My Friend Made It To Her Mother's Funeral, Thanks to a Cell Phone Lookup

Have you heard of the Rockefeller Imposter who is currently on trial in Boston for kidnapping his daughter and a bunch of related charges? Then you've heard that since 1993 his now-ex-wife has believed him to be Clark Rockefeller; yes, that Rockefeller. He was very charming, debonair and intelligent, and she had no reason not to believe his tall tales; she was swept off her feet.

Clearly, there wasn't anyone around to give her free online dating advice and open her eyes. He had convenient explanations as to why she'd never met any Rockefellers: his parents were dead, he'd had an early accident that resulted in amnesia, and he'd had a falling out with the relatives. As many other marriages, theirs was first magical, then turned controlling and unhappy, finally dissolving in 2008. He then kidnapped their daughter during a custodial visit. That's when it all came out: Clark Rockefeller was actually German-born Christian Karl Gerhartsreiter. The defense intends to prove that Gerhartsreiter is mentally ill. For the sake of everyone involved, we hope he is.

We are more interested in bringing home the point that ties in so well with this week's free online dating advice. This woman has spent 13 years of her life with an imposter and had no inkling. Can anyone be trusted anymore? Yes, once you learn their name, age, marital status and confirm they've told you the truth about everything else. Please, ladies, don't make the mistake this woman made: at least know the man you plan on calling your husband has given you his real name and has no criminal history. It's so fast and easy to do, yet it can make such a difference in your life! Don't feel guilty: they feel no remorse about lying to us, and you have to look out for number one. And that's your free online dating advice for today.