A man has revealed how he spent seven months inadvertently lurking in a stranger's family WhatsApp group after being added by mistake. Sharing his story on Reddit, he explained that he was randomly added to a group called 'Smith Family Chat' with about 14 members. Initially suspecting spam, he was about to leave when he noticed the conversations were just ordinary family updates about birthdays, exam results, and hospital appointments.
Curiosity got the better of him, and he decided to stay, wondering how long it would take for someone to realise he was an impostor. Over the months, he witnessed a full family drama unfold, including a cousin failing classes, an argument between an aunt and an uncle about a dog, and a hospital scare. The group members often tagged him as if he were a real relative, asking him to bring chairs or for his opinion on paint colours.
He described feeling like a 'creepy spy' but couldn't look away from his phone. Strangely, no one questioned his silence or lack of replies for months. He speculated that either the actual person was rarely spoken to, or the family simply accepted his quiet presence. He even felt guilty for 'stealing' a spot in someone else's family.
After seven months, a member finally noticed: 'Wait, who is this number?' followed by a flurry of similar questions. Panicking, he apologised, explained it was a wrong number, and was promptly removed. Reflecting on the experience, he said he still thinks about the family and feels a sense of loss, having been an observer of their real, mundane lives.
