This woman fell for a catfish and then he led her to a movie-like romance

This surge in internet romances has been met with waves of support and controversy, depending on what people’s views are. Those in favor of these relationships praise how easy it is to find love online, especially if you’re someone who doesn’t have much free time. However, there’s no denying that there are risks involved when it comes to meeting people on the internet. You can never be sure of who you’re talking to online unless you’re in a video chat. Many people use this anonymity to catfish strangers, just like someone did to 35-year-old Emma Perrier. Luckily, while this person might have put her through the wringer, they ended up leading Emma to the love of her life.

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Looking for love

Like many people in the world, Emma Perrier was a woman looking for love. The restaurant manager from London desperately wanted a man to call her own, especially after the heartache her ex had put her through. She’d come to learn that meeting people in real life was incredibly difficult, and that realization pushed her towards online dating.

Although internet romances weren’t a foolproof solution, there was every chance she’d find her prince charming on an app.

The perfect match

Of all the possible dating apps out there, Emma decided that Zoosk was the one for her. She set up a profile and immediately started receiving messages from potential suitors. It was one Ronald “Ronnie” Scicluna who caught her eye, though.

The man seemed like a total catch, fitting the whole tall, dark, and handsome thing to a tee. The man lived in the West Midlands a few hours away from Perrier, and he was the same age as the restaurant manager. There was a chance the two of them could be great together, so Emma took the plunge and responded to him.

Going places fast

Any fear that Ronnie wouldn’t be interested in Emma disappeared as soon as they started talking. There was an instant connection between the two that excited Perrier to no end. She couldn’t believe her luck at finding someone so perfect on Zoosk, and it thrilled her to think about what their future held.

Although the restaurant manager didn’t want to get ahead of herself, she was confident that their romance was going somewhere. After all, they talked all the time and discussed things like what their hopes and dreams were. It was like fate had handed Emma the perfect man.

Bump in the road

Unfortunately, as excited as the woman was about her new romance, it wasn’t long before things hit a bump in the road. When Emma brought up the idea of speaking on a video call, Ronnie quickly dismissed it. He suggested that it was the kind of thing that teenagers do and that they should stick to their current form of communication.

Understandably, the restaurant manager was disappointed, especially as she desperately wanted to take things to the next level. However, she let the issue slide, preferring to ignore the warning flag that Ronnie’s excuse brought up. She wanted this romance to work.

Losing her patience

Of course, with Emma so eager to speak to Ronnie face to face, it wasn’t long before she brought up the suggestion again. She wanted to talk to the man, not just a picture of him, and the desperation was starting to get the better of her.

Although she didn’t want to upset her suitor and potentially ruin what they had going on, she needed things to start moving in the right direction. It felt like the two of them had hit a wall, and they were struggling to navigate past it. However, Ronnie still wasn’t having any of it.

A convenient excuse

There was never a good time for the pair to have a video call, according to Ronnie. Apparently, his job required him to travel so much that he rarely had time to stop. What’s more, the little amount of free time he did have was usually spent at his parent’s home in Spain.

His excuses were convenient, to say the least, but Emma was willing to believe them. She had to trust that Ronnie was telling the truth.

Everybody say love

The fact that the man never wanted to speak face to face surprised Perrier given the kind of things they talked about. It had reached the point where Emma was telling Ronnie she loved him, and he was saying it right back to her.

However, no amount of devotion would change the man’s mind. As much as he supposedly cared about her, a video call was always out of the question. Unsurprisingly, this didn’t sit right with Emma’s friends.

A word of warning

Once her pals learned what was going on, they expressed concern over the woman’s relationship. Ronnie’s behavior was growing increasingly suspicious, and it made people wonder if he was really who he said he was.

Emma’s coworkers advised her to think long and hard about her online romance and consider whether she really trusted the man. Although Perrier tried to ignore their warnings, she knew deep down that their concern wasn’t misplaced. Something wasn’t right about Ronnie.

Doing some digging

With her coworker’s words bouncing around in her head, Emma decided to do some digging into her partner. She knew his reluctance to video chat was suspicious, and she had to put her worries to rest.

If she didn’t uncover any secrets about Ronnie, then she could leave all those fears behind her and carry on with her relationship. However, Perrier was sure she was going to find something that would put their love into question.

Putting him to the test

Emma figured the best way to identify if Ronnie was real or not was to check the validity of his photos. So, she downloaded Reverse Image Search on her iPad, an app designed to identify where images on the internet have originated from.

Perrier took one of the pictures that Ronnie had sent her and put it through the search, hopeful it wouldn’t come back with anything questionable. Unfortunately, the results only confirmed her worst nightmare.

