Thanks to Red Room, I was given the opportunity to share with many people the story of how I was terribly tricked by somebody I "met" on the internet. As someone who is rapidly becoming vigilant in the area of protecting the public against internet fraud, I can only hope that my story helps others recognize the signs to look out for in the mysterious world of online romance.

Here's an excerpt:

Foolish, stupid, naïve, desperate, lonely, hopeful ... you name it, that was me.

We took it to the phone, talked all the time. He told me that the photo I'd seen was not the real him, and refused to show me what he looked like because, he claimed, he was too shy around cameras. No luck with getting him on webcam, either -- but he promised me that he really was the drop-dead gorgeous thing of beauty that I believed him to be.

So I let myself believe. The voice was good enough: just a husky Southern drawl on the phone that had me convinced that he was the hottest thing ever to cross my path.

It gets better. That sexy, hunky guy with the long, flowing hair -- the one I thought I was in love with -- turned out to be a woman. And not just any woman. A grandmother.