{"id":25664,"date":"2022-05-12T13:32:00","date_gmt":"2022-05-12T21:32:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.spokeo.com\/compass\/?p=25664"},"modified":"2022-07-19T13:42:37","modified_gmt":"2022-07-19T21:42:37","slug":"how-to-outsmart-a-catfish","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.spokeo.com\/compass\/how-to-outsmart-a-catfish\/","title":{"rendered":"Turning the Tables: How to Outsmart a Catfish\ufffc"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Back in 1989, Will Smith and his musical partner DJ Jazzy Jeff recorded a song called \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.songfacts.com\/facts\/dj-jazzy-jeff-the-fresh-prince\/i-think-i-can-beat-mike-tyson\">I Think I Can Beat Mike Tyson<\/a>.\u201d&nbsp; The idea of climbing into the ring with Tyson \u2014 then the baddest heavyweight of them all \u2014 was a comically bad one, and the song\u2019s video played the notion for laughs.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The idea of trying to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.spokeo.com\/compass\/15-signs-of-a-con-artist\/\">unmask a con artist<\/a> might seem equally misguided, but if you suspect you\u2019ve become entangled with an online <em>catfish<\/em> \u2014 someone who\u2019s not who they say they are, often with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fcc.gov\/love-appiness-how-avoid-romance-scams\">a romance scam<\/a> as the endgame \u2014 it\u2019s actually a pretty level field.&nbsp; Catfish aren\u2019t usually criminal masterminds, and you can unmask them easily enough once your suspicions are aroused.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Tell-Tale Signs of a Catfish&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Meeting somebody online is the 21st-century equivalent of a blind date, in that you start off knowing nothing about each other.&nbsp; The crucial difference is that in a traditional blind date, you\u2019ve been set up by friends who know you both personally.&nbsp; Online, you may be matched by an algorithm, or just meet (at least ostensibly) at random.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That means the only things you know about the other person are the things they tell you, and those won\u2019t always be accurate.\u00a0 Sometimes the deception is a mild one, like using an outdated profile pic or shading one\u2019s height\/weight\/age just a smidge (that\u2019s sometimes called \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.spokeo.com\/compass\/what-is-kittenfishing\/\">kittenfishing<\/a>\u201d).\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s more serious if the entire persona is fabricated.&nbsp; Not all catfish are in it for money (there can be <a href=\"https:\/\/www.spokeo.com\/compass\/why-do-people-catfish\/\">other motivations<\/a>), but if you fall for the deception, you\u2019re likely to get hurt, one way or another.&nbsp; Of course, creating a persona from whole cloth is a complicated exercise and usually results in a number of recognizable \u201ctells\u201d or red flags that will be obvious once you start looking for them.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>These include some of the following:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>Never being available to meet in person,<\/strong> though there\u2019s always a very good reason (\u201cdeployed overseas\u201d is a big one).&nbsp; They may agree to meet, but something will always come up at the last moment.&nbsp;<\/li><li><strong>Not being available to video-chat in real time. <\/strong>&nbsp;Catfish typically don\u2019t use their real face on a fake persona, and appearing on-camera would give them away.&nbsp;<\/li><li><strong>Everything happens at 100 miles per hour. <\/strong>&nbsp;You go from meeting, to discovering you have a (suspicious, when you think about it) number of things in common, to undying love\/soul mates in record time.&nbsp;<\/li><li><strong>They\u2019ll hit you up for money, gifts or other tangible benefits.<\/strong>&nbsp; As we said, not all catfish are in it for gain, but most are: At some point, you\u2019ll be hit with an entirely plausible, often heartbreaking sob story, and feel compelled to help out.&nbsp;<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>These are just the most obvious few red flags (there\u2019s a longer post elsewhere on the blog about <a href=\"https:\/\/www.spokeo.com\/compass\/how-to-tell-if-youre-being-catfished\/\">how to know when you\u2019re being catfished<\/a>), but they\u2019re enough to start with.&nbsp; If any one of these signs is present in your relationship, it\u2019s a warning you shouldn\u2019t ignore.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How to Outsmart a Catfish<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Catfish are master manipulators.&nbsp; They make their living by understanding psychology, and knowing how to create an emotional connection.&nbsp; Those are the \u201csoft skills\u201d that con artists live by, but they\u2019re a double-edged sword: Catfish rely on their ability to talk themselves out of trouble, and often skimp on detailed preparation.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That creates vulnerabilities, where you can quickly test whether they\u2019re really who they say they are.&nbsp; These vulnerabilities include the following:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Images<strong>&nbsp;<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Photos are maybe the biggest single vulnerability for a catfish, because they don\u2019t want to use their real face, and those pics have to come from <em>somewhere<\/em>.&nbsp; Google\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/support.google.com\/websearch\/answer\/1325808?co=GENIE.Platform%3DDesktop&amp;hl=en\">reverse image search<\/a> is your friend, here: You can use it to search their profile pic, their social media photos, and any pictures the (suspected) catfish has sent you.