About three in every 10 adults have used an online dating app in their life. The popularity of dating sites and apps has seen an increase in use, with more adults working from home and a general societal shift toward social media.
As the world has moved toward an online-focused approach to meeting people, so have the tactics of scammers. Many scammers have focused on impersonation by means of a fake persona, and these specific types of scammers are known as catfish.
Catfishing includes impersonating someone by creating an entire online identity using a fake profile. The fake profile uses real-life photos of an individual, and sometimes aspects of their lives, but passes them off as the scammer’s.
These types of scams fall under the umbrella of romance scams, a set of scammers who target those who are vulnerable or unsuspecting of a scam within the dating world. The issue of catfishing was made more well-known among young people thanks to an MTV reality show called Catfish.
In the reality show, Nev Schulman, the show’s host, reveals that he was a victim of a catfish himself. His situation and experience fascinated him; he even befriended his catfish. But he acknowledges that his experience is far from typical.
He decided to help others confront people they believe may or may not be catfish. He does the work to lift the veil of the online person so that the person he’s helping can finally meet the person they’ve been talking to.
While the show Catfish has done a good job of exposing the tactics used by scammers, the issue is still prevalent. In fact, the show Catfish would have you believe that catfishers are all based in the same country as their victim.
Many of the show’s victims were even targeted by people they knew in real life. In reality, the issue of catfishing is more complex and involves extortion and a perpetrator in a different country.
What Is the Goal of Catfishing?
Catfishing scams on online dating sites are common and can have malicious intentions. Let’s take a quick look at the intentions of some catfish, who they target, and why:
Building Self-Esteem
Some of the fake profiles on dating apps are run by people with low self-esteem. They may not feel confident in their own bodies or have a hard time getting dates. They can use the identity of someone else to get someone to talk to them.
However, these people may still employ unsavory tactics. Low self-esteem catfishers were often the focus of the MTV show Catfish. While the show focused on an insecurity-focused catfish, there are instances where the catfish seeks to exploit their new found level of power.
Financial Gain
One of the more common types of catfish is people using the fake profiles of conventionally attractive people for financial gain. They may ask for money outright or engage their victim in sexual behavior.
If they’re able to obtain sexual content from their victim, they will then attempt to extort them. They will ask for money in exchange for not releasing the content to family, friends, or coworkers.
Sextortion (Non-Monetary)
Sextortion, or sexual extortion, is a method of extorting a victim. It involves using their photos, videos, or texts as a ransom to get their victim to pay or provide more material. A non-monetary sextortionist is someone looking to receive explicit material from their victim.
This person is a type of sexual assailant who typically prey on those who are most vulnerable. This can lead to extortion victims who are underage or older, but anyone can be a victim of a sexual assailant.
How Do Catfish Scammers Operate?
There is no default rulebook that scammers reference. As technology changes, their tactics change. While dating apps provide methods to verify an identity, there are still ways that these systems can be fooled. A dedicated scammer can often bypass the tools an app uses to regulate its users or behavior on the platform.
Free Dating Apps
Most scammers will opt for dating profiles that allow for free profile creation and free to limited use. Apps like Bumble, Hinge, and Tinder offer free use of their platform, with limitations, such as being only able to connect with a certain number of people per day. They offer incentives to pay for certain perks or purchase more opportunities to match with others.
But just because a user is paying for an app doesn’t mean they’re legitimate, either. A scammer who has successfully stolen someone’s identity may have the financial ability to pay for a dating app. This could be that they’re paying for the account themselves or using stolen financial information to create an account.
Fake Profiles
No matter if the account a scammer uses is free, paid, verified, or unverified, the key components are still at play. They will use fake profiles with someone else’s information. They need to separate their true identity to avoid being easily found by their target.
Out of Country Targets
A fake profile can allow an out-of-country person to target people in a different country. The separation between the scammer’s country and the country they’re targeting is to avoid prosecution.
Some countries cannot extradite a citizen because of the relationships or agreements that the countries may or may not share. A place like Morocco has a higher-than-average amount of sextortionists in their country due to the lack of enforcement.
Taking the Conversation Off the App
A scammer will want to take the conversation off the platform. This other area is where they can separate their online persona from the extortion they perform. They will seek to extort victims in order to get paid in methods that are also harder to trace like gift cards, cryptocurrency, or deposits to accounts they control.
The several layers of anonymity for a scammer are their location, the fake dating profile, the fake account for messaging, and their financial platform of choice. This web of fake accounts and deceit allows the scammer to wash and repeat, seeking new victims while keeping each section of their process separate.
How Can I Avoid Being Catfished?
The best way to avoid being catfished is to know the catfish’s tactics. Spotting catfish at the beginning of a connection is an easy practice that can save you time down the road. There are warning signs to look for when searching for a romantic relationship online.
Watch for Red Flags
A common red flag is someone who struggles with the English language. It’s entirely possible for someone who is not a native English speaker to be on a dating app. But someone who says they’re American and has pictures that would leave you to believe English is their first language is a potential red flag.
You can politely ask how long they’ve lived in a city or if the city they say they’re from is where they were born. It’s best to avoid offending anyone on the chance that they actually aren’t a native speaker. Some people just aren’t the best writers, but it’s a potential red flag to keep in mind.
Reverse Image Search
Maybe you’ve connected with someone who feels out of your league. Many people struggle with body image, which can make it hard to believe someone you find attractive may like you. Luckily, there are tools to help identify if the person you’re talking to is legitimate. By saving or screenshotting their profile pictures, you can then reverse image search them.
