All sorts of problems can befall you on dating apps, but Matthew Herrick's calamity is possibly one of a kind.
The 32-year-old is suing the Grindr app after over 1,000 men reportedly showed up at his house.
In certain cases, Matthew claims that dangerous men showed up to his home and workplace trying to rape and kill him, after his ex created a fake profile of him on the gay dating app.
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Mathew stated in a lawsuit that a man he'd met on the app in 2015 used his images and pretended to be him invited multiple men to his address.
One of the men unlawfully entered his house, and then attacked his roommate after being asked to leave, the Daily Mail reports.
Because of the catfish like situation, the New York based actor has been under a lot of distress, following thousands of men assuming they were meeting for sex, even at the restaurant where he works.
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He said that he is in "a constant state of hyper-vigilance, afraid that Grindr has been used to incite or seduce the wrong person - somebody who will make good on threats to attack or rape [me]."
CNN reported that on occasions as many as 16 men in a day have shown up at Mathew's home or workplace, previously being told to not be put off if he is dismissive at first, as it's 'part of an agreed upon rape fantasy or role play.'
"My entire life has been stolen from me. My privacy has been taken from me. I'm humiliated daily," Herrick told Wired. "It's a living hell."
Credit: PA
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Matthew also took to Twitter to post a statement in November, saying: "Due to circumstances out of my control I have to remove myself from all social media.
"I have been having issues with a stalker who has tried and is running my name through the mud.
"He has now created fake accounts of gay apps such as Grindr and Scruff, declaring me a racist bigot and a Donald Trump supporter. It has now gone to the media.
"I will say that I am an avid supporter of the LGBT community and minorities alike. This defamation of character has gone to the extreme.
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"To my family, friends, fans and supporters it saddens my heart to have these kind of lies spread about me. Please know I would never do any such horrible actions."
The victim's ex has allegedly been creating fake accounts since October 2016, however after 50 complaints to Grindr and 14 police reports, nothing has been done.
"[Grindr is] committed to creating a safe environment through a system of digital and human screening tools, while also encouraging users to report suspicious and threatening activities," a spokesperson for Grindr told CNN. "While we are constantly improving upon this process, it is important to remember that Grindr is an open platform. Grindr cooperates with law enforcement on a regular basis and does not condone abusive or violent behavior."
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This is awful.
Featured Image Credit: PA
