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Man Lured Into Adultery Hoax on Facebook, Summarily Divorced

by Peter Mychalcewycz on February 23, 2009 at 11:35 AM



People get tricked, scammed and embarrassed on Facebook all the time, so it takes a really funny/depressing story to get our attention. Taken from Banned In Hollywood, this hilarious case of adultery-gone-wrong has everything: revenge, travel, deception and, of course, soccer.

Last November, 39-year-old Stuart Slann, resident of South Yorkshire, England and loyal Manchester United fan, was vacationing in Cancun when he met two rabid Liverpool supporters (Liverpool and Manchester United are bitter rivals). The two men grew tired of Slann's boasting (Manchester currently holds the English Premier League and Champions League titles) and decided to throw him in the pool for being an arrogant wanker. Slann, however, had yet to see the full extent of the Liverpudians' retribution.

Upon returning to Liverpool, the two men (who are also cage fighters) decided to set up a fake Facebook profile under the name "Emma" in an attempt to lure Slann into a virtual love affair. The devious plan worked perfectly and to devastating effect.

Slann drove 500 miles from his home to a remote location in North Scotland, where he thought Emma was eagerly awaiting his arrival. When he finally reached the address "Emma" had given him, there was nothing but an old, deserted farm. Soon after arriving, he received a text from "Emma," saying that she was still at work and that he would have to wait a while. After waiting for three hours in his car, a worried Slann called the number he had been texting and was shocked when a man picked up the phone. "Hello Stuart," the man said, "do you remember us? It's them Scouse lads who threw you in the pool. You've been framed."

Slann, who was also tricked into taking a "rude" photo of himself with his camera phone on the drive north, has since been divorced by his wife. While he does think the trick was cruel, he said, "I'll hold my hands up and say they really wound me up."

Brutal. Awesomely brutal. [From: BannedinHollywood]

Losing Face on Facebook

    Facebook is going to rewrite the book on standard office excuses, at least for its shortsighted users. Kevin Colvin, an intern at Anglo Irish bank, thought that had an ironclad story when he asked off to attend to a "family emergency." When his boss was alerted to this fresh picture posted to his Facebook profile during his absence, that story lost just a tad of its believability -- unless he was curing Aunt Hattie with his magical powers and a potent hoppy elixir. We're sure that posting the picture seemed like a good idea at the time, Kevin, but you were sadly mistaken. Same goes for that costume.

    Students at Glen Ridge High School in New Jersey were shocked and confused when the news trucks rolled up to get the scoop on a set of Facebook photos. Obtained by a nosy parent, the pictures featured underage drinking that led to the suspension of school athletes. Many saw the role of the photos in the punishments as legally questionable, but despite organized protests and other umbrage, many students opted to just take their own racy Facebook pictures down as soon as possible. Live and learn, everyone -- just don't post visual evidence of it happening on your profile.

    Even the charmed lives of beauty queens can be dragged through the mud by Facebook photos taken far away from the pageant stage. Miss New Jersey Amy Polumbo discovered this firsthand over the summer when she was the target of a strange "blackmail plot" centered on profile images of her partying and carrying on in a less than royal fashion. She ended up releasing the photos herself, and soon everyone was wondering what the fuss was all about -- from venture capitalists to gossip reporters, Facebook has a tendency to get people riled up.

    Thinking about shoplifting some clothing? Here's a tip -- think twice before posting pictures of yourself modeling the hot merchandise on Facebook. Two students at Radford University in Virginia learned this lesson the hard way when a store owner was tipped off and found the incriminating images on Facebook. A stroke of the 'print' button, a trip to the police office, and the bust was complete.

    This story -- women who show little discretion in their alcohol consumption and even less when documenting their misadventures on their profiles -- seems to have started the most recent wave of Facebook embarrassments. While it's difficult for many to understand the personal pride and motivation behind such excess, it's even more mind-boggling to know that these exploits are being glorified online for all to see. Mom must be proud, and potential employers are surely beating down the doors.


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Tags: adultery, divorce, dumb, facebook, hoax, social-networking, web

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