How To Spot a Catfish

As people use social media and dating apps to connect with others, they risk falling victim to catfishing scams. However, catfishing can be easily spotted when looking for signs such as a request for money and a newly made account. It is best to know these signs to avoid any financial loss, data leaks or mental and emotional strain.

Continue reading to learn more about what catfishing is, how dangerous it can be, the signs to look out for, how to deal with it and how to avoid it in the future.

What Is Catfishing?

Catfishing is a type of social engineering in which a cybercriminal creates a fake online identity to deceive or exploit someone else. Social engineering is a variety of cyber attacks that psychologically manipulates people into performing questionable actions such as revealing private information. 

These cybercriminals will create a fake identity to initiate a relationship with a victim they meet on social media or dating apps. These relationships are often romantic and try to exploit emotionally vulnerable victims for their money or personal information. Some of these cybercriminals use catfishing as a way to steal a person’s identity.

Why Catfishing Can Be Dangerous

Catfishing is considered a form of cyberstalking and harassment. Cyberstalking is the usage of technology to monitor a victim’s activity, send unwanted messages and threaten the victim’s safety. The goal of catfishing is to stalk, deceive and threaten the victim until the victim gives them money or private data.

Catfishing requires a cybercriminal to stalk and steal the personal information of a person they try to impersonate. The cybercriminal then targets other people who are emotionally vulnerable and looking for a relationship. They trick their victims into forming a relationship and threaten to expose the victim’s confidential information or end the relationship in exchange for money.

5 Ways To Spot a Catfish

Catfishers may seem friendly at first, but will start to get invasive and pressure you into doing something you don’t want to do. If you notice any of the following signs, then the person you are talking to is likely trying to catfish you.

Avoids video calls or meeting in person

A clear sign that someone is catfishing you is if they avoid video calls or cancel any attempts to meet in person. Since catfishers use a fake online persona, they try to avoid any situation that would expose their true identity.

Newly created account

Most people have been using social media accounts for years. If you notice that the person you are talking to has recently made an account and has no existing online presence, that could be a sign that they are a catfisher. Other signs to look out for include a low follower count and pictures that look stolen or inconsistent from each other.

They get too personal

If you think a person online is getting too personal, then it may be a sign of a catfishing attempt. Some catfishers will give out fake personal information such as explicit content or personal stories in exchange for your personal information. When they ask for your personal information, they may be trying to hack into your online accounts or blackmail you.

They ask for money

Whenever someone you meet online asks for money, it is a common sign of catfishing. Once the scammer has gained the victim’s trust, they will try to trick you into sending them money that they urgently need. If that does not work, they will threaten you by exposing your personal information.

Something feels off

If you feel like something is off with the person you are talking to, then it could be a sign they are catfishing you. You will notice things that do not make sense such as bad grammar, inconsistent stories and the feeling that things are moving too fast.

How To Deal With a Catfish

If you notice any of the signs above with the person you are talking to online, then you should do the following:

Stop all communication: You should stop all communication with the catfisher to prevent them from learning any additional information about you. The scammer will say anything to continue communication with you, but you should ignore them to avoid falling into their trap.

Block them: The next thing to do is block the scammer on every platform on which you have had contact. This will prevent them from seeing your profile to gather any more information about you.

Report them: The last thing to do when dealing with a catfish scammer is to report them on the platforms you used to communicate with them. This will help notify the platform’s administrators of the scammer’s real identity and remove their account. Reporting catfishers stops them from catfishing other people.

How To Avoid Catfishing

Although you can’t completely stop catfishers from targeting you, you can avoid falling victim to their scams by doing the following:

Do a Google search

You should always do a Google search of someone you just met online. Not everyone is who they say they are, which is why it is important to verify their identity. Look them up online to see if their profile is legitimate. You can also do a reverse image search to see if the images they’re using on their profile may have been stolen. Take things slow with the person and ask questions to confirm their identity.

Don’t overshare online

Oversharing online puts you at risk of catfishing scams. Don’t overshare online to protect your identity and avoid catfishing. Never share any personal information online with someone you just met. It is also best practice to set your social media accounts to private and be wary of strangers trying to contact you.

Follow cybersecurity best practices

Implementing cybersecurity best practices will prevent you from falling victim to catfishing scams. You should use a strong and unique password and Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) to protect your online identity. Always protect your personal data such as your credit card or login credentials and only share them when you have to. You should also educate yourself about other cyber threats to avoid them in the future.

Stay Safe From Catfishing

Catfishing takes advantage of those who are emotionally vulnerable and looking for a romantic relationship. Catfishing is like any other type of scam that tries to take advantage of you through malicious means. If you want to learn more about scammers, you can read How To Identify a Scammer to learn what to do if you have been scammed and how to avoid scams in the future.