September 28, 2023
So you’ve been talking to someone online, and you starting to get suspicious and you’re getting some signs that you might be catfished. There are a couple of steps you can take to make sure that the person you’re talking to is real, there are also a couple of signs you can watch out for that will tell you whether or not they are in fact a scammer stay keep reading to find out exactly how.
The Fastest Way To Silence The Doubts
When you meet someone online, you want to give your attention fully to making a deep connection that lasts. But before you open yourself up, it’s important to make sure the person you’re talking to is who they say they are. Catfish and romance scammers like the one in the hit Netflix show The Tinder Swindler are plaguing the internet and ruining lives. Make sure you’re not a victim, verify your match by uploading a screenshot of their profile below.
What is Catfishing Someone?
Catfishing is when someone steals someone else’s photos on the internet in order to trick people on the internet into sending them money, giftcards, or other types of payments. This is not the only reason people catfish, however. Some people catfish to trick someone into an emotional relationship because they are interested in someone romantically but are looking to overcome their physical insecurities. Or sometimes, people just catfish as a cruel joke. However, the most common type of catfishing is an organized, criminal act.
The person that you’re talking to has an extravagant life. They travel a lot, have a great job, and are great looking but, all of a sudden, something dramatic happens, and they either need money, won’t talk you to on Skype or plans to meet always seem to fall through. They might have a photo on their profile of someone who looks like a model when in reality they stole these photos from social media influencers. These are typically signs that you’re being catfished online.
If this is you, you might be getting catfished. Catfishing is a scheme where someone acts like someone else to dupe or scam someone online. It usually involves love, and the motives of the person doing the catfishing are always selfish. If this seems like you, here are some things that you can do to avoid getting ripped off, scammed, or embarrassed by friends and family because you fell for a scam.
What are Three Signs That You are Being Catfished?
Catfishing is when someone creates a fake identity online to trick others into thinking they are someone else. Here are three signs that you may be getting catfished:
- The person is reluctant to meet in person: One of the most common signs of catfishing is that the person is hesitant to meet in person, even after a long period of communication. They may have excuses for not being able to meet, such as living in another country or having a busy schedule.
- The person avoids video chats or phone calls: If the person you are talking to refuses to do video chats or phone calls, this may be a sign that they are not who they claim to be. They may be using fake photos or stolen images to create their online identity and don’t want to risk being exposed.
- The person’s story doesn’t add up: If the person you are talking to has inconsistencies in their story or their details don’t match up with what they have told you before, this is a red flag. For example, they may have said they live in one city, but their IP address suggests they are located somewhere else.
Keep in mind that these signs alone do not necessarily mean that you are being catfished, but they should raise a red flag and prompt you to investigate further.
Step #1: First Verify If You’re Being Catfished with Social Catfish
Don’t jump the gun before you know. You don’t want to end a possible good relationship but, you don’t want to ignore the signs either.
You can verify that you’ve been catfished with Social Catfish! In order for us to help you perform a reverse search, all you need to do is enter a name, email address, phone number, social media username, or image into the search bar.
You can also hire one of our Search Specialists. You can find more information here on our different plans, and we have a 100% money-back guarantee if we can’t help you verify someone’s identity.
If you’ve already verified that you’ve been catfished, move to step 2.
Step#2: Remove All Information & Don’t Give Them Money
You want to make sure that you don’t send them any information or incriminating pictures. Make sure you block the catfish from your social accounts and change your settings to ensure privacy.
Also, make sure you don’t send anyone money. There are many catfishing scams where people coerce others into falling for them emotionally so; they’ll feel obligated to help them out when they claim to need it.
If you’ve given the catfish money:
Don’t stop contact with the catfish right away. Call the police on the catfish first. They will file a report. We’ve had people who have been able to get back some of their money and the police have been able to track scammers down (this doesn’t often happen, though).
Step #3: Report Catfish to the Police
If someone is trying to steal money from you and attempting to commit cyber fraud, it’s most likely a good idea to report it to the appropriate law enforcement agency and also the site where this took place (e.g., a dating site, social networking site or forum). Here are the following areas that you can report cyber crimes, impersonation, and online fraud:
- You can contact the Internet Crime Complaint Center here to report fraud or cybercrimes. They work with the FBI and will investigate the fraud.
- For Facebook, you can contact report a fake account here, or online scams, phishing here.
- For Twitter, you can report an account for impersonation here and online fraud here.
- For dating sites and forums, you can usually find a ‘report’ button on the person’s profile page. These types of sites should have a reporting section but, they don’t so, you’ll have to look around. (eg. like this page on POF.com)
- If you’ve already given the catfish money and haven’t severed ties, contact the police immediately. The cops will instruct you on what the next best steps are.
Step #4. Be Cautious About Being Catfished in the Future
In the future, make sure you’re cautious about accepting invites and personal messages from people you don’t know. Those typically aren’t legitimate.
Also, don’t give out personal information, make sure you involve friends or family when meeting up with someone you’ve met online. Make sure you keep your guard up until you’re able to verify someone’s identity. Most of the time this can be done through a reverse lookup.
Now that you have everything you need to combat online scammers, you can go out there and meet people safely. Do you have any more tips for us? Leave a comment below.
