Catfishing

Catfishing. The act of creating a fake identity online to deceive others. Catfishers often use stolen images and information from other people to create a convincing persona. Their goal is to trick their victims into believing they are in a real online relationship or friendship, or to commit financial fraud. 

Catfishers may also use catfishing to protect their own identities, live out fantasies, or manipulate others emotionally. 

Catfishers often target vulnerable people who are looking for love or companionship. This is called a romance scam. They may try to overwhelm their victims with loving messages, avoid face-to-face contact, and make excuses when asked to meet up. They may also invent stories to make their victims feel sorry for them. 

Once the victim trusts the catfish, they may try to embarrass or humiliate them by sharing secrets online or revealing that they were tricked. Catfishers may also obtain intimate images from their victims and use them to extort or blackmail them. 

Here are some signs that someone may be catfishing you: 

• They avoid face-to-face contact or video calls 
• They have excuses for not meeting up, such as a broken camera or shyness 
• They don’t show up if they do agree to meet in person 
• Their stories are conflicting or don’t add up 
• They invent stories to make you feel sorry for them 
• They seem too perfect or the situation seems too good to be true 

If you suspect someone is catfishing you, you can try asking them questions about their background that only someone with that experience would know. For example, you could ask them about restaurants in the town they say they are from, or about something specific to their job. You could also ask them to take photos with local tourist attractions.

Report Romance Scams

If you’ve been victimized by a romance scam, stop all contact with the scammer immediately.V isit ic3.gov, the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) to report romance scams.