Seduction and Love in Cyberspace...An Alluring Deception

Nia was the type of person who felt that her life was as mundane as an inanimate object. Of course inanimate items can be functional and add beauty to one's environment. But Nia looked at life differently from the rest of the world. Never mind she held a high paying position as a stockbroker at one of the most prestigious brokerage firms in New York, was making a six figure income, and owned a condominium in an upscale neighborhood that was quickly becoming the place to be for the up and coming who's who in America. Nia had a growing list of clients whose main objective was to invest their money to make more money, and this was her forte, making the rich, richer. At the age of 28, Nia was voted the top stockbroker of the year and received a hefty bonus. She had a supportive family, many friends and associates, entertained often and dated on a regular basis. However, most of the men she dated were old-fashioned, cocky or egotistical. For some reason Nia was attracting men, whom she believed, didn't add any excitement to her life. No matter how much education, money or status the men possessed, she found the guys to be as dull as she was. Nia sensed that something was definitely missing in her life, and it was time for her to make a complete transformation.

Many of Nia's acquaintances would discuss how they found their ideal love on the Internet. Nia held the firm belief that going on the Internet to find a mate was a sign of desperation, but thought if her associates were using the internet to find love and romance, that maybe this could be something worth checking into. So one night, she decided to go online and browsed through some of the popular dating services. One particular dating site caught her eye. She decided to register and became a member. Since joining was free, Nia thought she had nothing to lose and a good deal to gain.

Nia carefully scripted her profile and submitted it along with her photo. Since she was not one to sit back and wait for others to contact her, she started to surf the site for eligible single men. Many of the profiles that she read didn't impress her. She sensed that many of the men were not that forthcoming in their description, income, status, or what they were really seeking in a relationship. After several weeks of searching, Nia was about to give up when suddenly one particular profile of a gentleman grabbed her attention. What attracted Nia to this profile was that the man was strikingly handsome and distinguished looking. She started to read his profile; his name was Toto. He described himself as a never married, childless, God-fearing middle-aged man of means who was searching for his ideal queen with whom he could share his wealth and love. He portrayed himself as tall, muscular and in good physical shape. He did not smoke, or drink, and was drug-free. He owned an import/export business and was well respected in the community. He came from a family of land owners and was seeking a woman who was financially secured and who wanted to have children in the near future. The fact that he lived in Gabon may have been a draw back for Nia, but at this point she was so mesmerized by him, that distance was not a problem. All she saw was a good-looking man who had money, land and status, or so she thought.

Nia contacted Toto immediately, and for the next several months, the two emailed and snail mailed each other. Nia's life was an open book. She discussed her job as a stockbroker and how she became financially astute by helping others to make money through good sound investments and stressed that the more money her clients made, the bigger her bonuses were. She even went so far to say that she could help Toto invest his profits from the import/export business, and perhaps the two of them could become partners. Nia was happy as a bee making honey. She was really beside herself. At last, Nia's life was going through a complete metamorphosis. No more dull moments for her. She told her family, friends and associates that she had finally met her true love in cyberspace.

Toto believed that he had also found his true love. He was so impressed with Nia that he was ready to settle down. He proposed to Nia by email and invited her to come to Gabon to be with him. Now mind you, Nia and Toto never met in person. Their contact was only through email, snail mail, and the telephone, which were always collect calls accepted by Nia.

Now Nia's life was in full swing. So much so that she decided to accept Toto's proposal, and for the next several months, she started to make plans to relocate to Gabon. Nia decided to quit her job, rolled over the money from her 401(K) plan into her IRA account. She sold her condo and placed all of her furnishings in storage until she was ready to send for them. Nia transferred all of her money from her bank accounts into Toto's personal bank account in Gabon. Her family, friends, associates and clients were bewildered to hear such news. Many had begun to wonder if Nia had completely lost her mind. Why would anyone, who had so much going for herself, take such drastic steps? After all Nia was not born with a silver spoon in her mouth. She had to work hard to get where she was today, and to throw it all away just didn't make any sense. But it was logical to Nia, because her dreams had finally come true. She met the man with whom she planned to spend the rest of her life. But little did she know, her dream was about to become her worst nightmare.

