Because no money is exchanged and laws are rarely broken, there is little legal recourse to take upon discovery of someone faking illness.Such dramatic situations can polarize online communities. Members may feel ashamed for believing elaborate lies, while others remain staunch supporters. Feldman admits that an element of sadism may be evident in some of the more egregious abuses of trust.Other perpetrators react by issuing general accusations of dishonesty to everyone, following the exposure of such fabrications. The support groups themselves often bar discussion about the fraudulent perpetrator, in order to avoid further argument and negativity. Many forums do not recover, often splintering or shutting down.In 2004, members of the blog hosting service LiveJournal established a forum dedicated to investigating cases of members of online communities dying—sometimes while online. In 2007 The LiveJournal forum reported that, of the deaths reported to them, about 10% were real. See also
Hypochondriasis
Psychosomatic illness
Sickened, an autobiography by Julie Gregory

References
Bibliography
Feldman, Marc (2004). Playing sick? : untangling the web of Munchausen syndrome, Munchausen by proxy, malingering & factitious disorder. Philadelphia: Brunner-Routledge. ISBN 978-0-415-94934-7. Fisher JA (2006). "Playing patient, playing doctor: Munchausen syndrome, clinical S/M, and ruptures of medical power". The Journal of Medical Humanities. 27 (3): 135–49. doi:10.1007/s10912-006-9014-9. PMID 16817003. S2CID 40739963. Fisher JA (2006). "Investigating the Barons: narrative and nomenclature in Munchausen syndrome". Perspect. Biol. Med. 49 (2): 250–62. doi:10.1353/pbm.2006.0024. PMID 16702708. S2CID 12418075. Friedel, Robert O., MD (4 August 2004). Borderline Personality Disorder Demystified. pp. 9–10. ISBN 978-1-56924-456-2.
Now, however, in the DSM-5, "Munchausen syndrome" and "Munchausen by proxy" have been replaced with "factitious disorder imposed on self" and "factitious disorder imposed on another" respectively. Munchausen by Internet
Munchausen by Internet is a term describing the pattern of behavior in factitious disorder imposed on self, wherein those affected feign illnesses in online venues. It has been described in medical literature as a manifestation of factitious disorder imposed on self. Reports of users who deceive Internet forum participants by portraying themselves as gravely ill or as victims of violence first appeared in the 1990s due to the relative newness of Internet communications. The specific internet pattern was named "Münchausen by Internet" in 1998 by psychiatrist Marc Feldman. New Zealand PC World Magazine called Munchausen by Internet "cybermunch", and those who posed online "cybermunchers".People may attempt to gain sympathy from a group whose sole reason for existence is to support others. Some have speculated that health care professionals, with their limited time, greater medical knowledge, and tendency to be more skeptical in their diagnoses, may be less likely to provide that support.In an article published in The Guardian, Steve Jones, speculated that the anonymity of the Internet impedes peoples abilities to realize when someone is lying. Online interaction has only been possible since the 1980s, steadily growing over the years.When discovered, forum members are frequently banned from some online forums.