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All it took was six clever Instagram posts over the course of a week, and Smothers had friends and followers believing she had a new man.
The impetus for the ploy was to "cash in on the likes without having to worry about roping in a man in time for V-day", Smothers wrote.
By staging photos of stereotypical lovey-dovey activities — the likes of which are shared endlessly by people who are in relationships IRL — Smothers managed to convince her social media followers that she had just met the "best guy".
Her first pic was fairly subtle — a staged brunch photo during the recent East Coast winter storm, which she captioned, "Taking refuge with a new friend". Smothers wrote, "I needed it to fit in with my Instagram essence, and I needed it to really look like I'd just met someone".
Fake IG boyfriend 1
"Someone not gross sent me flowers", the single girl captioned the second picture — a beautiful bouquet of flowers.
Fake iG boyfriend 2
The next post was, by Smothers' own admission, "a poorly lit pic of a gross beer bottle". But men drink beer, right?
Fake iG boyfriend 3
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Things seemed to be getting serious with the next picture, captioned "Love on the L train".
Fake IG boyfriend 4
This was swiftly followed by a "best coffee with best guy" pic.
Fake IG boyfriend 5
Finally, a Thai "date night ca(noodle)ing" seemed to seal the deal.
Fake IG boyfriend 6
While it seems like Smothers could have run with this (it can't be that hard to fake engagement photos, right?), she realised that her real-life friends were beginning to get fed up.
"They were curious, and they needed answers I couldn't give", she admitted.
"It's one thing to lie without abandon on Instagram, but it's quite another to just straight-up lie to close friends and family, and then have to explain to them on the phone that it's all a big rouse, you don't have a boyfriend, his name isn't Josh, and perhaps you suddenly feel more alone than ever because you realized that faking it on IG was the most fun you've had on a date in months", Smothers wrote.
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