It took another couple of months for Nia to get all of her business in order and to tie up loose ends. Nia was now making plans to leave the USA and take that long awaited trip to meet and marry her prince charming. She allowed herself enough money to get by on until she got to Gabon. At the end of the year, Nia booked a flight for a Friday afternoon departure from JFK and arrived in Gabon that evening. Toto was anxiously waiting at the airport. When she first saw him, she was surprise by his physique. Instead of being tall and muscular, he was short and stocky. But his size wasn't important. All Nia cared about was that she was finally meeting her prospective husband, and the fact that he owned land and had money, made him look first-rate in anyone's eyes. They stared at each other and embraced as though they hadn't seen one another in years. He asked her how her flight went, and she responded by saying "it was a pleasant and a long awaited journey." Toto replied that he was delighted to finally meet her. Nia was beautiful, tall and voluptuous and always wore her hair in tiny braids. She was a natural beauty without makeup, and her fashion style was always classic chic. Nia could have been a high fashion or a cover-girl model. As far as Toto was concerned, she was just what the doctor ordered and more.

Nia and Toto left the airport in a taxi and arrived at his residence. He lived in a room, which hardly had any furnishings which included a bed, table, two chairs, a refrigerator and a stove. The community in which he resided was such a contrast to where Nia had lived. She started to wonder why someone with such resources would live a penny-pinching life-style. But then Nia rationalized that many wealthy people live below their means; this is why they had money; she thought.

As Nia looked around the room, she asked Toto why he lived in a space with just the bare necessities. He told her that his business had failed, and that he had to sell all of his assets to pay off bad debts that had accumulated over the past couple of years. At the present time, he could only afford a one room dwelling. Then Nia asked about the land that his parents owned, and why some of the property wasn't sold to pay off some of the debt. Toto said that the land was actually owned by his uncle and not by his parents, and that the family had been feuding for years regarding the true ownership of the land. His uncle's father was the original owner, but when the father passed away, there were no provisions made as to who would take over the land. So the uncle made a claim that the property was his and his alone. She asked him about her money that was wired into his bank account. Toto replied by saying "my beloved Nia, I took the liberty of using most of the money you sent to help pay off all of my debts. I am sorry to say that I am broke with no means of ever paying you back." At this point, Nia stopped listening to Toto; her brain began to spin like a steering wheel out of control. After getting over that initial shock, Nia knew right then that she had been taken in by a smooth operator. The money that she had worked so hard for was gone in a split second. If Nia thought her life was boring before she met Toto, she was in for a rude awakening, because she was now financially ruined, and broke. And to add insult to injury, Toto still wanted to marry her. Toto actually believed that with her help, he could restart his import/export business. He even went as far as to say that his family would help them get back on their feet.

Nia started to evaluate her circumstances. She knew there was no future with Toto. She did not want to stay with him any longer; what would be the point. Both of them were penniless. Nia had no money to take care of herself much less take care of two people. The cost of buying a one way ticket back the USA cost more than she could afford. She had no home to go back to, because she sold her condo. But she was fortunate in one way; she had family and friends that she could count on. Nia decided it was time to leave Toto's residence and checked into an inexpensive motel. She called her family, explained her state of affairs and asked to have money for a plane ticket wired to her.

A week later, Nia left Gabon and while on the flight back to the USA, she pondered how she could have been taken in so easily by a man she didn't know and never even met. In retrospect, she started to ask herself why she didn't recognize the signs which warned her that Toto wasn't forthcoming about himself. So many questions and thoughts were racing through her brain. When Toto described himself as a man of means; what exactly did he mean? Why did Toto always reverse the charges when he called her? Why didn't he make an effort to come to the USA to meet her? When Toto asked her to marry him and invited her to come to Gabon, why didn't he send her money for a plane ticket? Toto never went into details about his business. Nia knew that asking these questions now was useless. The damage was done. Nia came to terms with the poor choices she made in the name of love. She learned a very valuable lesson, the hard way.

As the plane landed at JFK Airport, she started to comprehend that her life wasn't as boring as she imagined, and that the road she traveled, to search for love and to add more excitement to her so-called lackluster life, was a deception carry out by Toto with Nia being the injured party. Only time will tell if Nia will be able to pick up the pieces of her life, after being mislead by a man whom she fell in love with and trusted so much.

