Have you ever gotten an uncomfortable message online? No, not the kind of DM that involves a pyramid scheme recruitment attempt. I'm talking about the kind where someone shoots their shot with someone who obviously doesn't know them, all while using some very unsettling tactics that are either disturbing or just pathetic. Sometimes, it's a bit of both, and this leads to some particularly memorable messages that we're willing to bet were not successful in picking up women. In fact, these people have roughly zero social skills and are probably on some kind of FBI watchlist by now.

It's one thing to receive a cringeworthy message from either someone you know or a stranger, but it's another when said message includes some real creepy asterisks. While we remain grateful for not personally knowing the people who sent these, we do appreciate the courage it took to write the bizarre words they felt were necessary to send. Here are 15 of our favorite messages that definitely backfired for real.