The Truth About Ruth - Part 2 - Merge

[TMS]

I am VERY curious about what has been going on with "Razing Ruth." I had my doubts and inhibitions from the beginning. Now all I'm hearing is she's a liar and a fraud. PLEASE, could some kind FJ soul give a run-down of what's going on. For these poor, lazy FJ'ers who can't wade through 600 posts/comments at this time. Thank you.

[Luvchild]

I just made a post about this too in the RR thread! Just want to know when the turning point was and how she was uncovered

[Jana814]

I was wondering the same thing! I've been following her story!

[wild little fox]

That's how they getcha. :shrug:

Yeah. I'm a bit sad because I feel as if I lost someone I cared about. But I also knew, full well, the risk I was taking.

[Lainey]

So I did not follow Ruth on here and the last thing I remember reading was her dad had died and she was not invited to the funeral, and I felt really bad for her, and then I clicked on this thread and saw that she was a liar. Can anyone explain how the all the sympathy posts turned to "you're a liar." I mean, how did it all come about? The last thread is like 45 pages long and I didn't have time to find the exact turning point in the story. It's cool and fascinating to me that this scammer was found out by everyone when she seemed so real. There are bits and pieces of information in this thread, but the whole turning point, when did that happen?

I think it's around page 20 in the last thread.

[emiliawasframed]

viewtopic.php?f=8&t=18315&start=240

See oddeverything's post on this page for a solid synopsis.

[nelliebelle1197]

I think it's around page 20 in the last thread.

Even if you go back to the old Yuku boards, people were expressing doubts about Ruth. More people were just open to them this time.

[TMS]

There ya go! So, there's more than one of us lonely little "inquiring minds" who want to know. Some of you got the national inquirer vibe in you....come on! Share with us poor, unfortunates who rely on your genius minds!

[Oddeverything]

Ruth has not been banned. She has been placed on the Journey To The Heart. She can post in Snark, but her posts need to be approved by a helpmeet before they appear. She can not access Chatter.

Sorry, I was unclear as to what "Journey to the Heart" implied. As long as there is some method that prevents her from peddling her scam here, that's all that matters. Unless of course the mods approve a Ruth comment wherein she spins more of her story, but hopefully that won't happen. I guess we'll have to wait and see. But given that the mod post clearly states you guys think she is a scammer, I can't see her doing more of the same, so potato, pahtahto.

[breadprincess]

It's adenoids that are non-functional by adulthood. Adults do sometimes need tonsils out and they tend to have more post op complications. You can even get cancer of the tonsil, as my brother did.

I have an autoimmune disorder and frequently get infections that my body can't fight off. Earlier this month I had a double tonsil infection that was resisting antibiotics, and I am 24. It doesn't unfortunately happen to adults that cannot afford to have their tonsils out, like me.

[Triplet3]

I donated her some money a few weeks ago. :( Not a huge amount, but enough that I thought might be useful to someone I thought was in need. Oh well, I've learnt my lesson now.

[FabFamilyof5]

I am so glad this is all coming to light... I've had my suspicions since the trailer stuff, but I still wanted to give her some credit. Very glad now that I never donated money.

[formergothardite]

I wonder the why behind all this. Is she unhappy with her own life so she creates pretend ones online and it is a way for her to escape from reality? Or is it one of those things where she gets pleasure from fooling people and it is a game to her to see how long and how well she can trick people into believing her story?

[Mustang Sally]

If anyone has Netflix, try watching The Woman Who Wasn't There. It's not about an online scam, but an in-person scam where someone presented a completely false backstory, persona, life, relationships, etc. It delves a little into the psychology and motivations of someone who would do that. I don't know if all the same things hold true for online scammers, but some of it may -

http://movies.netflix.com/WiMovie/The_W ... id=4375100 (not breaking the link because Netflix will not care about FJ!)

Basically, it seemed she had some past trauma of her own that she didn't deal with fully, and she insinuated herself into other people's trauma with a new and even more dramatic (fake) story of her own, in order to gain attention, sympathy, and support. The lengths she went to were pretty amazing, though I don't think she benefited financially.

[Jezebel]

Even if you go back to the old Yuku boards, people were expressing doubts about Ruth. More people were just open to them this time.

Her lies just got too outrageous, and far too easy to refute. The whole story about moving to Chicago was packed full of absolute whoppers from the very beginning. And while a lot of us may have been able to rationalize away some of our doubts for a long time (I know I once did), her lying just got too brazen, her stories too easy to disprove. That, and she actually came out and begged for funds in order to make the move, while ignoring offers of material help and real-life social support.

There have been many years of gradually building skepticism and mistrust. Eventually, she was going to overreach and the whole flimsy structure she built was going to come crashing down. And that's what has finally happened.

[stacyf]

I have read the entire thread and I am very disappointed, for some reason I believed Ruth. I started reading her story 4 or so years ago and first had contact with her on TWOP. I donated $10 once and $20 another time but with no thanks you from her I decided it wasn't that important to her. I decided after the trailer story that she was just a bit too dramatic for me.

