Infiltration

Well said, Bluebelle! It's not new posters like you notreallyallhere but the windup merchants (for want of a better word) so stay with us.

notentirelyallhere, I second Bluebelle's post, please don't give up posting.
It's a shame that you had had a bad experience initially. It's a pity a few posters set out to spoil things for those seeking help or just looking for a bit of light relief in their very stressful lives.
Try the Good Morning thread, all very pleasant and supportive.

For an illustration of this, do look right now at www.gransnet.com/forums/aibu/1255144-to-be-disturbed-by-a-horrid-phone-call before it vanishes!

You see why regulars don't always trust a thread?

A sure sign of a wind-up is when the OP presents a problem and disappears never to be heard from again. There have been a good few of these as fellow 'old timers' will doubtless confirm.

Too late! HHQ deleted the thread immediately. To let you know (without, of course, repeating the post) the OP posted that it was actually him who made the call and he'd had found the replies, . . er . . . very funny.

By GrannyFoxton on Wed 05-Dec-18 09:45:16

Thanks old girls. It was actually me who made the call and I had a hoot as I masturbated over your posts. Love ya, Granny F. U.

Elegran, that thread really upset me,

I have to wonder what the wind up merchants actually get out of posting works of fiction on here. Are they so lonely and bereft of real friends that they have to create an online persona and invent dramas in order to attract any attention from anyone? It's pretty sad and pathetic if that's the reason but maybe we're doing them a service/kindness in responding kindly and supportively to them and making feel that they been "seen as existing" even though their post is a load of old junk.

He meant it to upset you, Annie and that is the most worrying thing about it all, that someone should think it funny to upset vulnerable older people, living alone and having lost loved members of their family. I hope GN does more than just delete the thread. I think that one is serious enough to involve the police!

Just realised that I meant to delete my copy/paste of the actual post - Gn will probably delete that message and give me a row now. Oops! (But I did think it worth describing the post, so that those who think we are just being awkward can see why we are sometimes suspicious.)

Chewbacca The example I copied isn't from someone sad and pathetic, it is from the kind of twisted mind that would think it funny to tie a firework to the tail of a pet.

Let's hope he didn't really make that phone call, just invented the scenario so he could 'masturbate over the posts'.

We know such people are all over internet forums - and that's why I never cease to be amazed at those grans who post pictures of their grandchildren, including names.

Yup, you're right Elegran; I hadn't read your post at 10.19 when I posted mine, and, having read that, I agree that whoever GrannyFoxton is, they've got some serious problems in their head.

And they're probably reading this too.

Trust is broken. HQ needs the up their game.A 5 year old could create an account on here.

GN has their details.

GN should be blocking the IP addresses of these posters, if possible.
It's disgusting that such people go out of their way to target the vulnerable and lonely.

oldbatty A very large proportion of posters on social networking sites are from people with mental ages round about five.

Marydoll I am sure that they do block them, but to do so they have to be reported, and someone in admin has to spend time checking that they are not genuine posters before they are blocked, or there is the opposite problem of people with real problems being prevented from asking for advice.

I understand that Elegran, but I assumed that once the IP address was blocked, they would be be unable to come back under another user name.

It is time that the criminal justice system caught up with people like ‘GrannyFoxton’.
There is an offence of outraging public decency.
From Wikipedia:
“Modern case law has established two elements that must be satisfied for the offence to have been committed:
the act was of such a lewd character as to outrage public decency; this element constitutes the nature of the act, which has to be proved before the offence can be established, and
the act took place in a public place and must have been capable of being seen by two or more persons who were actually present, even if they did not actually see it.”

I think that the suggestion made in GF’s post that was quoted by Elegran was outrageous and it certainly offended my idea of decency.

By posting his thoughts on a public forum, it could be argued that GF had projected his lewd thoughts onto the public.

I’m not sorry you didn’t delete the comment elegran. I think we need to know exactly the sort of person who occasionally posts and perhaps be more sceptical before making sympathetic responses.

They can use a different device, which will have a different IP. The IP is assigned to the computer, not the person, and it can be changed. Article on that here - whatismyipaddress.com/ip-basics

Jane I have replied to GNHQ that I feel they should be taking more positive action than just deleting the thread and banning the poster.

Thank you Bluebelle and others for being kind. I find Gransnet a fascinating and helpful site. This thread is quite an eye opener and a warning not to be too gullible. I just wouldn't have expected to find posters who were setting out to upset on a site such as this.

How complicated the world is now, all the benefits of contact with people around the world one might never have met otherwise and yet odd bods who, if you met them in person, you'd know to avoid. Are people more unhappy and disturbed than they once were and is this why they set out to upset? The other day I read a thread on here about being alone at Christmas and the posts were heart rending but also so incredibly supportive and giving of perspective. I came away thinking 'count my blessings' and how wonderful to have somewhere to say difficult things and receive support.

Thanks, Elegran, I have learned something new! GN is a great educator.
I suppose someone devious enough to want to cause upset, will be savvie enough to change devices.

I agree Elegran.

And me Elegran! We should report suspect posts sooner rather than later and risk getting it wrong. It seems only the members are trying to protect the members.