{"id":38280,"date":"2022-04-02T04:00:29","date_gmt":"2022-04-02T02:00:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lelo.com\/blog\/?p=38137"},"modified":"2024-11-18T04:09:53","modified_gmt":"2024-11-18T03:09:53","slug":"catfishing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lelo.com\/blog\/catfishing\/","title":{"rendered":"What is Catfishing? And How to Spot an Online Catfish"},"content":{"rendered":"

In literal terms, a cat fish is a diverse ray-finned fish that has distinguishable barbels that look like a cat\u2019s whiskers. But in the figurative world, a catfish is something completely different\u2026 and chances are, you\u2019ve heard of this term before.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Regardless of your views on the matter, being a catfish is devastatingly immoral, cruel, and vicious.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

So today, we\u2019re going to take a closer look at the term \u2018catfishing\u2019. What is it, where does the term \u2018catfishing\u2019 come from, and how to spot the signs of a potential online catfish. Why? Because no one is immune to online bullying or scamming.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What is Catfishing?<\/span><\/h2>\n

Catfishing is when someone pretends to be someone else online. This person, known as a \u2018catfish,\u2019 will use fake photos, and sometimes take on a completely different persona in order to <\/span>find friends<\/span><\/a> or <\/span>romantic partners<\/span><\/a>, to harass, scam, swindle, or even get revenge.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The saddest part is, catfishing has become a huge trend because it directly appeals to one\u2019s emotions. A catfish will use words of affirmation or express <\/span>deep love<\/span> for the person they\u2019re catfishing, leaving them to feel needed, appreciated, and desired.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Not just that, but humans thrive when they have social connections. Bonding has a slew of positive benefits, such as signaling the brain to release feel-good hormones like <\/span>oxytocin<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

For that reason, it is often lonely and\/or widowed individuals, or those who have attachment <\/span>anxiety<\/span><\/a>, who are more susceptible to being catfished.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Where Does the Term \u2018Catfish\u2019 Come From?<\/span><\/h2>\n

So, where does the term \u2018catfish\u2019 even come from?<\/span><\/p>\n

Well, a 2010 documentary called <\/span>Catfish<\/span><\/i> looked at a young man who was romantically duped by a woman who had created a fake <\/span>Facebook<\/span><\/i> profile.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The term \u2018catfish\u2019 was used in this documentary to describe the fake person, as it is a long-known tale that fishermen would ship catfish with codfish because the former would keep the latter alert, active, and better tasting.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In this way, a catfish is someone who would seduce others, and pretend to be more attractive, successful, or interesting\u2014like the codfish swimming with the catfish.<\/span><\/p>\n

What Are Signs of Catfishing?<\/span><\/h2>\n

There are a variety of red flags that could help you identify a catfish online. The main thing is to trust your intuition, and remember that when something seems too good to be true, it often is.<\/span><\/p>\n

1. A catfish avoids showing their face<\/h3>\n

If you\u2019ve been chatting to someone online for a while but they refuse to do a video call with you or to have a voice call, they may be a catfish. Oftentimes, a catfish will give a number of elaborate excuses as to why they can\u2019t video chat with you. Some include that they have a broken camera or that they\u2019re shy.<\/span><\/p>\n

2. A catfish has social media pages that are fairly new<\/h3>\n

A catfish (or rather, a \u2018good\u2019 catfish) will know that online presence is everything. So before they start deceiving people online, they\u2019ll create different <\/span>social media accounts<\/span><\/a> that are all congruent to the persona they\u2019ve taken on. For that reason, if you\u2019re talking to someone and many of their social media pages seem fairly new, it could be a red flag.<\/span><\/p>\n

3. A catfish usually doesn\u2019t have many online friends<\/h3>\n

As we mentioned, a catfish will usually create a number of social media accounts that align with their catfish persona. But because this persona is not real, they often won\u2019t have many friends or followers on their accounts. <\/span><\/p>\n

4. A catfish usually uses the technique, \u201clove bombing\u201d<\/h3>\n

Love bombing is a form of emotional manipulation where a person \u201cbombs\u201d another with over-the-top affection, flattery, gifts, and praise early on in the relationship. This is done as a means to win over one\u2019s attention in hopes of gaining control.<\/span><\/p>\n

5. A catfish usually messages a lot<\/h3>\n

Many people who are catfishing will try to speed up the relationship by continuously messaging their victim. They\u2019ll shower them with kind words and \u201clove bombing\u201d, trying their best to gain all of their attention and hopefully move to \u201cthe next level\u201d as soon as possible.<\/span><\/p>\n

6. A catfish may pressure one into sharing personal information<\/h3>\n

Not all catfish are looking to scam others out of money. Some catfish are merely looking for <\/span>companionship<\/span><\/a> or romantic interest. However, when catfishing <\/span>does<\/span><\/i> involve scamming, the person may ask you a lot of questions about yourself while sharing very little about themselves.<\/span><\/p>\n