A while ago around the time Ellie was born she was talking about Ellie or Rachel (can't remember which) on her blog and referred to them with a different name, something like Rebecca. I sent her an email telling her she may have mistakenly revealed a true identity and she answered me saying that she misspoke but no big deal. She shrugged it off. I need to go back and see if I can find it.

[CallmeChaCha]

I looked for these posts based on what I remember reading so I didn't actually read through the first thread again. If I missed posts that may have warned/voiced skepticism before these, I apologize. These are just the ones I remember mostly because it surprised me that people were voicing warnings and their doubts and others were openly agreeing.

Warning people about giving money:

http://www.freejinger.org/forums/viewto ... 60#p563641

Everyone's entitled to spend their money however they want, obviously, and I know that a lot of those offering have been long-time readers of Razing Ruth's blog. I'll probably take some heat for saying it, but I'm ok with that. After Alecto and Elle and everything else, this whole anonymous-internet-donation thing rubs me the wrong way.

Voicing skepticism:

http://www.freejinger.org/forums/viewto ... 80#p579455

I'll be totally honest here and say that there are some things about this story that trouble me. I'm not saying it's not true- there's no way of knowing that, but there are some red flags imo. Ruth is in no way obligated to fill in the missing pieces, however, she also has to realize that when soliciting money on the internet, one will be met with skepticism from some.

If there are people showing up at Ruth's place of employment, that is very concerning. No one in their right mind would do such a thing.

I hope everyone (both Ruth and her followers) will exercise a healthy dose of common sense and skepticism. If you feel comfortable giving money to a stranger on the internet, there's nothing I can say to talk you out of it, but to me it seems sort of risky. There are so many stories of elaborate internet hoaxes...you just never know these days. And for Ruth- be careful who you give your information to. We are just people behind a computer screen. The people on FJ and your blog aren't vetted in any way. They could be anyone. It is very easy to be someone you're not here. As generous as some of these offers for meet ups are, please be careful.

Then, Oddeverything's first post about this where she includes things she's found (The Can O' Worms):

http://www.freejinger.org/forums/viewto ... 00#p582264

Guys, I frequent another board that has been discussing Ruth and the possibility she is a scam artist, or at the very least a confused person who has sown a lot of lies. Something came up over there that was wholly new to me and I wonder if someone here can explain.

Did Ruth post under the name "ofduggar" when replying to Duggar-related and teen pregancy-related shows over on TWoP? I am almost certain that is the case but am reserving judgment until I hear from others.

If she did post under that name, can anyone explain what was found on this page: forums.televisionwithoutpity.com/topic/3186246-16-and-pregnant/page-5

For those who don't want to go to TWoP, here's the relevant passage:

I've read a lot of her blog, though not all of it, and read all of her articles on No Longer Quivering. I had always thought her discussing herself as a care-taker of children was because her family, like most Gothardites, had so many children the eldest daughters were roped into child care. But this is unambiguous, as the bolded parts show. Ruth is saying she was a young mother because she gave birth to a child.

Was it well-known Ruth had a baby? Was she married? If not, how did her patriarchical family let two girls get pregnant outside of wedlock when Ruth's dad was such a controlling lunatic that he charted their periods. He lost his mind when Ruth got her first cycle and he thought blood on the bed meant she had been fornicating, sneaking a boy through her window, but on his watch two daughters got pregnant? Does that seem strange to anyone else? Why was this not mentioned in her series on NLQ?

Hopefully there are very easy answers to this, like I missed the entries wherein she discussed having a baby or she never posted as "ofduggar" and none of this matters.

However, I am decidedly of the opinion that if this, like so many other inconsistencies in Ruth's stories, cannot be cleared up, it may be time to discuss the impact Ruth's blog and interactions here could have on this site, especially since her tales of woe have led many to give her money. We had to go through a lot of drama when Raine proved not to be who she said she was, but she was not as beloved to many as Ruth is, and discussing Ruth would be a far harder discussion to have. I too once defended Ruth from those who questioned her narrative. It would suck if she has been either making this up or sowing a real scenario with unnecessary lies. But I will reserve further judgment until I hear from others.

(edited to correct a name spelling and for clarification)

eta: "master list of inconsistencies"

viewtopic.php?f=8&t=18315&p=585420#p585420 (I won't post that because it's super long)

[NotALoserLikeYou]

I've only been at FJ for a little less than a year so I read all the Ruth stuff at once. I couldn't believe anyone believed it but I remember it being said in some thread that Vycki, who I know nothing about (but I would love to know why all the Vycki hate) had verified her identity and I always thought Alecto had said something too. Because of this, I think a lot of people felt comfortable donating.

When I read her latest ovary story, which followed so much drama, I wanted to post about this being insane but I figured there had to be a reason so many people supported her.

What a horrible person.

[DarkAnts]

I think we need to start a potluck so we can eat something besides popcorn while watching this.

I bring my texas tatertot casserole. It has home canned salsa, ground beef, onion, garlic, cheese, spices and tater tots. Sometimes, I include beans when I remember to throw them into the crackpot before work. No cream of crap soup in my casseroles.

[nelliebelle1197]

I will bring a truckload of Magnum Gold ice cream bars. Perfect with popcorn! And addictive and possibly illegal in Mississippi.