Nia got off the plane, retrieved her luggage, and was met by her parents at the arrival gate. At this point, Nia didn't have the strength to carry on a conversation with her parents. She hugged them, and they drove off to her parent's home. While driving home, Nia was quiet and too humiliated to discuss with her parents as to what took place in Gabon. There would be plenty of time for that conversation. At this point, Nia had more time than she had money. Nia's mother asked how her flight went; Nia responded by saying it was okay. Her father, who was never at a lost for words, was silent throughout the journey.

It seemed as though it took forever for the family to arrive home. The ride from the airport to the house usually took anywhere from 30 to 45 minutes. Nia thanked her parents for being there for her. Her mother had prepared Nia's bedroom, and Nia immediately went to her room. Because she was exhausted from the long flight and drive from the airport, Nia decided to take a shower and went straight to bed. As she was lying in bed, all Nia thought about was how she was taken in by Toto. The reflection kept spinning around in her head until she finally fell asleep.

It was morning, and Nia heard a knock at her bedroom door. It was her mother asking if she wanted to come down for breakfast. Nia knew that what her mother and father really wanted to do was to talk about what happened in Gabon. Since Nia never really went into many details about Toto to her parents, she was perplexed as to what she was going to say to them. All her parents knew was that their daughter had met a wealthy businessman who lived in a foreign country, and that she was going to his homeland to get married and live happily ever after.

Nia and her parents were close. Her parents worked hard to obtain the American dream. Her father was a bookkeeper for a neighborhood furniture store, and on the weekends, he prepared income taxes for his friends and the neighborhood businesses. Her mother was a dressmaker and worked from home. Her father was a frugal person. He was not one to waist money on frivolous things. Every penny he earned went into a bank account. When he accumulated enough money, he purchased a home for his family, and he sent both of his children to college where Nia majored in finance and her brother majored in computer science. Their son was a computer programmer for a small technology firm and resided in California with his wife and three children. Nia's father was very proud of his son and daughter, because he saw a little bit of himself in them. He always taught his children the value of a dollar, and stressed that money did not grow on trees, and if invested wisely, it will enable a person to be self-sufficient and live a comfortable lifestyle. He believed that a person should always live below their means, and save money for a rainy day. So when his daughter took all of her money, and sent it to Gabon and then lost it all, he was bewildered and started to wonder if his daughter was under some kind of hypnotic spell while she was communicating with Toto. Perhaps Toto sprinkled some goofa dust in the letters that he had written to her, thought her father.

The aroma of bacon, eggs, waffles and coffee was so tempting, that Nia couldn't resist joining her parents for breakfast. Nia took several deep breaths before she went down stairs. She dreaded talking to them about Toto, but figured that now would a good time to explain what happened in Gabon. But Nia decided that she was going to leave out a lot of the particulars. As she sat down at the table, Nia started to tell her parents what had happened. But Nia never told them that Toto had used all of her money to pay off his bad debts; instead, Nia told her parents that she and Toto had invested all of their money in a business venture, but the deal fell through because one of the investors disappeared with all the money. Nia just couldn't bring herself to tell her parents that Toto was the one who took all of her money. Of course her father, being an astute man, didn't buy her story. After all his daughter was a stockbroker; she would have never put all of her money into such an undertaking, her father thought. Her mother just sat there in amazement and did not know what to think. But her parents decided not to push the subject any further; they surmised that if their daughter wanted them to know more, she would have told them right then and there.

After breakfast, Nia decided to go back to her bedroom and contemplated what she was going to do next. She knew that staying with her parents was not an option; not that her parents didn't mind having her home, but Nia enjoyed being on her own and having her own place.

Within a couple of weeks, Nia was contacting some of her business associates. Because of her talents and skills as a stockbroker, she felt that she wouldn't have any problems getting a job. As luck would have it, Nia was hired as a financial adviser at a bank in mid-town Manhattan. The starting salary was in the five figure range. For Nia, it was like starting all over again. The company offered good benefits which included health coverage, a pension plan, bonuses, paid holidays, paid sick leave, personal days, and two weeks paid vacation after one year. Nia would work in the Mutual Fund Division. Her job was to get clients with large accounts at the bank to invest their money into mutual funds.