7. A catfish usually tells an elaborate story about why they cannot meet you<\/h3>\n

Just like how many catfish lie about why they cannot do a video call with you, they too will come up with elaborate <\/span>stories<\/span><\/a> as to why they cannot meet you in real life. They may say that a family member is in hospital, that their car broke down, or that they\u2019re suddenly ill.\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n

8. A catfish usually tells you about a big crisis that\u2019s going on in their lives<\/h3>\n

A catfish who is hoping to scam you out of money will usually tell you about a big crisis that\u2019s going on in their lives\u2014a crisis that they need your help with. For example, as mentioned above, they may say that their family member is in hospital and that they need financial help to pay medical bills. Remember, it is at this stage that many victims are already blinded by \u201clove\u201d because they\u2019ve experienced love bombing, making it easier to fall for these kinds of stories.<\/span><\/p>\n

9. A catfish may, eventually, ask you for money<\/h3>\n

Whatever the reason may be, when someone you\u2019ve never met in-person asks you for an amount of money big or small, this is a huge red flag. And, as we mentioned, this desperate plea for money often comes with a story about being in a tough bind.<\/span><\/p>\n

10. A catfish may trick you into sending private information, images, or videos so that they can use them to blackmail you later<\/h3>\n

Blackmailing is when someone demands money (or another benefit) from someone in return for not revealing compromising and\/or damaging information or images of them. A catfish may earn your trust, make you believe that you two are in a \u201crelationship\u201d, then prompt you to send them <\/span>intimate information or media<\/span>. This makes it exceptionally easy for them to blackmail you in order to get money.<\/span><\/p>\n

Oftentimes, we think that only naive or \u201cstupid\u201d people would fall for a catfish. In actuality, it really does come down to the emotional hold that these scammers place on us.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

When we\u2019re flooded with feel-good hormones, feelings of closeness and bonding, it\u2019s hard to see what\u2019s really going on.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

