“OMG, Am I Being Catfished?“ Find Out With Our Tell-Tale Signs!

Catfishing sounds crazy, but it’s real and no it’s got nothing to do with actual cats or fish. Everything is digital these days, we can make internet friends over facebook and meet people on dating sites but sometimes people aren’t who they say they are online. This is catfishing. If you’re suspicious about someone you’re talking to online, then read on…

Firstly, what is catfishing? It is creating a false identity online to lure people into relationships. The one creating the false identity is the “catfish”. This was brought to light in a 2010 documentary by Nev Schulman, the name of the documentary, well duh it’s called ‘Catfish’.

Nev has gone on to create the MTV series ‘Catfish’, the show has eight seasons and has helped so many people find out the truth about who they were speaking to online. This just goes to show that catfishing is happening everywhere and that’s not okay. The show has also gone through the many reasons why people catfish (spoiler: they’re all bad.) Some people catfish simply to troll and harass their victims, not only is this deceptive it’s also manipulative. Others use it as a way to commit fraud by scamming money out of their victims through acts of love. But for many, it’s simply because they are lonely, want to escape their own lives and they want a relationship with someone that they couldn't imagine their real selves with. That is still no excuse though.

Here are things to look out for if you’re speaking to people only or maybe you’re already suspicious…

It’s All Texting

Using a messaging app is already a big red flag. Literally everyone has a phone, a phone number. So why haven’t they given you theirs. Or, if you do have their phone number but you never speak over the phone that's also bad news. Often it means they don’t want you to hear their voice because they’re a different gender or age to what they’ve told you, AKA that hot 25-year-old guy is really a 55-year-old woman.

What’s their friend / follower count?

Now we’re not saying someone needs thousands of followers to be legit but a Facebook page with five friends or an Instagram with 20 followers screams new account and also illegitimate. If they have multiple social media accounts have a scroll through them all. They should be generally consistent if the person is who they claim to be.

It has to make sense

Just as you would get to know someone in the real world, life details will be shared. If you want to get to know someone then you’ve got to ask questions. If they can’t answer them, for example questions to do with where they're from or their supposed job, or their stories don't add up. That’s them trying to maneuver through their web of lies. Get out of there girl!

Google reverse-image search, your new BFF

In this day and age the pictures we put out into the world are important, whether they are selfies or candids. If you’re growing suspicious of the pictures they're using, here's the tool. Perhaps they don't have many pics or they’re all professional style. Upload them to Google reverse-image search and it will show you if those pictures appear anywhere else on the internet, on someone else's profile.

“Let's meet up”

If you ask to meet up and they decline, then sure maybe you live far away or they can’t fit it into their schedule right now. But if they won’t video chat their, red flag! Often that means they don’t want you to see them because they don’t match their pictures.

Gimme The Money

If they’re asking you for money, well it doesn’t come more clear-cut than that. This is a warning sign. Whether it’s $550 USD for their rent or $50 USD for some food. You should never send money to someone that you’ve never met.

Intuition, Baby

If something just feels off, don’t neglect that feeling. It’s okay to go with your gut. If you feel like someone is hiding something then they probably are! Sorry to break it to you sis.

Next Up, Ready To Turn Your Side Hustle Into Your Main Hustle?