liebeistleben.com

In October 2026, I began updating my online presence after several difficult years. I had been sharing my writing on my author website since 2011. This new beginning started with Facebook, where I connect with many of my friends and readers, followed by an update to my WordPress website. With help from WordPress, my older posts became accessible again, all the way back to 2011. Sharing them felt like an important first step. Then I tried posting on Twitter. I had registered in 2011 but had not used my account for ten years. To my surprise, it was still there, and my post was published. After a long absence, I was back on Twitter — or rather on X, as it is now called.

Within an hour, my profile on X looked perfect to me. There was my Facebook cover picture, along with my stories, poems and reflections, all connected to WordPress. I could share my old posts, and I began choosing stories and a poem. It felt like a magical world. That night, I did not sleep a wink. I explored X and found it very different from the Twitter I remembered. A little hesitantly, I began replying to posts. I had enjoyed that exchange years before, but this time it was also a learning experience: I was writing in English. Reading and writing English had always been easier for me than speaking it, and I used the translator on my phone to look up words and check my replies. They were short and honest, and people seemed to appreciate them. By morning, I had gained followers. Two days later, the number had doubled.

I was astonished by some of the names appearing in the posts and replies. That, too, felt like a dream. When people asked whether I agreed with an opinion, I answered honestly. Sometimes I wrote a longer comment; sometimes I said nothing. I also enjoyed the number puzzles and word games. Even in English, I found it easy to complete words from just one or two letters. On the third day, however, warnings began to appear alongside the lively exchanges. People told me to beware of scammers. Soon I noticed suspicious messages myself. Several claimed that I had won prizes in the games — a brand-new Tesla or large sums of money. At first, I paid little attention because I did not believe the promises.

Then I was asked to download Telegram. I downloaded the app, but could not open it using the link I had been given. The banner looked fake to me, and I suspected a scam. I began to wonder whether the games were being used to draw people into chats with promises of winnings. Someone I thought of as a guardian angel explained how such scams worked, and I was grateful that I had remained mistrustful. Another contact made me suspicious when explaining how to claim my supposed winnings. I wrote to another participant: “Help me, there is a scammer here.” Then I left the chat and turned to Copilot for advice on what to do next. I followed the instructions, and afterwards I could no longer see that contact or several others.

What troubled me most was the apparent misuse of other people’s names. My criticism is directed at the deception, not at the people whose names were being used. These first days on X brought both delight and mistrust. I enjoyed sharing my writing and meeting people, but I also learned to be more cautious. I am not looking for money or prizes. I am looking for like-minded people, friends and honest conversation. I want to keep sharing my stories and expressing my opinions, while leaving promises of winnings unanswered.

With warm regards

Renate Klerx