12 Signs That You Might Be Getting Catfished Online - Social Catfish (2024)

Dating online is most people’s go-to way to discover their prince charming or princess of their dreams. However, scammers know just how badly people want to meet someone and fall in love, so they disguise themselves as someone good-looking and try to get grab your attention, which is called catfishing. Once they reel you in and you start to fall in love with them quickly, they steal your life savings and never talk to you again. Discover the twelve tell-tell signs that you are being catfished online in social media networks or on popular dating websites.

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 Does it Mean to Be Catfished?

When people say they’re being catfished, what does it mean? There are two different types of catfishing. Catfishing and catfish scams (also called romance scams). Catfishing takes place on social media sites. When someone uses angles, lighting, or filters to the point where their online persona looks nothing like they look in real life, this is called catfishing. In catfish scams, people steal the photos of influencers or celebrities to create fake accounts. They then approach people online and start long-distance relationships. Over the course of these relationships, they slowly scam them.

Catfish Photo Search

Catfish Photo Search offers a revolutionary approach to uncovering the truth behind online identities. Using cutting-edge technology and extensive databases, Catfish Photo Search allows users to upload images and perform reverse searches to reveal the real individuals behind suspicious profiles. Whether you’re navigating the complex world of online dating or seeking to verify someone’s identity, Catfish Photo Search provides invaluable insights by scanning millions of images across the web. With its user-friendly interface and swift results, this tool empowers users to identify potential catfish and protect themselves from deception. Trust Catfish Photo Search to bring clarity and peace of mind to your online interactions.

Signs That You Are Being Catfished Online

Catfish Protip #1: They’re Too Good to Be True

First of all, if they seem too good to be true, they probably are. People who catfish others usually make up fake lives so they can be as extravagant as they want to be. It might be difficult for you to verify if they’re a real person unless you perform a reverse search on them, so be careful if they live an extreme lifestyle.

Catfish Protip #2: Their Profiles Have Broad Interests

Online scammers and catfish create fake profiles with broad interests in their dating profiles and social media profile so that they can appeal to as many people as possible. If someone doesn’t seem to have an opinion or their interests are extensive, be wary.

They may be out to scam someone. Some examples would be them saying that they can get dressed up and go to the opera or ride horses and kick their boots up. Most people don’t have interests this broad so, if this seems like a person you’ve met online, be careful.

Catfish Protip #3: They’re Moving Too Fast

If someone seems to be falling for you and pushing the relationship forward without having talked to you or after little contact with you, they’re probably trying to catfish you online. Be careful if someone seems to be falling for you and they write and say all of these loving things about you after a brief amount of time.

Be careful. This is especially the case if they ask you for money right away.

Catfish Protip #4: They’ll Only Talk To You Through Chat or Email

If someone can only talk to you through chat or email and things ‘keep coming up’ that prevent them from video chatting or using a phone, there is probably something funny going on with your relationship online. This is also the case if you can talk to them and their voice doesn’t match their ethnicity (this isn’t always the case) or their voice seems to change, and you start to question if that was the same person you were talking to before.

Sometimes, they claim theydon’t know what Skype is or can never download it,or always seem to have an issue being able to talk in person (this isn’t always the case).They might also claim that their computerdoesn’t have a webcam. If their lips don’t match the voice on the video call, this could also mean that they’re editing the video chat.

Catfish Protip #5: Their Work is Unrealistic

Most scammers live overseas and say they have a ‘job’ that takes them overseas. If someone always has to travel to countries like Africa or the Middle East, be very careful if they start asking for money.

In most cases, this will turn into a Nigerian 419 scam. Also, think about why someone would ask you for money instead of their friends and family who they would usually go to first.

If they are an engineer or have a job that takes them overseas, be very careful. Most 419 scammers have jobs that take them abroad where something dramatic will happen, and they need to ask for money. If they live in the U.S. and they need to travel overseas a lot, watch for these signs.

They might alsoclaim to have an excellent jobthat seemsfar-fetched or unattainablefor their age.

Catfish Protip #6: They’re Asking for Money

If someone asks for money after having known you for a small amount of time, be cautious. You may have been the target the entire time. And if they ask you to send it to someone else for any reason, make sure you stop communication as there is a high possibility they’re a scammer.

If you tell them you don’t have money, see how fast a catfish will run. In some cases, we’ve even seen catfish offer money and ask for bank account information. NEVER GIVE YOUR BANK ACCOUNT INFORMATION OUT!

Catfish Protip #7: They Contact You Out of the Blue

Think about it. The likelihood of someone contacting you out of nowhere and starting a romance with you is highly unlikely. So, if anyone is doing this to you, be careful.

Also, be on guard if someone says a friend of a friend is trying to connect you two. Go to any contacts and try and verify if that information is correct before moving forward with them.

If they contact you out of nowhere and start talking to you. If they reach out through Facebook or say that a friend of yours is also a mutual friend of theirs, and start chatting, be careful, especially if they start showing the other signs.

