Jen* has happily been with her partner for a while now.
She thought things were going well, that is, until she received a text one day from a number she didn’t recognize.
That anonymous message made her question everything she thought she knew about her partner and their relationship.
The message was simple but cryptic. “Hey Jen, need to say this,” it began.
“He is not good to women and not loyal. You’re a good chick and I don’t want to see you get hurt.
“Sorry for the weird text but I can’t get involved.”
Jen was left feeling a mix of shock and confusion. Should she take the message at face value and see it as a warning about her partner’s fidelity?
Was it from someone else in her life who had some unknown agenda?
Or was it just a scam?
Full of doubts and torn over what to do next, Jen took to a Facebook group to ask other women for their advice.
She shared a screenshot of the strange message, which she ended up replying to saying: “Thank you for the message, I appreciate it. Can I please ask who this is?”
Jen captioned her post: “What happens when we receive an anonymous message? How seriously do we take it? Is this a crazy ex trying to warn me while also getting revenge? Or is this a friend of his trying to look out for me? Why can’t I trace this number?”
She also added that it couldn’t have come from any of her friends as they don’t know him.
Her post got a lot of attention in the group and an army of women came out to help Jen figure out what was going on.
One internet detective suggested: “Put the number into PAYID and see if a name comes up.”
A different person pointed out, “There are websites where you can send texts anonymously, so I don’t think it’s necessarily a scam.”
And a lot of people agreed that the text likely came from a male in the partner’s life. “That is definitely the way a guy texts,” one person commented. Someone else added: “Yep, that typing is a dead giveaway.”
“I reckon a mate or an ex-mate wrote that who doesn’t want to get too involved and doesn’t want to see you get hurt,” a different comment read. “It also could have come from a family member who wants to stay out of the drama.”
Others told Jen to trust her gut and proceed with caution.
Someone claimed: “A lot of the time these messages are true – usually they’re not said out of jealousy.”
“Please don’t take it with a grain of salt, listen to your gut and act accordingly,” advised a different woman.
One commenter told Jen to visit the Facebook page ‘Sis, is this your man?‘ which is a group to expose men who cheat on their partners.
People post a photo of a man and then other group members comment if they know him or have been romantically or sexually involved with him.
There are different pages for different states.
Then finally, some members told Jen to have an open and honest chat with her partner.
“It’s totally understandable to have these thoughts,” someone said. “Communication is key in any relationship. Consider sharing your feelings with him and see how he responds. Trust your instincts and remember, sometimes it’s best to address concerns openly.”