Are all Scams Online

Since when has «starting a conversation» equated to pestering someone out of the water.
A simple «Can’t chat now got to get my lengths in» then pull the swimming cap over the ears and off.
As I said, it might be irritating but not necessarily malign

kittylester

Why so suspicious? Most people are nice.

Because I actually read the OP's first post.

This woman is not "nice".She's repeatedly pestered OP out of the water.

Today

"The same young lady started swimming in the lane next to me and trying to start up a conversation or match my strokes. And waiting at the lane end and trying to start a conversation. "
Those are all highly abnormal behaviours in a swimming pool where someone is obviously doing multiple lengths

Well said kittyl and graphite

Why so suspicious? Most people are nice.

That's unkind and jumping to conclusions.

It could be that she has no family in this country, is looking for a mother or grandmother figure.

Ideally, a quiet elderly lady who lives alone in a comfy warm house and has a spare room and a healthy bank account.

After an inheritance ? Joke 🤣🤣

You also said you know nothing of her so you are jumping to conclusions about her motives.

Have you thought it could be something else entirely? Maybe she works in care (many young migrants do), encounters lonely older people in her day job and sees it as her mission to talk to older people who are alone at the gym. You said “she pushes herself onto the oldest female” so, by the sounds of it, she’s not only talking to you.

Why not engage her in a conversation just the once and find out a bit more. It could be that she has no family in this country, is looking for a mother or grandmother figure.

There could be any number of reasons why she wants to talk to you. Fair enough, you want to do your workouts without interruption but it doesn’t hurt to be civil - but also be firm if, having spoken to her, you feel she is wanting some social connection that you are unwilling to give.

I don’t see the connection between OP and the thread title.
Perhaps she was just being friendly, having recognised you from before - you can’t have changed THAT much! Perhaps an older face is more approachable to somebody who is shy.
You were friendly to her before and she sees you as a familiar face.
Irritating certainly but I’m sure you are perfectly capable of giving her the (polite) brush-off.
Avoid the sauna or jacuzzi if that is where people chat and tell her (if you must) that you can’t hear anything without your hearing aids and you don’t wear them in the pool for obvious reasons.
Why are people so suspicious?

FranA

What I find strange is that she is a young attractive female in her 20s. There are lots of people around in her age group or in their 40s/50s. She seems to push herself onto the oldest female. I just have an unsettling gut instinct. If I do come across her again I will just ask her what she has been doing in the intervening six months since I last saw her.

You can bet you're not the only older person alone at the gym, who's been pestered by her.

Don't ask her anything .If she approaches you again just do not engage at all.

Speak to the gym staff , point her out and say that woman has been repeatedly harassing you and they need to put a stop to it. Because other older gym members may be targeted by her.

Not sure I'd ask her anything if you really don't want to engage with her. Especially if she isn't picking up that you don't want to talk.

What I find strange is that she is a young attractive female in her 20s. There are lots of people around in her age group or in their 40s/50s. She seems to push herself onto the oldest female. I just have an unsettling gut instinct. If I do come across her again I will just ask her what she has been doing in the intervening six months since I last saw her.

I don't know really. As you say, although you are polite and welcomed her the first time, you don't really like to engage socially. So it is understandable that you felt her quite pushy when she followed you around. On the second meet she tried again to get you talking. I'm not sure where the scam comes in? She just may not have read you not wanting to chat. Difficult as she may be a bit lonely and wanting to fit in so she headed to the person on her own. If you meet again it's reasonable to say when I swim...I swim. I can't do talking as well. It's a shame we can be so wary of others. But if your gut instinct was telling you to be then it might be right. Bit of a shame for her if she just wanted to fit in.

She could just be lonely or overly friendly.

In this setting it would highly irritate me.

If she does it again I’m afraid I’d say something along the lines of, “I’m so sorry but I come here to work on my fitness and I don’t really feel the need to chat”

Good luck