I’m sure we’ve all heard about Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te’o and his poor, messed up little situation. In case you haven’t, here’s a little rundown. This guy’s grandmother passed away, and the same day he was told that his online girlfriend was dead too. Turns out, his girlfriend never existed. (Dun dun dun.) So this poor fella is assumed to have been catfished, meaning some weirdo made a fake account and decided to befriend the hunky linebacker. Who wouldn’t? Oh yeah, that’s right. Most sane people wouldn’t. And the innocent girl that our little fisherman stole the profile from is just like “Man, why is my Facebook picture all over the news?” Awkward. How do you tell someone that they are unwittingly the subject of a fake relationship that their face supposedly initiated? Yikes.

I think there is an example we can all take from this situation. People get lessons when they’re young about Internet safety, yet still they get trapped in these scams and end up publically humiliated in front of ESPN cameras and gossipy talk shows. On the plus side, no publicity is bad publicity. Right? No? Okay.

My point is this: logic. Is your girlfriend an online girlfriend you’ve never met, spoken to or seen? Then there is definitely a possibility that she isn’t real. Sorry, man. (But not really.) And if your boyfriend seems too good to be true on the Internet, he probably is. Don’t get pulled in by the Prince Charming who loves to walk on the beach and watch romantic comedies because if you’ve never actually seen or talked to this fella, he may not exist. Plus, we live in Missouri. There are no beaches here. Get real.