phone, coordinated numerous storylines with her characters that advanced in emails and instant messages, and sent and received mail -- including children's drawings -- from all over the world.

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Bonhomme says she spent about $10,000 on gifts for James and his family and friends. But she doesn't think St. James was motivated only by money.


Read more: http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2011/04/28/20110428chicago-fake-online-boyfriend-housewife.html#ixzz1KwXcSbbE

[FSogol]

1. Ever seen the documentary "Catfish?" I think stories of this type are going to become more common.

:shrug:

[Liberal_in_LA]

2. no, haven't seen it. Time for folks to start visiting online friends before getting in too deep

[CatWoman]

3. this is a mighty strange story

:silly:

[geckosfeet]

4. This. Is. Weird.

[drm604]

5. Strange.

What a terrible thing to do to a person.

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

6. Role play games, but only one side knows it's a game?

Janna is one odd lady.

:hi:

[slackmaster]

7. Sad, pathetic story all around

:argh:

[canetoad]

8. Reading the article in the link

It goes on to talk about a woman who had a terminally ill unborn child.

Coincidentally, I read about a fascinating 'new' syndrome recently. Münchausen by internet (MBI).

"Mandy is one of a growing number of people who pretend to suffer illness and trauma to get sympathy from online support groups. Think of Tyler Durden and Marla Singer in Fight Club, only these support groups are virtual, and the people deceived are real. From cancer forums to anorexia websites, LiveJournal to Mumsnet, trusting communities are falling victim to a new kind of online fraud, one in which people are scammed out of their time and emotion instead of their money. The fakers have nothing to gain from their lies – except attention."
http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2011/feb/26/faking-illness-online-munchausen

[REP]

9. Noticed those people on Usenet 10+ years ago - they're creepy and sad

Not trolls, exactly; they weren't always about stirring up trouble but it was always about them. I especially remember the person who claimed to be intersexed and blind from birth yet had worked as a phlebotomist and had saved people from burning buildings and drowning. She would occasionally try to get airline tickets or money, but mostly she wanted praise and attention.

[Liberal_in_LA]

10. I remember those days...lots of guys would claim military heroism or CIA/FBI employment