My own story a fairy tale gone bad

I've been a gamer since childhood, starting with classics like Pokémon, Zelda, and Crash Bandicoot. Over the years, I've explored various genres and platforms. However, as I got older, I encountered a side of gaming I wasn't prepared for. I began playing one of those Android castle-building games where you can develop your castle faster by spending money. The concept is simple: the more you spend, the more you get. The first package only costs 99 cents—a perfect method to lure players into spending more for fantastic rewards.

While you can invest time and save resources to improve, the reality is these games are pay-to-win. To ensure you're strong enough to protect or attack other players, spending money becomes almost a necessity. I became fully committed to becoming as strong as the top spenders.

A recruiter is someone who spends most of their time chatting with other players, making connections, and being friendly and patient. They take the time to understand if you're a good spender and what you want from the game. The more information you give them, the more they seem to give you in return. But it's not a fair trade. The game is set up so the top alliances know each other, and the recruiters want to know more about you—why you play the game, your life situation, if you're single, etc. This information helps them decide how to manipulate you. Often, these recruiters are flirty, friendly women who build trust to use it later.

I started developing feelings for one of these recruiters and even mentioned them to other players. Despite warnings, I ignored the red flags and tried to create a deeper connection. I believed that scammers would be more direct, and since I had never experienced such manipulation, I couldn't believe the warnings without evidence. I was naive and determined to achieve my goals, despite not being the flirty type.

Looking back, there were plenty of red flags. I feel like the biggest fool for not seeing them. I made a promise to this person to never give up on her, a promise I regret every day. We decided to start a long-distance relationship, but she refused to stop recruiting and flirting with others, which hurt me deeply. I bought her game packages because she wanted them, and things escalated from there.

In December a few years ago, she told me her brother, a policeman, had been captured and needed ransom money to stay alive. To make the story more convincing, she implied that without my help, she would have to resort to prostitution to save him. Despite my doubts, I couldn't bear the thought of her going through such a situation. I sent 900 EUR and fought for this person, believing I was helping.

Eventually, I realized I was talking to more than one person. I noticed changes in behavior and tone. Someone tried to break me mentally with insults, claiming she had sex with others, and made me a fool in the game. The kind girl disappeared, leaving me to deal with the demands for money, secrecy, and explicit photos. Each month, I was ordered to erase all our communications.

My Facebook was hacked, my Gmail and bank services were suddenly accessed from India, and my phone started taking pictures on its own. I found strange audio recordings on my phone, which I couldn't explain. When I confronted her, she called me crazy and denied any knowledge of it.

This experience was a harsh lesson in trust and online manipulation. It's crucial to be aware of the signs and protect yourself, even in seemingly harmless games. My story is a cautionary tale for anyone who thinks they are immune to such scams. Stay vigilant and always question too-good-to-be-true scenarios.

(Keep in mind when i mention these things their are always two sides of a story, my lesson is then also to never listen to one side, so i mention this in order to maybe help other see trough this deception, this is not made up and this is why I started to want to understand more about IT, learning how to become a developer without any basic knowledge, learning not to run when someone needs help, learning how to be a developer, learning myself without anyone that helps me is challenging and i feel like i can't trust anybody sometimes, my life, my mistakes, my choices, so i cannot say that my story isn't going how it's planned.)