7 Signs of a Catfish
While not necessarily illegal, catfishing is cruel and potentially traumatic for its victims and it is thus critical that anyone using the internet to find romance knows the tell-tale signs of a catfish.
What is Catfishing?
Catfishing, sometimes referred to as ‘romance fraud’, is the practice of luring someone into an online relationship through the use of fake online personas.
Arguably, the term ‘catfish’ as it means in this article, first sprang to public consciousness as a result of the airing of US reality programme ‘Catfish: The TV Show’.
Reality television aside, the practice of catfishing is rife across the internet with more than 50% of users on online dating platforms reporting encounters with fake profiles.
More troubling is the number of online daters who are being defrauded of money. In 2016, almost 4,000 victims of romance fraud were conned out of £39,000,000.
A catfish may attempt to con victims out of money by emotionally manipulating them. Some catfishes use sensitive or sexually explicit images to blackmail the victim out of money.
Obtaining money is not necessarily the sole objective of a catfish and indeed, different culprits may catfish for different reasons. Other common motives for catfishing include:
Tricking you into sending sensitive images and then blackmailing you (usually for money);
Getting your personal data for ID theft;
Revenge - they might know you (like an ex-partner) and try to impact your mental health;
The catfish might just get a kick out of it because of their own mental health issues.
Victims of Catfishing
Anyone using online dating platforms could fall prey to a catfish or romance fraudster. There exists a common belief that most victims are middle-aged women and it is also said that LGBTQ+ people are particularly at risk.
What are the Signs of a Catfish?
If you’re in an online relationship, and there is a nagging doubt that your online romantic interest isn’t who they say they are, consider the following signs of a catfish to decide whether or not they’re catfishing you.
They refuse to participate in video calls
A catfish always makes excuses about why they can’t speak with you over video calling platforms like Skype, Zoom or Facetime. Online video calling would expose them as a fraud thus they consistently refuse to video chat with you.
They’re absent a lot
A catfish is likely working on conning others too. To make time for defrauding others, they’ll lie to you about having a demanding job or travelling for some reason or another.
Spare social media profiles
New social media profiles that are very sparse in content are amongst the hallmark signs of a catfish.
They ask for money
This is a huge red flag. Romance fraudsters will ask for money. They might not do this straight away, instead preferring to draw you in before asking you to part with money or confidential information.
The relationship progresses quickly
The catfish acts quickly thus your online relationship will have progressed from introduction to full-blown online romance quickly.
Your gut instinct is warning you
Usually, catfish victims have a nagging doubt that the relationship is too good to be true. It usually is. Trust your instincts and steer clear at the first intuition that something isn’t right.
Their grasp of the English language is poor
Amongst the signs of a catfish is an unusually poor ability to communicate in English while they claim to be from a country where English is the main or official language.
I’m being catfished! What can I do?
Check out our ‘Catfish Guide’. Here, you will find a list of approaches to dealing with catfishing.
You can consult our chatbot which may be able to refer you to a trained, human helpline responder who can advise and guide you. Remember, we operate a confidential, non-judgemental service and our helpline responders are dedicated to helpling catfishing victims who account for around 2.1% of cases.
Also, consider reporting criminal actions of the catfish (e.g. fraud) to Action Fraud.
Catfishing can have profound affects on the victim. If you’re in need of emotional support and guidance, and you’re unable to turn to family friends, contact one of the following organisations: