"virtual" is a synonym for "fictional" (not to be confused with "virtual" as in "online"). It can be indicative of someone trying to manipulate you.

The term "virtual" is a less common trick (direct conflation seems more common in recent months) but not unheard of with someone trying to be "smart". It originates from a court case from twenty years ago.

It is also used in a scientific paper from 2008 which came to the conclusion that porn is not linked to abuse.

However, more recently, it is primarily used in apologia for censorship in a non-scholarly setting... So, there it can be used in a tricky manner, where you don't recognize what it truly means.