Editor's note: Lovefraud received the following story about a vacation love that became a con from a reader whom we'll call Elsa20. Names are changed. I met Aslan when I was staying at a hotel in Istanbul. He worked at the front desk. We established a friendship. I left to travel around Turkey and came back to Istanbul and it was the beginning of a long distance relationship. He moved to another city in Turkey to work as a hotel manager. I visited him 3 times. He said he loved me; he wanted to marry me. On one of my visits he asked me for $5,000 to pay his military exemption. After back and forth I wired him the money using Western Union. He promised he would pay me back in May …
5 reasons why we fall for a con artist
UPDATED FOR 2020: We discover that our romantic partner is a complete and utter fake, and we wonder how in the world we could ever fall for a con artist. The proclamations of love, the stories of his or her past — nothing was true. All the money that our partner desperately needed — or promised would buy a life of luxury for the two of us — well, that evaporated into expensive and unnecessary toys, or a secret life with one or more other lovers (targets). When it finally sinks in that we've been conned, the first question we ask of ourselves is, "How could I have been so stupid?" Followed by, "Why didn't I see this coming?" Feeling like chumps, we come down really hard on …
Video: Protect your money when divorcing a sociopath
Most people, when they realize that they must split from their sociopathic husband or wife, still hope to be fair about the process. To protect your money when divorcing a sociopath, here's what you really need to understand: Sociopaths have no interest in fairness. They want to squeeze you for as much as they can get out of you. Susan Shofer, CDC (certified divorce consultant), explains this, and more, in her upcoming webinar: How to protect yourself financially when divorcing a sociopath Wednesday, July 15 • 8-9 pm ET This course has specific, and practical, learning objectives. After this course, you should be able to: Protect your records and accounts in anticipation of …
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Why I wrote, ‘No One Knew’ – I married a sociopath
By Renee Olivier Many people don’t know or aren’t even aware of what a sociopath is and what they are capable of. I wasn’t aware until I left my ex-husband. I felt very isolated and alone when I was in that relationship and anyone who has been with a sociopath understands that. I lived this parasitic lifestyle for eight years with a very dangerous, unstable, and evil person. If someone feels something is off about their partner or starts to notice a pattern of behavior that seeks to take away their freedom and sense of self through demands, threats, and manipulation, then the best thing to do is to get away immediately from that person. The Reason I Wanted To Write This Book, 'No One …
The sociopathic behavior of Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy
By Joanie Bentz, B.S., M.Ed., BC Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy (MSBP) is a mental health problem in which caregivers make up or cause illness or injury in a person who is under their care, according to Michigan Medicine. The victims are usually children, the disabled, or the elderly. Some experts view MSBP as a type of sociopathic behavior, specifically as a subgroup of borderline personality disorder. What does this syndrome look like? Three different experiences of Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy Chloe is a grown woman who has childhood memories revolving around doctor visits, her mother's illnesses and her mother's concern about others being sick. Her mother insisted on caring for …
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Question: Are there harmless sociopaths?
Editor's note: Last week Lovefraud published an article written by a reader who posts as "Natalia20" called, "The sociopathic singer and his many women." Today, I'll address another of her questions, "Are there harmless sociopaths?" Of course, sociopaths usually have some agenda ... exploiting, want a control, etc. But are there people who have no empathy and conscience but live their lives “normally” without having any victims – just not having emotions? I give you an example: My friend Kat. She earns a lot of money but she is super stingy, and always a freeloader but I don´t think she would use someone in order to gain (but she doesn´t feel embarrassed about asking for guest lists …
The sociopathic singer and his many women
Editor's note: Lovefraud received the following story about a sociopathic singer from the reader, "Natalia20." I went to a gig and he was the singer of the band. He was so handsome, sexy, it was very busy night but he noticed me in the crowd and tracked me through a mutual friend. I felt happy like a teenager - I never met a man with a bigger charm or charisma. Often I read that sociopaths have dead eyes but his eyes were the opposite! I never saw more VIVID eyes. They were sooo eager to live life fully, so excited and naughty, with lots of sparkles. He told me how he saw me from the stage and knew "there she is” ... We were dating nearly a year. He was always very spiritual, very …
Yes, many rioters are sociopaths
All across America, protests against the death of George Floyd while in police custody have devolved into riots, looting, arson and vandalism. I am willing to bet that many of the rioters are sociopaths, or followers of sociopaths. Atlantic City, New Jersey, where I live, was targeted. I went for a walk on the Boardwalk last Monday morning, as I do once or twice a week. I passed multiple stores that were boarded up — one of them after windows were smashed. The Boardwalk has been desolate since March, ever since the coronavirus closed all the casinos, restaurants and stores. Things have been eerily quite, but nothing was boarded up. That all changed when rioters came to Atlantic City — …
How to protect yourself from narcissists
Narcissists are, by definition, self-centered, nasty users with no empathy — although they can often hide their miserable personalities, at least for a while. Unfortunately, millions of them live among us. How can you protect yourself from narcissists? That's exactly what counselor Mandy Friedman explains in her webinar on June 25, 2020, called, Tools for navigating narcissists and other manipulative people. Mandy knows about dealing with narcissists both from personal experience, and through working with survivors in her private practice. She will teach you to: Identify narcissists and manipulators Understand how manipulators choose their targets Build a toolbox for dealing …
Book review: How three girls survived their psychopathic mother
If You Tell: A True Story of Murder, Family Secrets, and the Unbreakable Bond of Sisterhood, by Gregg Olsen Review by Emilie18 Disturbing and heartrending, If You Tell is a survivor’s story of absolute evil at the hands of a psychopathic mother, Michelle “Shelly” Knotek —and the freedom and justice that her three daughters, Nikki, Sami, and Tori, risked their lives to fight for. This book paints a vivid portrait of a narcissistic psychopath and goes into astonishing detail of how this woman operates and thinks, how she picks her victims, how she controls them and how she ultimately causes their demise. It may push more than a few buttons for Lovefraud readers, but it impressed me as …
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