Are You Being Catfished? Here’s How You Can Find Out

Sadly, making online connections can turn out to be a bit of a minefield. With the anonymity that the virtual world presents, not everyone is as they appear to be online. This leaves some of us vulnerable to being taken advantage of.

Unfortunately, catfishing incidents increased by 33% between 2018 and 2020 and have continued to climb.

If the seeds of doubt are beginning to sprout, then today’s guide will help you spot the warning signs and avoid being a catfishing victim.

By the time you’re done reading, you will be aware of the red flags and have some proactive steps that you can take to keep your identity safe online and protect your emotional well-being.

Catfishing Explained

Every year, around 20,000 people are catfished in the US. Catfishing is the emotional manipulation, sometimes for monetary gains of individuals, via the creation of false online personas.

A catfish will create a profile with a fake identity or sometimes impersonate another individual and contact their targeted victims.

What Motivates People to Catfish?

There are a variety of reasons that someone might catfish; many use it as a way to scam people out of personal information, which can then be used for fraud and identity theft; others directly ask for money after having gained your trust.

Sometimes it is for emotional revenge or emotional validation. The latter reasons are harder to wrap your head around, and often leave people wondering why people catfish.

Whatever the reason, the results for the victims can be devastating.

Catfishing Signs To Look Out For

If you are overly cautious, you’ll never meet anyone online. But if someone is displaying more than one of the following red flags, then you might have every right to be cautious.

Avoiding Video Calls & Meeting In-Person

Avoidance is a red flag when it comes to catfishing – that is not to say that some people might not be a little shy for a video call or simply not brave enough to meet in person. Perhaps they, too, have their doubts about you or are worried about meeting a serial killer!

However, as a bond forms between you, conversing back and forth as time passes, consistent reluctance and refusal to video chat or meet should considered a bad sign.

Repeated excuses should raise alarm bells.

Perfect Photos

Stealing the images of others, especially models and influencers, is a textbook catfish move.

So while we all have some amazing filters, be cautious if their photos look like they are straight out of a Calvin Klein ad! If it seems too good to be true, it probably is.

A Fishy Story

If you notice little details in their life seem to change, such as their job, location, or background, you could have cause for concern.

Inconsistencies are more likely when someone isn’t telling their own legitimate backstory.

If the person you are chatting with always seems to be getting the short end of the stick, you could once again be dealing with a scammer. Someone who constantly drops hints at their bad misfortune could be gearing up to ask for financial help.

How to Check if You’re Being Catfished

Below are two things you can do to verify the person you are chatting with if you suspect you could be being catfished.

Reverse Image Searching

By uploading their perfect photos to Google Images or TinEye for a reverse image search, you can find out if the images appear anywhere else.

If you reverse image search the photos Mike sent you of him snowboarding last year and they appear on Joe the Snowboard Legends Instagram page, then Mike probably doesn’t exist!

If they are on multiple sites, they could be free licensed stock images.

Check Their Social Media

Always check their social media for discrepancies; if it was recently created, has little activity, or has very few friends (or tons of fake friends), then your suspicions could be warranted.

Steps to Take If You Discover You’re Being Catfished

The following actions should be taken if you are convinced you are being catfished.

Stop All Contact

To make sure any exploitation goes no further, you should terminate and block all communication with the individual.

Report The Individual

To prevent others from becoming victims, use the platform’s protocols to report the profile as fake or suspicious.

Update & Secure Yourself.

If you are worried about your accounts and information, then update your passwords and monitor vigilently, especially your bank statements.

Two-factor authentication is another great tool to help secure your accounts and prevent unauthorised users from getting in.

Consider A VPN

A Virtual Private Network, such as a VPN by Surfshark, can help secure your data transmissions, making it harder for malicious actors to get a hold of.

Conclusion

Unfortunately, catfishing is a sad reality for some when interacting online.

With luck, our rundown of the red flags to hunt for and how to confirm your suspicions will help you spot a catfish a mile off.

Remember to block and report profiles and take appropriate actions if you find yourself in the hands of a malicious online actor!