Catfish people are professionals who impersonate other people and create false stories about their lives. This is mostly done in order to seek virtual love relationships for various reasons. In addition, there are other types of scams such as asking for money, for example.

Currently, there have been numerous cases of catfishing, so it is important to remember that, on the Internet, “nothing is what it seems”. However, there are ways in which you can identify and avoid this type of deception. We invite you to continue reading this post.  

What is catfish?

Catfish is a type of scam in which a person creates a false identity online. This is used to initiate a romantic relationship based on lies with the victim. Generally, the scammers use very attractive and appealing photos or images of models, actors and actresses.

All this with the aim of convincing the other person of their identity. This scam is often used for romantic purposes or because they need money and intend to get it through this way.

Creating a false identity

A person online, on social networks or dating sites, can easily create a false identity. Some, for example, do it for:

• Psychological reasons. This could be done by a person who wants something and can’t find it in their real life. We are talking about affection, attention, emotional satisfaction, understanding or love. In addition, he/she could suffer from PHILOPHOBIA.
• Economic purposes. Scammers invent different stories and in many occasions they asked their victims for money. This by indicating to them that they were “broke”, for example.
• Aggressions. Predators lure their victims and convince them to meet physically. They then rape, rob, physically assault and even kill them.
• Amusement. Catfish create fake accounts to make fun of other people “behind their backs”. They even manage to manipulate their feelings, causing psychological damage and suicidal thoughts.

The consequences of such acts are different for each case, and although they do not always cause physical damage, you could still suffer negative effects. 

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How can we identify catfishing?

If you maintain a love relationship with a person online and you notice that he/she is acting differently, constantly, you should be attentive. It is possible that you are a victim of catfishing, and to identify it, consider the following:

• Avoid talking to you on the phone or video calls, always with different excuses.
• Perfect profile, impressive physique, no flaws and interesting life? It could be catfishing.
• Impossible to identify the place of residence, as “he is probably traveling” or maybe “he has a nomadic life”.
• The relationship is moving too fast and the other person wants to commit without knowing you, probably scheming a deception.
• Disappears as GHOSTING, this is usually done to make up more stories, or they may even have other online partners at the same time.
• Unconvincing profile, few friends, has no etiquette and not much human activity.
• Certain information about their life is not entirely clear to you.

In addition to this, he may ask you for money without knowing you for various reasons. And if you give it to him, he will keep asking for more and more.

How to act against catfishing?

If in your love relationship you suspect that the person behind the screen may be a catfish, then take note of the following. This way you will be able to act in time and avoid risky situations:

• Do not physically meet that person under any circumstances.
• If you believe that their profile is false, proceed to report it.
• Do not give your personal or residential data, as they could be used against you. Do not send money either.
• If the person sends you links, do not click on them.
• Do some research and find out who could be cheating you.
• Ask all the questions you can think of to try to find out more.
• If you are presented with a lot of doubts and distrust, then seek help.

Also, you may want to change your privacy settings on your social networks. Restrict access to your profiles to limit potential scammers’ contacts.

3 Real cases of catfishing

Social media users are potential victims of catfishing lies online. In fact, the renowned actor and producer Nev Schulman, of the documentary catfish deals with it in his TV show. There he gives real samples of people who lived such experiences. Here are some clear examples:

1. In 2011 David Russell created a fictitious profile under the identity of rocker Oliver Sykes. A teenage girl fell into his trap and flew from the USA to meet him. They met at a train station, then he took her to the woods, blindfolded her and tried to murder her. Fortunately, he did not succeed.
2. At the age of 17, Manuel Guzman started creating fake Facebook accounts. There he attracted many men whom he would then meet in parks to steal money and buy drugs.
3. Debra Danielsen was a victim of catfishing. After her experience, the mother of Teen Mom star Farrah Abraham wrote a book about her bitter experience. She was swindled out of her money.

Catfishing is a vicious scam where you can be tricked and manipulated in a variety of ways. It is important to always be alert on social networks. Since many always do a reverse image search in order to create a fake profile and lure their victims.