[Palimpsest]

Ruth has not been banned. She has been placed on the Journey To The Heart. She can post in Snark, but her posts need to be approved by a helpmeet before they appear. She can not access Chatter.

Well, at least being on Journey to the Heart that gives her a chance to come back, explain and apologize to the FJ members who donated to her via paypal. Thanking them or offering to return the money might be nice too. Although I think we'll see pigs with wings before that happens.

Oddeverything I think your synopsis is enough. Thanks again. It is damning as it stands and I can't see much point in spending more time uncovering and detailing more inconsistencies. There are more, but it seems a waste of energy to me.

Here is my one frustration. I am now fully convinced that RR is Possummommy/jhawksgirl1/Pennmommy. (No need for the admins to confirm or deny.) Most importantly, she will do this again. If individual members here should see RR like posters on other sites, we can alert the Admins. Could FJ Admins to share the IP and other info with Admins on other sites with impunity? Or not? What about law enforcement? A no answer is OK, I'll just still feel frustrated. :)

Look, assuming that RR is Possum, she has carried out a long series of Muchausen by Internet behaviors not all of which involve asking for money. She's being preying on hysterectomy boards as JHawksgirl1, using sick children (little Possums 1-4 have had a huge range of horrible ailments for which she solicited funds), claiming to have LSE, and so on. She was so well embedded on the atheist sites that people refused to believe that she was Pennmommy, and huge numbers of atheists defended the Atheist in a Minivan. Possummommy is probably the closest to her real identity of all her personas, I think.

PennMommy was probably one of her shortest and possibly least successful scams, although I'm sure we haven't uncovered them all. She moved much faster than usual on that one, so had not built up a loyal following, Her usual method is to take 6 months to a year embedding herself on a site before hinting that she needs money.

I'm frustrated because I want her stopped. She is an emotional succubus. I don't need to know her name, and think it would be wrong for the Admins to disclose it here. There are too many vigilantes out there, and some of them might be FJ members. Not pointing at anyone, of course, but I think we are all healthily cynical right now. :)

[GodHatesFigs]

I was doing some googleing today, and I found this from Princess Jo's blog

http://princessjo1988.blogspot.com/2010 ... today.html

In short, someone left a comment on her blog in 2010, when she began to question Ruth. Does the comment below sound like RR to anyone else?

" So you got some blowback. It was, to be truthful, nothing compared to the assault you made on another blogger's privacy. And you did NOT just attack Ruth. You attacked - tho' you may not realize that is what you did - every anonymous ex-fundie blogger, every sometime victim-of-sexism, and thus every poster on the Free Jinger board, too.

And gee whiz, some of the people you attacked took umbrage at that! Shocking, innit? Scandalous, that people who were attacked should be somewhat unhappy at that, and say so!

If you ever want to understand how fundies can lie about how they're doing harm, how abusees can go on to abuse, how people like your parents can claim that they are the innocent victims - just look in the mirror.

Better yet, grow up and apologize to the people you assaulted, starting with Ruth. And then start participating in communities as an actual grownup, not a drama llama.

Otherwise, you're just part of the problem too. "

[Marian the Librarian]

I had a hinky feeling about Ruth from the get-go, and thus didn't follow her threads or blogs. So all I have to offer is this ditty, courtesy of my wordplay-loving spouse:

Ruth rode on my motorbike,

Directly back of me.

I hit a bump, at 65,

And rode on - Ruthlessly.

[Carla Bruni]

Palimpsest, I posted earlier (in the previous thread) about a Kimmie/kbc character that got outed by a childfree board. The details are strikingly similar, but I don't know of any blogs she has/had. On one mommy board, she was apparently selling lunar fertility charts - could've been a test scam or a way to reel people in to watch the next great medical/life catastrophe. If she's used the same scenario 5-6 times, she'll likely try it again.

To those who donated - I mentioned this in Chatter, but if she does have kids who live with their dad now, maybe they'll get something nice from your money. Just a minor silver lining.

[Mustang Sally]

I was doing some googleing today, and I found this from Princess Jo's blog

http://princessjo1988.blogspot.com/2010 ... today.html

In short, someone left a comment on her blog in 2010, when she began to question Ruth. Does the comment below sound like RR to anyone else?

" So you got some blowback. It was, to be truthful, nothing compared to the assault you made on another blogger's privacy. And you did NOT just attack Ruth. You attacked - tho' you may not realize that is what you did - every anonymous ex-fundie blogger, every sometime victim-of-sexism, and thus every poster on the Free Jinger board, too.

And gee whiz, some of the people you attacked took umbrage at that! Shocking, innit? Scandalous, that people who were attacked should be somewhat unhappy at that, and say so!

If you ever want to understand how fundies can lie about how they're doing harm, how abusees can go on to abuse, how people like your parents can claim that they are the innocent victims - just look in the mirror.

Better yet, grow up and apologize to the people you assaulted, starting with Ruth. And then start participating in communities as an actual grownup, not a drama llama.

Otherwise, you're just part of the problem too. "

That comment does have a unique apostrophe use, haha! I saw it earlier when I was Googling feverishly, but I didn't notice the apostrophe.