Look, MTV’s Catfish is definitely a guilty pleasure, but like any good catfish search, the rabbit hole goes a lot deeper than surface-level drama. There’s a good reason the show’s been running since 2012 – tea-sipping aside, legit experts uncover complex webs of scam artists’ deception. And that isn’t just good entertainment, it can be a valuable resource for avoiding and netting your own nasties.
So how does the team behind Catfish uncover the true identity of their digital deviants? Their pro-level catfish lookup often starts with a simple phone number search and goes from there. Here’s how they do it – and how you can, too.
Catfish Credentials
With a decade-plus (and still going) run on the books, there must be something to the credulity of MTV’s Catfish. Why do we still place so much trust in the show’s team as the de-facto catfish search experts?
Turns out, the founding MTV team and show hosts are at least partially responsible for coining the very term “catfish” (which, in case you’ve been snoozing at the bottom of a lake, is the act of creating a fictitious online persona – usually romantic in nature – in order to dupe an unsuspecting victim, typically for purposes of financial fraud). The show is named after the 2010 documentary, Catfish, which tells the true story of Nev Schulman’s deception at the hands of an online romantic interest who isn’t who she claims to be.
The doc was co-directed by Nev’s brother, Ariel Schulman. Alongside fellow documentary director Max Joseph, Ariel and Nev then developed the MTV show in 2012, with Nev hosting. Since its debut, each episode seeks to crack a real-life catfishing case, relying on and expanding upon the tried-and-tested catfish lookup techniques the team has been using successfully for nearly 15 years. Of course, catfish goes best with a grain of salt; while the catfish search methods are legit, the show is reality TV, so it’s ultimately presented to maximize the drama.
How the Experts Catch a Catfish
Regardless of how much the show’s producers already know or how the investigation is framed, Catfish’s hosts begin their research from scratch, with no knowledge of what their investigations will uncover. As the hosts have explained more than a few times, many of the show’s younger demographic have spent most of their lives making online connections via social media, which often makes them balk at the idea of checking a cell phone number, performing a reverse cellphone lookup, or even doing a quick Google search (for context, recall that as of 2021, TikTok surpassed Google as the world’s most-visited domain).
Typically, the pro-catfish-catchers start with some basic online research tools to help victims uncover their catfishes’ obfuscated identities. These methods often include:
- Reverse phone lookup. This catfish phone number search essential – one of Spokeo’s most popular offerings – allows users to enter a phone number into their browser. The tool then searches a robust database of public info like physical addresses, email addresses, and social profiles to produce matches. This helps investigators get an idea of whether or not potential catfishers really are who they claim to be.
- Reverse image search. While you can use a service for this, Google Images allows you to upload any image saved on your device (or copy the URL of images online) and search using that image for free, turning up image results that include the exact same pic, pics that contain said image, or similar images. It’s a great way to see if a potential catfish has stolen their profile pic from an existing source.
- Background checks. Once online sleuths start to get a handle on the real identity of a catfish, good old-fashioned background checks – a paid service offered by many online services (Spokeo included!) – scour everything criminal records, helping shed light on any potential past misdeeds.
The Pros Use Spokeo
So what website does Catfish use to help find its targets? Our very own Spokeo consistently appears as a preferred Catfish people search tool and catfish phone number search essential, even appearing by name on the show as far back as 2013.
Experienced scammers know how to cover their tracks when it comes to a basic online search, and Google alone doesn’t always uncover a catfish, which is why former Catfish co-host Max Joseph says Spokeo People Finder is so crucial for helping the team uncover someone’s real identity by searching a phone number, email address, or name.
MTV gives Spokeo a shout in a blog about their researching toolset: “We found a bunch of different telephone lookup sites at first, and a bunch of them were not legit,” Max explains. “It took us a while to find Spokeo.”
In a Reddit AMA (“Ask Me Anything”), Nev Schulman calls our reverse phone search the “single best resource” for catfish detectives. “If you have their phone number, you can put it in the Spokeo.com website and you might have to pay a small fee, but it’s worth it, considering that it will usually give you who the phone is registered to and sometimes even an address.”
Nev’s got that mostly right, except that a full phone report (starting as low as $0.95) can go way beyond addresses. As Spokeo scours billions of records, from court docs to property records, your search may also shine a light on other public social media accounts, phone numbers, email addresses, and online profiles that person manages. Worst-case scenario, the background check may expose a criminal record – and it’s never too early to find that out.
How to Do Your Own Catfish People Search
The typical catfish might kindle romance through a spicy profile, glaze their victims with flattery, and show an uncanny knack for sharing similar interests. Usually, that’s all to get their targets nice and buttered up so they can lay on a request for money – all while their physical location (and real identity) somehow remains a mystery.
However, as soon as you’ve got a phone number in hand, you can perform a reverse phone lookup or background check to help cut through that mystery and get to the truth. Here’s how it works, in two easy steps:
- Using the reverse phone number lookup tool on Spokeo, type in the phone number given to you by the suspected catfish and hit “Search Now.”
- Select “view report” to uncover all available information associated with that phone number, including names, current/past addresses, and more. This will help you verify if the person you are connecting with online is accurately representing themselves or if they are a catfish.
Try Spokeo to see for yourself – just think of it as your own personal Catfish people finder. With the same tools the pros use, Spokeo might just signal the demise of the scammer. We know Kamie Crawford signed on to co-host Catfish a few seasons ago, but maybe Nev is looking for a co-co-host?
As a freelance writer, small business owner, and consultant with more than a decade of experience, Dan has been fortunate enough to collaborate with leading brands including Microsoft, Fortune, Verizon, Discover, Office Depot, The Motley Fool, and more. He currently resides in Dallas, TX.