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Are all Scams Online

(5 Posts)
FranA Sat 01-Aug-26 19:33:10

The reason I wonder is this. About 6 months ago I was just starting my usual aqua class when a young foreign lady joined the class. I am a bit of a loner. Although I know nearly everyone in the class and they know me I most often just prefer to do my own thing and not join in the conversational groups. The young foreign lady decided she would join me. I am very polite and would also try to make anyone new feel welcome. I chatted to her telling her all about the class but decided asking against asking her any personal questions more than “Are you new”. After that I couldn’t get rid of her. She was very pushy wanting to join me in everything I did. I politely declined to have her follow me into my other activities. That was quite hard to do as she was very pushy wanting to join me for coffee or anything else I was doing.
I have never seen her again until today. I have changed my appearance due to illness in the intervening six months. Today in the pool I was swimming in the fast lane. I am activity trying to get fit and spent about one hour just swimming lengths. The same young lady started swimming in the lane next to me and trying to start up a conversation or match my strokes. And waiting at the lane end and trying to start a conversation. I found it quite unsettling. The gym has a sauna and a jaquisi where people who want to chat can easily start up a conversation. It felt quite odd to me that someone would try to start up a conversation with an old lady who was obviously into trying to swim lengths. She swam very few lengths but was just standing at the end of her lane and obviously hoping that I would stop and talk to her. She would try to talk to me as I was doing my turns. Can anyone offer a plausible explanation to what I find to be rather strange behaviour.

Cossy Sat 01-Aug-26 19:43:10

She could just be lonely or overly friendly.

In this setting it would highly irritate me.

If she does it again I’m afraid I’d say something along the lines of, “I’m so sorry but I come here to work on my fitness and I don’t really feel the need to chat”

Good luck flowers

Plevey08 Sat 01-Aug-26 19:50:33

I don't know really. As you say, although you are polite and welcomed her the first time, you don't really like to engage socially. So it is understandable that you felt her quite pushy when she followed you around. On the second meet she tried again to get you talking. I'm not sure where the scam comes in? She just may not have read you not wanting to chat. Difficult as she may be a bit lonely and wanting to fit in so she headed to the person on her own. If you meet again it's reasonable to say when I swim...I swim. I can't do talking as well. It's a shame we can be so wary of others. But if your gut instinct was telling you to be then it might be right. Bit of a shame for her if she just wanted to fit in.

FranA Sat 01-Aug-26 20:35:21

What I find strange is that she is a young attractive female in her 20s. There are lots of people around in her age group or in their 40s/50s. She seems to push herself onto the oldest female. I just have an unsettling gut instinct. If I do come across her again I will just ask her what she has been doing in the intervening six months since I last saw her.

Plevey08 Sat 01-Aug-26 21:12:37

Not sure I'd ask her anything if you really don't want to engage with her. Especially if she isn't picking up that you don't want to talk.