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<\/p>\n\n\n\nYou\u2019ve met someone online who seems to check all the boxes. Any moment now, there will be red roses and hearts to look forward to, right? Not if your instinct is telling you to worry about red flags.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The sad reality is that catfishers thrive on Facebook, Instagram, Tinder and even dedicated dating sites, and they have plenty of ways to hide behind a fake or cloned photo.\u00a0 It\u2019s very easy for them to conceal their true identity \u2014 unless you know the clues to look for.\u00a0 <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Here are 11 common signs of a catfishing photo and how to catch a catfish.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If their profile photo hits you with Blue Steel or Magnum right off the bat, they\u2019re probably as fictional as Zoolander himself. Catfishers are confidence tricksters and they know that the most effective scams to trigger desire. If their photo looks as if it should be on the cover of a magazine, it\u2019s time to question what their message is doing in your DMs (no offense). <\/p>\n\n\n\n
In particular, this applies to photos that are suggestive, raunchy or use nudity liberally.\u00a0 When you can\u2019t believe your luck, you probably shouldn\u2019t.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.spokeo.com\/compass\/image\/shutterstock_2028945926.jpg?resize=1024%2C684&ssl=1\")
A creepier spin on stealing someone else\u2019s photo is to simply borrow their body.\u00a0 It\u2019s not that difficult in Photoshop or with other editing software to add your head to someone else\u2019s physique or tweak what you\u2019re working with to something more attractive.\u00a0 But unless you\u2019re very skilled at editing, the telltale clues are usually easy to spot, like mismatching skin tones or background lines that are askew.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Most social media profiles show a timeline of photos that include both spontaneous moments and major events, such as graduations, birthday parties, vacations and so on.\u00a0 But if you\u2019re dealing with a catfish, it\u2019s highly likely that whatever photos you will find on their profile show someone from a single moment in their (fictitious) life only.\u00a0 If there\u2019s no history, there\u2019s probably no future. Furthermore, don\u2019t be fooled by quality over quantity.\u00a0 Some catfish will use a provocative or sexy photo to grab attention, but it\u2019s likely to be a screenshot from an adult site or similar source.\u00a0 Ask yourself if you would normally introduce yourself to a stranger in the nude…<\/p>\n\n\n\n Luckily, it\u2019s easy to run a reverse photo lookup on a profile picture.\u00a0 If you find that the photo in question appears on more than one profile or account<\/a>, especially under different names, you can consider your investigation closed.\u00a0 The catfisher has clearly cloned a stolen identity and will not be stealing your heart.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s not just good-looking people to watch out for. If a photo looks too professional, that\u2019s a red flag too. Most likely, the scammer has scanned a photo from a yearbook, corporate website or LinkedIn profile<\/a>. The options are endless. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Scammers do this to avoid revealing anything in the background that could be a clue to the location \u2014 which could take them one step closer to their own professionally taken mugshot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There\u2019s nothing unusual about someone sending you a picture of themself only, or a profile picture that is of them alone.\u00a0 But if there are no other people featured at all on their social media profile, alarm bells should be ringing.\u00a0 No friends, family or group pictures?\u00a0 That\u2019s just how a catfisher likes it; but it\u2019s your cue to be suspicious.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n This one can work both ways, because a professional scammer will have a ready-made backstory to go with their photo featuring the Eiffel Tower or Great Barrier Reef, which can enhance the deception. A busy fraudster can\u2019t be bothered. As a result, none of the photos they share can be pinned to a specific location<\/a> (even easy-to-miss details such as license plates or street signs). <\/p>\n\n\n\n If there are location identifiers, do your own research and mine their story for inconsistencies or factual errors.\u00a0 Even the professionals slip up under pressure.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n You may be chatting and texting with your new online friend in real time, but as soon as you ask for a photo the communication goes cold. One of the easiest ways to catch a catfish is to ask for a selfie featuring their apparent location as a backdrop. If they can\u2019t, you can be confident that they\u2019re nowhere near and probably not who they say they are. If you really want to hit them with an old-school technique, ask them to pose with a copy of that day\u2019s newspaper. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Be warned, however, that if they are genuine, it would be their turn to see a red flag under those circumstances \u2014 for your paranoia.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Not all of us post our baby pics or school photos on our social media profiles, even less so on a dating website.\u00a0 We probably have one saved somewhere for someone who asks, however.\u00a0 If you ask your online friend for a picture of them when they were younger and they can\u2019t present one, it could be because they\u2019re simply using a headshot they\u2019ve copied.\u00a0 It\u2019s not a failsafe check, but it\u2019s worth asking just to gauge their reaction and potentially stop a kittenfisher in their tracks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you\u2019re lucky, the photo will be so fundamentally mismatched with their story that you can block and report them in the blink of an eye. For example, their photo appears to be years younger than the age listed on their profile, they look nothing like how they\u2019ve described themselves or you just have a sneaking suspicion that the sweet college girl in the photo writes like a middle-aged man. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Luckily, that\u2019s exactly the level some of the more inept catfishers are working at and their attempts are so hopelessly bad that it\u2019s almost amusing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The same technology they use to trick their victims can be turned against them.\u00a0 Start with a reverse image search to expose cloned photos.\u00a0 You\u2019ll see every online location where those pictures have appeared before.\u00a0 If you are at the stage where you have started sharing personal information, or it\u2019s already visible on the platform, confirm your suspicions with a reverse phone number search<\/a> or email search to reveal their true identity. With Spokeo\u2019s tools at your disposal, you can protect yourself from a catfish.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Teen Vogue – Catfished: Could It Happen to You? 9 Signs To Watch Out For<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Insider – Signs Someone’s Lying About Who They Are and You’re Being Catfished<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.spokeo.com\/compass\/image\/shutterstock_1942452061.jpg?resize=1024%2C683&ssl=1\")
3. It\u2019s Their Only Photo <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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4. One Photo on More Than One Account<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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5. Professional Headshots<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.spokeo.com\/compass\/image\/shutterstock_402552052.jpg?resize=1024%2C760&ssl=1\")
6. No Other People Pictured<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.spokeo.com\/compass\/image\/shutterstock_1901432851.jpg?resize=1024%2C683&ssl=1\")
7. No Identifiable Locations<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.spokeo.com\/compass\/image\/shutterstock_260423822.jpg?resize=1024%2C939&ssl=1\")
8. They Won\u2019t Send New Pics<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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9. They Haven\u2019t Aged<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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10. \u201cI Am McLovin\u201d<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
How To Catch a Catfish From Their Photo\u00a0<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
References:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n