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If the images turn out to be from a stock photo agency, or \u201cscraped\u201d from someone else\u2019s social media or dating-site accounts, that\u2019s your smoking-gun proof of a catfish.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Another option is to cheerfully challenge your suspected catfish to an exchange of \u201cright here, right now, no filter\u201d selfies.&nbsp; You can frame it any way you choose (\u201c&#8230;just rolled out of bed, bet I look worse than you do!\u201d), but an unwillingness to send a selfie in anything approaching real time is also a pretty strong suggestion that the real person\u2019s face doesn\u2019t match the persona\u2019s pictures.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Drilling Down on Details<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>This may be extra-deflating, but if you <em>are<\/em> the object of a catfish\u2019s attention, you\u2019re probably not the only one.&nbsp; Scammers typically juggle multiple \u201cmarks\u201d at a time, and that\u2019s a lot of detail to keep track of.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Go back over your chat history and email or text exchanges, and make a note of all the things you\u2019ve been told by your suspected catfish.&nbsp; Over the next few weeks, bring them up again and ask questions (\u201cYou mentioned operating heavy equipment up in Alaska.&nbsp; How was that?&nbsp; I have a nephew who\u2019s thinking about that kind of work\u2026\u201d).&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Over time (don\u2019t make it sound like an interrogation!), the other person\u2019s responses to your questions will begin to show a pattern.&nbsp; Where real people will cheerfully go into (verifiable) details, a catfish will either be evasive and handwave your questions away (\u201cUgh, don\u2019t get me started\u2026\u201d) or improvise a narrative on the spot.&nbsp; If the story changes from one time to the next, you probably have a catfish.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Scrutinizing Their Online Presence<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>If you didn\u2019t originally connect on social media, make a point of offering to connect with them on your choice of platform, whether that be Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or some other option.&nbsp; If they say they don\u2019t have a social media presence, that\u2019s fine; some people actually don\u2019t.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If they are on Facebook or the \u2019Gram, though, it gives you another opportunity to scrutinize their persona for cracks.&nbsp; It\u2019s a source of photos to verify, for one thing.&nbsp; It also lets you assess how real their account feels: Are there lots of posts from friends?&nbsp; Lots of random, candid photos?&nbsp; How many friends or followers does the account have?&nbsp; How long has it been active, and do posts show up regularly or all in a batch?&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Compare that account with the ones of your real friends (and their friends).&nbsp; If it\u2019s fake, you\u2019ll see the differences quickly.&nbsp; If photos are sparse, there seem to be few friends or followers (and if there\u2019s little interaction between them), then you probably have a catfish.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Unmasking a Catfish with Spokeo<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Now comes the fun part: taking all of the details you\u2019ve gleaned, and searching them on Spokeo.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Phone Number Search<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>An excellent starting point is the potential catfish\u2019s phone number, if you have it.&nbsp; Type that into Spokeo\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.spokeo.com\/reverse-phone-lookup\">reverse phone lookup<\/a>, and see what you find.&nbsp; Ideally, your search will come back with the registered owner\u2019s name and phone carrier, and may also provide an address and a range of other information (including, possibly, accounts at various apps and sites that are linked to that phone number).&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If the name and location coincide with what the person told you, then great!&nbsp; They\u2019re (probably) legit.&nbsp; If there\u2019s a discrepancy, or if the number\u2019s Phone Reputation Score says it\u2019s possibly associated with a scammer, you\u2019ll want to dig a little deeper.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Name Search<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.spokeo.com\/\">Search the name<\/a> the potential catfish gave you, and then (if it\u2019s different) the name associated with the phone number.&nbsp; Here again you can find additional information, such as whether the person owns or rents (which may confirm or contradict what you\u2019ve been told).&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If it seems you\u2019ve found a real name, you can dig further for information like marital status or criminal history (those details are included in some Spokeo subscriptions, and available as a one-time add-on on others).&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Physical and Email Addresses<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>You can also search on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.spokeo.com\/reverse-address-search\">physical addresses<\/a> or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.spokeo.com\/email-search\">email addresses<\/a> once you\u2019ve got them, either directly from the potential catfish or as the result of your earlier Spokeo searches.