Cautionary Tale

A while back I was contacted for some information on visiting the Dominican Republic. We corresponded back and forth. I will call him "Bob." Bob wrote me recently to tell me about his trip, and all that led up to it. He asked me to share this with my readers as a cautionary tale.

As I stated, Bob contacted me for information. He is a nice guy (very good looking!) in his late 30's. He wanted to find out about possibly meeting someone to show him around. He wasn't interested in the buggaron scene. I told him that many Dominicans are online, and he could try and meet people that way. He met several people that he was interested in, but one in particular really caught his fancy.

They talked practically everyday, and then started talking on the phone. His "friend" speaks a little English. All during their communication his friend never once asked for anything. Everything seemed to be progressing nicely. During their talks Bob revealed a lot of information about himself. What kind of job he had, where he owned homes, his love for shopping and the finer things in life.

The day finally came for the start of his vacation and when he arrived in Santo Domingo he was met at the airport by his friend. He was driving a late-model car, dressed very nicely, handsome and Bob thought he had hit the jackpot. They make their way to the hotel.

Long-story short, they had a great time together. The friend didn't live a gay life, but did know where all the better restaurants, bars, stores and the like were. He even paid on some occasions. He told Bob he was a student at a prestigious university in Santo Domingo studying architecture. Bob was absolutely smitten.

After a few days Bob's friend decides to take him over to meet his "family." He lived with his grandmother in a nice apartment. Bob was ready to get married.

After 10 days, Bob and his friend decide to spend a couple of days at a resort. Bob started noticing a little strange behavior. His friend would disappear for hours on end. Bob thought it strange, but didn't think too much of it.

On the drive back from Punta Cana, Bob's friend is distant and quiet. Bob is wanting to know what's wrong. This doesn't seem like the same guy who he has spent the past two weeks with. Bob's friend starts crying, and tells him he has "problems." It seems that his grandmother is deathly ill with cancer, and the family is desperately trying to raise the money for an operation. This was the reason given for the disappearance while at the resort. The friend needed time to gather his thoughts.

Bob believed him. I mean, everything had been perfect for the last 2 weeks. What reason would his friend have for lying? Bob then goes and gets a cash-advance for $2,000 and gives it to his friend. He decides he will give it to him as a surprise before he left the next day. He wanted to do what he could to help.

That night was magical, according to Bob. They had a romantic dinner, made love, and cuddled the whole night away. The next morning, Bob awakes to find that his friend isn't in the room. Bob thinks that maybe he just went down for breakfast.

Bob starts packing and getting ready to leave that afternoon. He notices that he can't find several pair of expensive shoes and sunglasses. He figures they could be in the trunk of the car. Bob then goes into his safe to get his passport and ticket, only to find out that there is nothing there. No passport, no Cartier watch, no $2,000, no credit cards, no diamond studs. NADA! Now it was starting to sink in.

Bob goes down to the front desk. The staff haven't seen him. He decides to tell them what happened. They pull the copy of the identification that he left when they checked-in together. After further inspection Bob notices that it is not his "friend." The ID looks a little like him, but it definitely ain't him. Bob wants to call the police, the U. S. embassy, anybody who could help.

The police are called and Bob goes into his story once again. He then realizes that he doesn't know his friend's last name. Call me psychic, but I bet the first name wasn't real either. He can't remember where his friend's "grandmother" lives. He also realizes that he doesn't have any photos of his friend either. All during their time together, his friend wouldn't allow any photos of his face to be taken. His friend said that his family was very religious and well-connected, and he just couldn't take any chances of any photos showing up on the Internet.

With that, there wasn't much Bob could do, but get on a plane and return to the States. (He had to leave the next day, because he needed a new passport.) On the airplane ride back he had the time to think about all that went wrong, and how he could be out of $5,000. Not to mention the cost of the trip itself.

When he arrives home the number he used to talk with his "friend" is now answered by someone else. Also, his profile is now deleted off Adam4Adam.

What is the moral of this story? I will leave that to you, dear readers.

As Ever,

The Monaga Blogger