Social media issue

So, I was called out recently on social media for supposedly being a terrible drunk and being aggressive on dates, whilst supposedly scamming them. Back story, I'm a dude in my early 30's, I run a startup for the past few years and money has been tight, barely getting by and paying bills has been hard. Had an issue in which my bank froze my account for theft (card was skimmed) and had money stolen. Told the women the situation and said I would sort it once my account was back working and they paid for the date (I have been unable to date with current bills) been blocked mostly and unable to contact any, I then got called out on social media that I abused them (not physically) and I can tell you here that I didn't start a fight or be emotionally abusive, basically I was a "dick" I was aired out on social media for this and have had it go through several social media apps. with the typical hashtag I received threats and abuse because of said hashtags before I changed my usernames and removed my details online. This can and will affect my business and day to day life as I'm only in a small city. I've been told people have seen it but don't know what to do, I feel extremely anxious and slightly depressed over this as I don't want to be seen in public or go out with fear of being recognised, my photo has been displayed. Just need some solid advice or words of wisdom in how to deal with this.

Hi Advice With Dating: Is it possible for you to apologize on social media for (only for) what you did wrong ("basically, I was a dick", you wrote)? Many people let go of their anger and judgment once the person they are angry with sincerely apologizes. Amie

I got the impression you ran it past them and they decided they didn't mind paying, i.e. you were up-front about it? But did you ever pay them back or keep them informed with apology for the delay? What about the drunk bit? Is there any basis in that? Or is it an exaggeration?

Or is it because you didn't take things further....So they decided at least they weren't going to lose out financially...But then you took too long to pay them back, meanwhile not keeping them in the loop, meaning, now you have a case of multiple Sour Grapes and this is all they could use to sling at you in order to get their revenge? I mean, have they never heard of a bloody email? Whatever. How they're dealing with it is neither acceptable nor legal, PARTICULARLY if it could impact on your livelihood (Sue City!). There's been no court trial and verdict on all they claim about you, so what they're claiming counts as Slander. Talk about going straight for the jugular from behind the sandbags. Check this out: https://www.minclaw.com/report-slander-libel-to-facebook/ "It can be overwhelming and distressing to deal with vicious lies and slander on Facebook. While the platform was designed to bring people together, some use it to smear the reputation of others. When someone defames you or your business on Facebook, it is important to act before things spiral out of control. Here are the steps you should take if you are being defamed and slandered on Facebook: Remain calm and know that you have options to end the malicious behavior, Do not engage with the defamer, Preserve all evidence of the slander, Block the user, Maximize your social media privacy settings, Report or flag the slanderous content, Report the defamation through Facebook’s defamation reporting form (for non-U.S. residents), and Work with an internet defamation attorney to send a demand letter or file a defamation lawsuit. At Minc Law, we have extensive experience holding defamers accountable for their actions. We also know what it takes to remove defamatory content from social media and have helped clients remove over 50,000 pieces of unwanted online content and litigated more than 350 defamation cases. Video: What to Do If You Are Being Slandered or Libeled on Facebook"

I'm going to guess--you told your date(s) that you had no money, they said they'd pay and you said you'd pay them back? And maybe--you haven't? If you ran up the restaurant tab by getting drunk and you didn't pay them back, yeah they're going to be furious, especially once they find one another and start to reinforce the outrage. For that to happen a couple times it might slide by. If you're out there scamming women for meals and not paying them back, they've got a reason to be mad. (Yes, women do this, and it's just as dispicable) So, the solution to this is to stop going out on dates, or stop going out on dates you can't afford. In my dating days, a man actually emailed and said the reason he wasn't going to ask me out again was because he had no money to spend on dates. So, if you truly can't pay your own bills, maybe you should be working on a side hustle to become solvent? If no new women are added to the list, I imagine it will die down with time. Social media has such a potential to bring people together - but it's turned into an electonic club to bludgeon people we don't like or don't agree with. I don't spend much time on it. Although my employer makes great use of it for the business, she doesn't have a personal Facebook/instagram page.

I would propose that you try Social media has forever altered how we communicate with one another, but not all for the better. The widespread distribution of false information is a major drawback of social media. Misinformation and rumors can spread rapidly and widely, leading to discord. Moreover, social media can be a significant source of distraction, which can have negative effects on performance in both the workplace and the classroom. Last but not least, victims of cyberbullying sometimes find an audience on social media.