Nia felt right at home in her new job. Her reputation had preceded her. Just about everyone in the bank knew of her achievements at the brokerage house where she had previously worked, but many wondered why she left such a lucrative job to come work for a bank. But Nia would just say that the pressure of working for a large brokerage house was just too much, and that she needed more balance in her life. So she decided to leave her job, do some traveling and then search for work that was less demanding. And that was it. Nia learned not to broadcast all of personal business with her co-workers.

It was now the first anniversary of Nia being on the job. She had accrued quite a bit of money and decided it was time for her to look for a place of her own. She found an affordable one bedroom apartment not too far from work. She signed a two year lease, and within two weeks Nia had moved into her new pad. Little by little, Nia added furniture and other decorative items to her place to make it more comfortable and inviting.

Between working at the bank and decorating her apartment, Nia was busy; so much so that she didn't even have time to date or entertain. She often thought about Toto and wondered if he was back to posting his profile on the dating site where she had met him. Just for fun, Nia decided to go online and browse through some of the dating sites. She was determined not to make the same mistake as she did with Toto. If she met someone in cyberspace, she would take it slow and not jump into a relationship so quickly. Nia wasn't about to let history repeat itself, or so she thought.

Nia joined another dating site and uploaded her profile along with her photo. This time, she was going to wait and let the person of interest contact her. Several days later, Nia received an e-mail with an attached photo from a man who was living in Texas. His message was very captivating. He wrote that he was a 36 year old, well-built, and never-married male who was seeking a single woman who was motivated, smart, independent and financially secured for a relationship leading to marriage. He ran a real estate investment company, owned his own home and loved to travel. He received his MBA degree from a prestigious university in Boston. On the side, he dabbled in online trading and made quite a bit of money buying and selling stocks. He was so impressed with Nia's profile and her striking beauty, and because he felt they both had so much in common, he wanted to form a friendship and eventually meet her. His name was Mack.

After reading Mack's communication, Nia thought hard and long before she would answer him. She did not want to come over as though she was desperate. She decided to wait about two weeks before she got back to him. Nia figured that if he was really serious about corresponding with her, then he would get back to her. If he did not, then he was just looking for a roll in the hay, or was pulling her chain; she surmised.

Mack did get back to Nia and for the next several months, they exchanged emails and letters. Nia was so impressed with Mack, because he did not pressure her into meeting or forming any type of personal relationship with him. He was all business. Mack talked mostly about his real estate dealings. He would buy dilapidated houses, renovate them, re-sell them and make nice profits. Mack would send Nia photos of the homes he refurbished. The homes were just gorgeous; so much so that Nia was thinking about purchasing a home as an investment.

After communicating for almost a year, Mack informed Nia that he was coming to New York on business and wanted to finally meet her in person. Nia felt confident about meeting Mack. She told him about some great hotels and guest houses where he could stay. Mack told her that he would be arriving in New York in a couple of weeks. Nia was excited and couldn't wait to meet him. She was finally meeting the man whom she believed would be her soul mate.

Mack arrived in New York and was staying at a hotel not too far from Nia's apartment. He called Nia, and they made arrangements to meet for dinner at a restaurant near the hotel. Nia must have changed outfits several times. She felt like a teenager going out on her first date. She decided on a soft red satin dress with a black knit jacket. She looked in the mirror and said "you go girl" and was on her way to meet her date.

When Nia arrived at the restaurant, she saw Mack. He looked just like his photo. He was tall, dark and handsome and came over as a sophisticated gentleman. When Mack saw Nia, he got up, hugged her and said how delighted he was to meet her, and that her picture didn't do her justice; she was more stunning in person; he said. Nia was beside herself. She was overwhelmed by his charming demeanor.