&nbsp; These searches may turn up a different name than the one you\u2019ve been given, or alternative phone numbers, or even social media accounts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Each of these searches yields information that you can take back to the other search tools, repeating the process until you\u2019ve proved to your own satisfaction whether you have a catfish or not.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How to End a Catfish Relationship<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>If you discover in the end that you are, indeed, entangled with a catfish, it\u2019s going to be a pretty emotional moment.&nbsp; If you act on it right away, while those emotions are fresh and raw, you\u2019ll probably feel a strong impulse toward confrontation.&nbsp; Having it out with your catfish may be cathartic, but it\u2019s also usually a bad idea for a couple of important reasons, such as the following:&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>As we said before, catfish are skilled manipulators above all, and you\u2019ve been opening your heart to this one for weeks or months.&nbsp; There\u2019s a high risk that, given the opportunity, they\u2019ll find a way to make you \u201cthe bad guy\u201d for checking on them, and use guilt as a lever to keep you from breaking the connection.&nbsp;<\/li><li>If you\u2019ve already provided them with money or goods, or have reason to suspect that they\u2019re criminals, you\u2019re also giving them the heads-up they need in order to disappear (or worse, to threaten you in the real world).&nbsp;<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s smarter to simply block them and move on, but in a few cases you might want to take further action.&nbsp; A couple of options include the following:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>You can report their profile to the social media platform, dating app or wherever else you first made contact (most platforms are pretty militant about fake accounts, especially ones that engage in dubious activity).&nbsp;<\/li><li>If you\u2019ve been defrauded, you can report the incident at the FTC\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/reportfraud.ftc.gov\/#\/?pid=B\">Report Fraud<\/a> website and the FBI\u2019s internet <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ic3.gov\/\">Crime Complaint Center<\/a>.&nbsp; If the catfish lives in the same area as you, you might also file a report with local law enforcement.&nbsp;<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>None of those steps will ease the emotional pain and sense of loss you\u2019ll feel as a result of your misplaced trust, but they will make it harder for the catfish to victimize someone else.\u00a0 More importantly, you\u2019ll know what to look for in the future, in order to avoid falling into the same trap.\u00a0 It\u2019s a hard-won lesson, but a valuable one.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Sources<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Songfacts: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.songfacts.com\/facts\/dj-jazzy-jeff-the-fresh-prince\/i-think-i-can-beat-mike-tyson\">I Think I Can Beat Mike Tyson, DJ Jazzy Jeff &amp; The Fresh Prince<\/a><\/li><li>US Federal Communications Commission: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fcc.gov\/love-appiness-how-avoid-romance-scams\">Love &amp; Appiness: How to Avoid Romance Scams<\/a><\/li><li>Google Search Help: <a href=\"https:\/\/support.google.com\/websearch\/answer\/1325808?co=GENIE.Platform%3DDesktop&amp;hl=en\">Search With an Image on Google<\/a><\/li><li>US Federal Trade Commission: <a href=\"https:\/\/reportfraud.ftc.gov\/#\/?pid=B\">Report to Help Fight Fraud!<\/a><\/li><li>US Federal Bureau of Investigation: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ic3.gov\/\">Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3)<\/a><\/li><\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Back in 1989, Will Smith and his musical partner DJ Jazzy Jeff recorded a song called \u201cI Think I Can Beat Mike Tyson.\u201d&nbsp; The idea of climbing into the ring&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":112,"featured_media":25665,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[612,614],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-25664","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-guides","category-safety"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v24.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>How to Outsmart a Catfish Trying to Scam You | Spokeo<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Meeting someone online has become pretty normal, but occasionally you find yourself entangled with a deceptive \u201ccatfish.\u201d Learn how to outsmart a catfish, track down their real identity (using Spokeo!) and how to end a catfish relationship effectively.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.spokeo.com\/compass\/how-to-outsmart-a-catfish\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How to Outsmart a Catfish Trying to Scam You | Spokeo\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Meeting someone online has become pretty normal, but occasionally you find yourself entangled with a deceptive \u201ccatfish.\u201d Learn how to outsmart a catfish, track down their real identity (using Spokeo!) and how to end a catfish relationship effectively.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" 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content=\"@Spokeo\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Fred Decker\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"8 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.spokeo.com\/compass\/how-to-outsmart-a-catfish\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.spokeo.com\/compass\/how-to-outsmart-a-catfish\/\",\"name\":\"How to Outsmart a Catfish Trying to Scam You | 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