If you successfully find results for their images, but they belong to profiles under a different name, they’re likely catfish. Just because you don’t find results doesn’t mean they aren’t a catfish. You should always proceed with caution.
Suggest a Video Call
You can suggest a video call if you’re still uncertain about the person you’re talking to. A video call is a quick and easy way for you to see the person and verify their identity. Many dating apps now offer the ability to perform video calls within their apps. This is a great feature to take advantage of.
Meet In Person
The most tried and true method to verifying someone’s identity is to meet face-to-face. This is usually a step that occurs on the first date, but a casual meetup to say hello and talk is a good idea. Always make sure to meet in public places and let someone know who you’re meeting and where.
How Can I Protect Myself From Catfish?
Protecting yourself from catfish can start much sooner than even getting on dating apps.
Keep Your Profile Secure
One of the best first steps is to ensure your online-facing information is secure. Set social media accounts as private and make sure the information you’ve shared are things you don’t mind a stranger knowing.
Many of our social media profiles and public information are easy to find. Dots can be connected between our name, city, school, and work to then find more information about us.
If your social media posts and profiles are secured, you’ve checked what information is easy to find about you, you can then secure your dating profile. Check to see if your dating profile contains information that makes it easy for them to find you. Keep in mind that scammers are looking to find your family, friends, and place of work.
Don’t Give Out Personal Info
Don’t give out personal information when talking to a new person on a dating app. Instead, try to see if there are any red flags in the conversation. Immediate compliments and their desire to make the conversation sexual should give you pause.
Avoid Sexual Conversation
Don’t provide sexual content to a person you’ve not met. It’s good practice to only provide sexual content to a partner that you know and trust. The ultimate goal of many scammers is to use videos, photos, and text as a means to extort their victims.
Stay on the Platform
Don’t take conversations off of the platform without verifying their identity. The best practice method of keeping yourself safe is to keep your conversations on the platform where you first met the person. Scammers ideally take the conversation off the platform in order to protect the standing of the profile they’ve painstakingly created.
Platforms like WhatsApp or Snapchat are less regulated and are used as a method for a catfish to still hide their identity. They still provide the ability for someone to share photos and videos which the scammer may be after. Keeping your conversation on the dating platform until a meeting is the ideal call.
What Can I Do if I’m Being Catfished?
Unfortunately, falling victim to a catfish is a common occurrence. Victims struggle with the prospect of being outed by their scammer. The fear, shame, and embarrassment of the event lead to victims being hesitant about coming forward. This is why catfish scams and romance scams are effective.
The good news is that most scammers will not make good on their threats. By releasing the images, videos, or text they’ve received they will lose their bargaining power. Their victim will be less inclined to pay them and more likely to draw attention to themselves.
Catfish do not want to draw the attention of law enforcement or government agencies. Compromising their fake identity means they have to start over, and for some catfish, that’s a time consuming process that they want to avoid.
If you or someone you know has been a victim of a catfish, there are some important steps you can take:
- Document: The person who has been catfished should write down an account of what happened. Take screenshots of interactions between themselves and this person. Take pictures of their dating profile and any other conversations or interactions that have occurred between them and the catfish.
- Do not pay: It’s important not to pay the catfish. You can buy yourself time while you seek help, make excuses, or tell lies. Paying the catfish does not make them go away and can sometimes amp up their aggressiveness. They may continue asking for payment even if their demands are met. They may try to make their offer seem appealing by offering payment plans.
- Do not engage: A catfish will try to maintain contact, make threats, or taunt their victim. Do not engage with them; block them if they’ve begun reaching out through social media. It’s difficult to repeatedly make profiles or contact you. If they’re reaching out through more regulated social media platforms, reporting can also be effective in preventing them from easily making more.
- Secure your accounts: Make sure to set sensitive accounts to private. Ensure any public-facing information doesn’t share sensitive information about yourself. If there are things you can quickly and easily remove, do so.
- Seek help: If you’ve been a victim of a catfish, contact your local law enforcement and ask for an officer specializing in internet crimes. You can contact the FBI about cases of sextortion. If your situation involves a child you can contact all of the previous departments as well as the NCMEC (National Center for Missing and Exploited Children).
Seeking Further Help
Digital Forensics can help you or someone you know take back control of a catfish scam. Our team of digital forensics engineers, social engineering experts, and lawyers trained in cybercrime are ready to help. With our proprietary tools, we can help secure your situation as quickly as possible.
The sooner you’re able to take action, the better. A catfish scammer is looking to make money, and depending on whether they’ve succeeded or not can determine how aggressive they are. Our helpline is available 24/7, and we can help you within 24 hours.
We have the ability to locate and identify criminals. By unveiling the catfish, you can begin to take legal action against them. We’ll provide all the crucial details needed to bring them to justice and get back your power.
We protect all of your private information in regard to your case. The information you share with us is protected through an NDA (non-disclosure agreement). This ensures every detail you share with us remains strictly confidential, and only the information you share with us is used to bring the catfish to justice.
Identity theft is a potential issue in these situations which is why we’re also dedicated to helping you secure all of your accounts. This helps ensure that a catfish is unable to cause further damage or use any information they have against you. This includes social media and bank accounts.
We aim to empower victims of catfishing, help them reclaim their lives, and seek justice during that difficult time. If you or a loved one has been a victim of catfishing, contact us today to see how we can help.
Sources:
Key findings about online dating in the U.S. | Pew Research
Moroccan City of Oued Zem Named World Capital of Sextortion | Morocco World News