LANHAM, Md. (WNEW) — It used to be when you created a fake girlfriend or boyfriend for yourself, you met at summer camp, and the proof came from postcards and letters that you did your best not to craft in your own handwriting.

But the art of fooling people into thinking you have a significant other has entered the 21st century with InvisibleBoyfriend.com and InvisibleGirlfriend.com, which provide photos and texts from “Jenna” or “James,” “Michael” or “Michelle.”

“Invisible Girlfriend and Invisible Boyfriend are the result of one man’s frustration, and a little bit of desperation,” according to the company’s blog.

“Co-founder Matt Homann was newly divorced and tired of feeling pressured to jump into something new. ‘Around Thanksgiving, my mom called me and asked if she should set an extra place for someone I’m bringing,’ he recalls. In that moment I realized how great it would be to have an answer for her that didn’t require me to actually be dating someone.”

Homann pitched the idea at St. Louis’ Startup Weekend in 2013 and it won.

“We believe the Invisible Partner concept meets a universal problem,” the site says. “Society puts so much pressure on your relationship status. From Grandma to coworkers to romantic comedies, everyone seems to expect us to pursue a relationship. But sometimes you don’t want to be in one. We think that’s totally normal.”

Right now, the service is only available to users in the U.S. and Canada, but the company says it’s working on expanding to other countries.

The company has already designed an auto-texting service that allows for real-time conversations with fake significant others, and over time, they say, they’ll “continue to develop unique ways to communicate with phone calls, voicemails, and texting to accommodate our members.”

Other services included in the beta version are photos and a personalized story. Users can choose the age, name and photo of their girlfriend/boyfriend.

Not looking for a fake boyfriend/girlfriend, but empathize with the cause? You can help out by donating a selfie.

“Here’s why we need your photos: when our users create their Invisible Boyfriend or Girlfriend, we’d like them to be able to select his/her picture from a collection of images of real people — not just perfect models or posed photos from a stock photography service.”

The first photo you donate is just that — a donation. However, if someone selects your picture as their Invisible special someone, you’ll get an “I’m Someone’s Invisible Girlfriend (or Boyfriend)” t-shirt, and you’ll be paid for each additional selfie you submit.

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