Throughout dinner, they talked about their interests and dreams for the future. Mack was definitely paying attention to Nia, as she was to him. They were like two star struck lovers stranded on an island trying to figure out what to do next. After dinner, Nia invited Mack to her place for a night cap and more conversation. When Nia and Mack arrived at her place, he was in awe with her apartment and how exquisite it looked. She offered him a drink, and they continued to talk. Nia was interested in buying a house in Texas and wanted Mack to help her. Mack said he would be happy to assist her in finding a home that would fit into her budget. He had a couple of homes that were ready to be put on the market. But Nia wasn't able to take time off from her job, because she had already used up her vacation time. It would be another year before she would be able to travel to Texas, and she did not want to miss a great opportunity to acquire a house while it was a buyer's market. Mack reassured her that she didn't have to come to Texas; he could send her a video of the finished homes, and if she was interested in making a purchase, he could handle all of the paper work from his end. All she would have to do is put down a deposit, and he would hold the mortgage for her. Mack estimated that the houses would cost anywhere from $300,000 to $500,000. All the homes were one family split-level with three bedrooms and 2 baths and set on a quarter of acre land. Nia thought to herself that the prices were just right, and she could rent out the house to earn extra income and to help pay the mortgage.

Nia was so keyed up that she asked Mack to spend the night with her. The next morning, Nia woke up on top of the world. Mack was still asleep. She got up, and took a shower. As she came out of the shower, Mack had awakened. Nia greeted Mack with a deep passionate kiss. She and Mack got dressed. Nia went to the kitchen and made breakfast. They sat down and talked about the previous night and how wonderful it was. Mack was to remain in New York for the next couple of days.

Nia and Mack had a world wind rendezvous. They took in sightseeing, went shopping and visited several popular sites. On the last day of Mack's visit, Nia decided that Mack was the one. He went back to the hotel to check out. She went with him to the airport to see him off. As he was saying farewell to Nia, he whispered into her ears and said he loved her. Nia responded and said she loved him too and was ready to take their relationship to the next level. Mack said that he would get in touch with her when he got back to Texas. If Nia thought her dreams of love and happiness were coming true, she was in for the shock of her life.

It had been a week before Nia heard from Mack. She had received videos and photos of the homes that were completed. One house captured Nia's attention. The house looked like a mansion that was designed for a queen. Nia fell in love with the house right on the spot. The house was located about 20 miles north of Dallas. Nia felt that the house would bring in good income as a rental property. Mack informed Nia that the house was going for $300,000.00. Nia wanted to purchase the house. Mack told her that she would only have to put 10% down; this way no one else could bid on the place.

Nia was able to get a loan for half of the deposit needed for the down payment and obtained the remaining funds from her savings account. She got a cashier's check for $30,000.00 payable to Mack's company and mailed it off to Texas.

About a month had passed, and Nia did not hear from Mack. For the next several days, she emailed him, but never got a reply. She called his company but kept getting his voice mail. Nia started to wonder why she had not heard from Mack and thought it was time to go to Texas and check out things. She was able to take some personal days from her job, made reservations to fly to Texas and left on a Friday morning flight. She arrived in Texas that afternoon and took a cab straight to Mack's company which turned out to be a mail drop service. When she inquired about Mack's Real Estate Investment Company, the clerk informed her that the mail box was closed and that no forwarding address was on file.

It only took a second for Nia to realize that she was taken in yet again and started to wonder what it was about her that attracted these sorts of men into her life. What signals did she radiate that would cause her to be duped for a second time by such deceitfulness? After Toto's betrayal, Nia thought for sure that she was levelheaded and more astute to reading people.

Nia believed that filing a complaint against Mack and trying to get her money back would have been fruitless. For all she knew, Mack wasn't his real name. He was probably in another state or country under an assumed name and back on the Internet attempting to scam another poor soul out of her money.

Since Nia had an open plane ticket, she decided that it was time to leave Texas and was able to get a flight out that evening. Nia was certain that she would never search for love in cyberspace again, and finally recognized that she could do well by herself.

Even though this story is fictional, what happened to Nia is not that unusual. Not a day goes by where you don't hear or read about someone who was taken in by an alluring individual, who pretended to be searching for love, when in reality the person was looking to satisfy his or her own agenda. The thrill of rushing into a relationship without applying common sense can ruin someone financially and emotionally. So when looking for love in cyberspace, always exercise good common sense, which carries more weight than all the gold in Fort Knox.