A nightmare come to life

The search of Ronnie’s picture pulled up similar images, but they belonged to a man with a different name. According to the app, these photos were associated with a Turkish model known as Adem Guzel.

This discovery prompted Emma to search the name online, and it only made her heart sink further. Each new result assured the restaurant manager that the man she’d been speaking to for all this time wasn’t real. She’d been catfished!

Covering his tracks

After learning about Guzel, Emma messaged her partner and told him he had some explaining to do. Thinking on his feet, Ronnie revealed that he’d used that name back when he’d done modeling. Desperate to believe that their relationship was genuine, Perrier accepted the man’s claims.

However, the doubt inside her didn’t disappear. As time went on, it only grew, pushing the woman closer to a horrifying discovery. The net was closing in on her online lover.

One lie after another

Things began falling apart after Ronnie bought a new computer. He set it up with an email address linked to an Alan Stanley. Confused, Emma asked him about it, and she was told that it was the account of the man who’d previously owned the computer.

However, the name cropped up again after Ronnie sent his partner a picture he’d taken at an aquarium. When she reverse image searched it, she finally learned the truth.

Out in the open

The results of the search led Perrier to a Tripadvisor post written by Alan Stanley. She refused to believe that the recurring name was a coincidence, so she googled the man. That’s when she discovered that her hunky other half was actually a man in his ‘50s.

Emma was stunned, to say the least. For more than a year she’d been crazy about her online lover, only to learn that he didn’t even exist!

Time for the truth

Horrified by what she’d been put through, Emma called her lover and demanded the truth. He desperately tried to keep the pretense going by saying that Perrier had trust issues, but she refused to play the fool any longer.

She hung up on the man, only for him to call her later ready to reveal all. It was an emotional time for Emma as Alan shared his side of the story, but things weren’t over yet.

The real Ronnie

Realizing there was a chance Alan could do this again, the restaurant manager decided to get in contact with Guzel and tell him what had happened. When the model saw the message, he initially considered ignoring it.

However, the sincerity in Emma’s words persuaded him to write back. Apparently, this wasn’t the first time someone had done this with his photos, and the model was furious that Alan had put Perrier through so much heartache.

Speaking face to face

Shortly after their conversation started, Emma asked Adem if he wanted to do a video chat. She’d been robbed of the chance to see the man’s face for over a year, and now was her opportunity to finally see him. Guzel agreed, and as soon as their video call connected, Perrier started getting emotional.

She couldn’t believe that Adem was real, and she was finally speaking to him face to face. It reduced her to tears.

Destined for one another

Although the pair fell out of contact shortly after their first few conversations, they soon reconnected in the new year. They weren’t sure if it was fate bringing them together, but they couldn’t resist the desire to be in each other’s lives.

Naturally, Emma was fearful of getting to know another man through the internet again. However, she couldn’t deny the spark between her and Adem. That’s why she invited him to visit London in April 2017.

The moment of truth

When Guzel’s plane touched down in London, Emma was a bundle of nerves. She wasn’t sure if she was doing the right thing or not, especially as she didn’t even know Adem. Although she’d been talking to a picture of him for all those months, he wasn’t the one who’d been on the other end of the phone.

Thankfully, when she saw Guzel’s face appear in the sea of passengers, her excitement overwhelmed any worries she had.

Starting something new

That night was the first time the pair shared a kiss. It had happened unexpectedly, but it wasn’t something either party regretted. That moment confirmed that there was something between the two, and their relationship only grew from there.

They spent the rest of Adem’s trip having the time of their lives, and they dreaded the moment he had to leave. Luckily, it wouldn’t be long before Guzel became a permanent part of Emma’s life.

Hard to say goodbye

After learning about Ronnie’s true identity, you might think Perrier would completely cut the catfish out of her life. However, Emma couldn’t give up on the man before she got the closure she desperately needed.

The restaurant manager actually met up with him and spent an evening coming to terms with what had happened. It was the first of several meetings, with one even culminating in a Christmas gift exchange. Letting go of Ronnie was harder than she’d anticipated.

Cutting all ties

While Alan might have hoped that he could still hold onto Emma after what he’d done, he was cut out of her life the day before she met Adem. She’d said everything to Stanley that she’d needed to, and now it was time for them to both move on.

In her goodbye message, Perrier revealed her uncertainty about whether she was grateful to him for bringing Guzel into her life, or if she still found him repulsive.

Happily ever after

After his catfishing exploits came to light, Alan moved to a new town where he apparently met someone who loves him exactly as he is. Emma, on the other hand, continued romancing Adem, and the pair now live together in London.

Guzel is currently trying his hand at acting in the UK, although his visa only allows him to work in the country for six months at a time. It looks like everyone got a happy ending!