Catfish Protip #8: They Live in the U.S. and Have Terrible Grammar

If someone lives in the U.S. but, has terrible grammar like it’s their second language, be aware and don’t be afraid to ask more questions before pursuing a relationship, especially if you haven’t seen or talked to them in person first. This could mean they have something funky in the middle of their sentence, like a period, or they have a ton of misspelled words.

Example: Bb i luv. u

Catfish Protip #9: Their Online Status Doesn’t Look Real

Online dating scams usually consist of a person “faking” their identity so, keep an eye out if their online status doesn’t look real. People should have contacts, friends, and relatives on their social profiles.

If they don’t, be open to the fact that the person may be lying. Most people will post pictures of themselves, their friends, and will have real interactions with others on their social accounts. If they don’t, they’re usually hiding something.

Catfish Protip #10: They Steal Images from Famous People

Furthermore, catfishers try and look appealing so they’ll steal pictures of attractive people. People can be models, movie stars, or other celebrities. Don’t let the fact that you don’t recognize someone in real life as a tool to fool you. Use our reverse image search to check the original source of their Facebook profile or other social networks to make sure you are not being catfished.

If they only have afew pictures on their profileand they don’t look recent, that is a sign to be suspicious. Also, if they look mildly famous, do your research and make sure that their pictures are real to avoid being catfished.

Catfish Protip #11: They Make You Feel Sorry For Them

Most catfish online will make up far-fetched lies so that you’ll feel sorry for them. If they do this and then ask for money, be extremely cautious. If you’re not sure that this person is a catfish, you can always perform a catfish reverse image search on them.

Catfish Protip #12: Trust Your Instincts

In the end, trust your instincts. Most people that come to us already have a hunch that something isn’t right. If that’s you, you may be correct. You know when you have that unsettling feeling. When dating people online, trust your gut and maybe perform a facial recognition search.

How to Tell If You’re being Catfish On Social Media

There are a few signs you can look for to tell if you’re being catfished. Besides running a reverse image search, there are simple ways to see if someone checks out.

• Do they look like they should have way more followers than they actually do?:If someone has Instagram model-level pictures on their profile but a below-average following, be suspicious.
• How did you meet them?:Did you meet them in the comment section under a post? Did they slide into your DMs with an account that looked too good to be true?
• Do they only have a small number of likes?:A small number of followers, reaching out to random people, and a low like count? The catfish scam alarm bells should be ringing. They might be a scammer.

How to Tell if You’re Being Catfished on Tinder or POF

Catfish behave slightly differently on dating apps like Tinder, bumble, or POF. These sites aren’t as social, so the signs that someone is a catfish are a little more subtle. They also differ depending on what gender they’re catfishing as.

Catfish Guys

Profiles catfishing as guys have a different strategy than catfishing girls. Catfish guys will try to be “Mr. Right”. To spot one of these scammers, look for these signs:

• Look at their pictures:What’s in the catfish guy’s pictures? Does he look like he’s on an oil rig, in the military, or somewhere overseas? Catfish scammers love these identities, so watch out!
• What Does he say in conversation?: In a relationship, asking sweet and compassionate questions shows consideration for your partner. But for catfish, asking these questions gets you to lower your guard. Tactics like love bombing are very common among catfish scammers.
• Does His Life Sound Too exciting to be true?:Catfish scammers using male persona’s tend to create stories that make them seem more important or exciting to draw you closer to them. They will often tell you that they’re texting you from a war zone or that the oil rig they were working on exploded but they got out at the last minute.

GIrl Catfish

Catching someone catfishing as a girl is a little bit more straightforward. These scammers typically have a more direct way of attracting their victims. These are the signs of a female catfish:

• Is Their Bio Provocative?:Scammers catfishing as women typically use racier language to get responses. because of this, they tend to have provocative language in their bio.
• What do their images look like?: Are the photos semi-professional grade? Are they wearing somewhat revealing clothes or taking provocative poses? This is a sign of a catfish. This is because scammers often steal their images from adult film actresses.
• Using Terms of endearment:Scammers will often use terms like “baby”, “honey” and more before they’ve even gotten to know you. This sweet-talking is aimed at heightening the attraction and making you more invested. This makes you more likely to spend money when they ask.

How to Outsmart A Catfish

To outsmart a catfish, you need the right information. Finding out who’s really in the photos can give you leverage because you can find proof that what they’re saying is a lie. check out our guide here on how to handle it.

You can also signup with Social Catfish to have us run a dating background check. It’s private, and the person will never know that you have done this. You can also run a reverse search with a name, email address, phone number, social media username, or image to see if you’re talking to a real person instead of being catfished. In a lot of cases, people do this to get peace of mind, not waste their time, avoid stumbling upon a catfish online, and avoid getting hurt.

Are My Photos Being Used to Catfish?

If you’re worried that your photos might be being used to catfish someone, you can conduct a catfish image search to see if your images are being used online. A catfish image search involves using specialized software to search for images that are identical or similar to the ones you’ve uploaded. By doing so, you can determine whether or not your images are being used without your permission. This can be particularly useful if you’re active on social media and have a large number of followers. By regularly conducting catfish image searches, you can ensure that your online identity is protected and that nobody is pretending to be you.