At the end of the day, everyone can benefit from being extra cautious when surfing online or online dating, because being catfished really could happen to anyone.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In literal terms, a cat fish is a diverse ray-finned fish that has distinguishable barbels that look like a cat\u2019s whiskers. But in the figurative world, a catfish is something completely different\u2026 and chances are, you\u2019ve heard of this term before.\u00a0 Regardless of your views on the matter, being a catfish is devastatingly immoral, cruel, and vicious.\u00a0 So today, we\u2019re going to take a closer look at the term \u2018catfishing\u2019. What is it, where does the term \u2018catfishing\u2019 come from, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":115,"featured_media":38315,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[924,11,923],"tags":[189,1085],"coauthors":[948],"class_list":["post-38280","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-dating","category-sex-terms","category-single","tag-healthy-relationship","tag-social-media"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nWhat is Catfishing & How Can You Spot a Catfish?<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"What is the definition of catfishing, and how can you spot it? Here are 10 ways to spot a catfish to avoid wasting time.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.lelo.com\/blog\/catfishing\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"What is Catfishing & How Can You Spot a Catfish?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"What is the definition of catfishing, and how can you spot it? Here are 10 ways to spot a catfish to avoid wasting time.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.lelo.com\/blog\/catfishing\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Volont\u00e9\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/LELO.Official\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2022-04-02T02:00:29+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-11-18T03:09:53+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.lelo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/catfishing_850x425.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"850\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"425\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Helena Lorimer\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@Lelo_Official\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@Lelo_Official\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Helena Lorimer\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.lelo.com\/blog\/catfishing\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.lelo.com\/blog\/catfishing\/\",\"name\":\"What is Catfishing & How Can You Spot a Catfish?\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.lelo.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.lelo.com\/blog\/catfishing\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.lelo.com\/blog\/catfishing\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.lelo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/catfishing_850x425.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2022-04-02T02:00:29+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-11-18T03:09:53+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.lelo.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/f0b6b2803d474ec55b7c340de4ee9a7e\"},\"description\":\"What is the definition of catfishing, and how can you spot it? Here are 10 ways to spot a catfish to avoid wasting time.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.lelo.com\/blog\/catfishing\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.lelo.com\/blog\/catfishing\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.lelo.com\/blog\/catfishing\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.lelo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/catfishing_850x425.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.lelo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/catfishing_850x425.jpg\",\"width\":850,\"height\":425,\"caption\":\"what is catfishing\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.lelo.com\/blog\/catfishing\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Volonte\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.lelo.com\/blog\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"LOVE & RELATIONSHIPS\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.lelo.com\/blog\/sex-relationships\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Dating\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.lelo.com\/blog\/sex-relationships\/dating\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":4,\"name\":\"What is Catfishing? And How to Spot an Online Catfish\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.lelo.com\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.lelo.com\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"Volont\u00e9\",\"description\":\"A Pleasure Project by LELO\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.lelo.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.lelo.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/f0b6b2803d474ec55b7c340de4ee9a7e\",\"name\":\"Helena Lorimer\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.lelo.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/08dc96604ff6f78d751a66ddf83d0b5e\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0c56f24ed992a9ac04e7940b7989a464?s=96&d=mm&r=pg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0c56f24ed992a9ac04e7940b7989a464?s=96&d=mm&r=pg\",\"caption\":\"Helena Lorimer\"},\"description\":\"Helena is a sex-positive freelance copywriter in her mid 30\u2019s from Cape Town, South Africa. She\u2019s travelled and lived in various countries in Asia and Europe for almost a decade, and continues to live her dream \u2014 traveling the world independently as a copywriter. Having written for various companies and magazines within the industry, she has extensive knowledge in the field of sexual health, the escort industry, and sex toy marketing.\",\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.heyimyourwriter.com\",\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/helenagirlgone\/\",\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/helenalorimer\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.lelo.com\/blog\/author\/helena-lorimer\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"What is Catfishing & How Can You Spot a Catfish?","description":"What is the definition of catfishing, and how can you spot it? Here are 10 ways to spot a catfish to avoid wasting time.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.lelo.com\/blog\/catfishing\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"What is Catfishing & How Can You Spot a Catfish?","og_description":"What is the definition of catfishing, and how can you spot it? Here are 10 ways to spot a catfish to avoid wasting time.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.lelo.com\/blog\/catfishing\/","og_site_name":"Volont\u00e9","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/LELO.Official\/","article_published_time":"2022-04-02T02:00:29+00:00","article_modified_time":"2024-11-18T03:09:53+00:00","og_image":[{"width":850,"height":425,"url":"https:\/\/www.lelo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/catfishing_850x425.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Helena Lorimer","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@Lelo_Official","twitter_site":"@Lelo_Official","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Helena Lorimer","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.lelo.com\/blog\/catfishing\/","url":"https:\/\/www.lelo.com\/blog\/catfishing\/","name":"What is Catfishing & How Can You Spot a Catfish?","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.lelo.com\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.lelo.com\/blog\/catfishing\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.lelo.com\/blog\/catfishing\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.lelo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/catfishing_850x425.jpg","datePublished":"2022-04-02T02:00:29+00:00","dateModified":"2024-11-18T03:09:53+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.lelo.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/f0b6b2803d474ec55b7c340de4ee9a7e"},"description":"What is the definition of catfishing, and how can you spot it? Here are 10 ways to spot a catfish to avoid wasting time.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.lelo.com\/blog\/catfishing\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.lelo.com\/blog\/catfishing\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.lelo.com\/blog\/catfishing\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.lelo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/catfishing_850x425.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.lelo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/catfishing_850x425.jpg","width":850,"height":425,"caption":"what is catfishing"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.lelo.com\/blog\/catfishing\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Volonte","item":"https:\/\/www.lelo.com\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"LOVE & RELATIONSHIPS","item":"https:\/\/www.lelo.com\/blog\/sex-relationships\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Dating","item":"https:\/\/www.lelo.com\/blog\/sex-relationships\/dating\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":4,"name":"What is Catfishing? And How to Spot an Online Catfish"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.lelo.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.lelo.com\/blog\/","name":"Volont\u00e9","description":"A Pleasure Project by LELO","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.lelo.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.lelo.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/f0b6b2803d474ec55b7c340de4ee9a7e","name":"Helena Lorimer","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.lelo.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/08dc96604ff6f78d751a66ddf83d0b5e","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0c56f24ed992a9ac04e7940b7989a464?s=96&d=mm&r=pg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0c56f24ed992a9ac04e7940b7989a464?s=96&d=mm&r=pg","caption":"Helena Lorimer"},"description":"Helena is a sex-positive freelance copywriter in her mid 30\u2019s from Cape Town, South Africa. She\u2019s travelled and lived in various countries in Asia and Europe for almost a decade, and continues to live her dream \u2014 traveling the world independently as a copywriter. Having written for various companies and magazines within the industry, she has extensive knowledge in the field of sexual health, the escort industry, and sex toy marketing.","sameAs":["https:\/\/www.heyimyourwriter.com","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/helenagirlgone\/","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/helenalorimer"],"url":"https:\/\/www.lelo.com\/blog\/author\/helena-lorimer\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lelo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38280","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lelo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lelo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lelo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/115"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lelo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=38280"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.lelo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38280\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":38316,"href":"https:\/\/www.lelo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38280\/revisions\/38316"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lelo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/38315"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lelo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=38280"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lelo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=38280"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lelo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=38280"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lelo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=38280"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}