My wife and I had good friends round for a meal last night. We all try to avoid talking about work. Politics … fine. Religion … no problem. Work, however, is taboo, that's just the way it is.
But sometimes, you can't help it, and that's the way it was last night.
Amy's sister Rebecca (both made up names) is forty-something, lovely, and single. Not through choice, she's tried, bless her, and sadly been unlucky in love.
Until now, apparently. Rebecca, it seems, has met a US Army officer online and has been forming a friendship with him for several weeks. Now, he's been posted to Afghanistan. But interestingly, according to our friends, his English is very poor.
Alarm bells started ringing.
Online relationship, Afghanistan, poor English? What's next, he's going to want to come to the UK to meet Rebecca, but his US Army salary hasn't been paid into his bank account because an insurgent mortar took the phone lines down?
Forgive my cynicism, but even Amy and her old man who are relatively online un-savvy have seen the warning signs. She's a very intelligent, professional woman, but she wants to find Mr Right, and that's all there is to it. Romance fraud? Nah … that's for other people.
Maybe I should take Rebecca out for a Starbucks and have a friendly chat with her, cybersecurity guy-to-friend.
Or maybe that would just be interfering and paranoid.
What should I do?? Answers on Twitter please.
