{"id":27654,"date":"2024-07-08T14:56:15","date_gmt":"2024-07-08T22:56:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.spokeo.com\/compass\/?p=27654"},"modified":"2024-07-08T14:56:26","modified_gmt":"2024-07-08T22:56:26","slug":"spokeo-uncovers-catfish-in-there-is-no-ethan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.spokeo.com\/compass\/spokeo-uncovers-catfish-in-there-is-no-ethan\/","title":{"rendered":"There Is No Ethan:\u00a0 How Spokeo Helped Reel in History\u2019s Biggest Catfish"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Anna Akbari\u2019s new book, There Is No Ethan: How Three Women Caught America\u2019s Biggest Catfish<\/em><\/a>, proves at least two things: catfishing isn\u2019t just the domain of MTV, and it can happen to even the most tech-savvy people you know.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Heralded by The New York Times<\/em> as a <\/a>\u201ca jaw-dropping tale of digital deception,\u201d and named one of People\u2019s<\/a> best books of June 2024, the book is the true story of one of the most prolific catfishers of all time \u2014\u00a0and the women who used Spokeo to uncover his deception.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Scam <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

There is No Ethan<\/em> chronicles not just the biggest catfish yet busted, but also the proto-catfish.\u00a0 Beginning in 2010, this true story predates the 2012 debut of MTV\u2019s Catfish<\/em><\/a>, which catapulted the term \u2013 a person who pretends to be someone else online \u2013 into the popular lexicon.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ethan<\/em>\u2019s author, sociologist and former New York University media professor Dr. Anna Akbari<\/a>, lived the experience, as a victim of \u201cEthan Schuman\u201d, alongside two other women. After matching on dating sites, all three women forged intimate relationships with \u201cEthan\u201d \u2013 exchanging thousands of messages with what seemed to be an attractive, intelligent, and disarmingly interesting man.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite countless late-night text messaging exchanges, none of the women ever met \u201cEthan\u201d in person \u2014 and each attempt at a video call, IRL meet-up, or in-person visit ended with an excuse.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When Akbari connected with other women who\u2019d also been communicating with \u201cEthan,\u201d the inconsistencies became apparent, as did the depth of the lies. Not only had \u201cEthan\u201d been catfishing countless others, the tactics of emotional manipulation formed a clear \u2013 and cruel \u2013 pattern. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEthan\u201d often ensnared victims into dramatic arguments, fluctuated from intimate oversharing to cold silence, and had a habit of mentioning sexual encounters before the long-distance relationship became official.  All ways of tangling victims up in an addicting cycle of panicked conflict followed by the dopamine hit of resolution.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For this prolific catfisher<\/a>, it was all a depraved power play.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Spokeo Helps Bust the Fraudster<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

While part of Ethan<\/em> is a gripping tale of how a masterful catfish entices victims, it becomes a thriller in detailing how Akbari and company set out to reveal who was actually behind the persona.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

No spoilers (though you may already know, as the story was widely reported online<\/a> in 2014), but the real person behind \u201cEthan\u201d is not <\/em>the suave psychopath or the online shut-in you might imagine. And while Akbari\u2019s long-distance faux fling only lasted for a few months, some of the women (all successful professionals in their 30s) had been caught in a web of deception for years<\/em>.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As the women hunt for the catfish\u2019s true identity<\/a>, they <\/em>employ everything from prophetic dreams to Facebook sleuthing, all to no avail. Fortunately, enter Spokeo People Search<\/a>, which they use to confirm the identity of the real Ethan\u2019s father. With the catfish\u2019s actual last name in hand thanks to Spokeo\u2019s social media detective tools, Dallago is able to find Ethan Sr.\u2019s information, leveraging info like phone numbers, mailing addresses, email addresses, and social profiles. Netting that info puts the group one step closer to confronting \u201cEthan.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You Can Stay Protected, Too<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

While plenty of scammers catfish victims for monetary gain \u2013 forging a personal connection before asking for money \u2013 one of the most chilling parts of Akbari\u2019s story is that \u201cEthan\u201d never asked for cash.  The emotional manipulation was simply a deeply intricate lie in the name of sick psychological satisfaction, and therefore legal.  Which means there\u2019s little motivation for people like \u201cEthan\u201d to stop. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

That makes it more important than ever to have legit, identity-verifying info on your side.  With Spokeo, all you need is a name, and you\u2019ll be able to search more than 12 billion public records for identifying information, helping you compare factual details with the online profiles of any would-be catfish.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Verify the facts, and you\u2019re a whole lot less l<\/a>i<\/a>kely to get reeled in,<\/a> helping ensure that There Is No Ethan<\/em> doesn\u2019t become your <\/em>story, too.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sources<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Anna Akbari, Ph. D. – About<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

MTV – Catfish<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Observer – The Talented Mr. Schuman: Love and Mistaken Identity in the Internet Age<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hachette Book Group – There Is No Ethan: How Three Women Caught America\u2019s Biggest Catfish<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The New York Times – There Is No Ethan<\/em> Is a Jaw-Dropping Tale of Digital Deception<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Google Books – There Is No Ethan: How Three Women Caught America\u2019s Biggest Catfish<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

People – PEOPLE\u2019s Best Books of June 2024: Tales from Joan Didion\u2019s Assistant and Danielle Steel\u2019s Story of Rebirth<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

There\u2019s catfishing, and then there\u2019s There Is No Ethan, a true story of hauntingly prolific catfishing \u2013 luckily, Spokeo was there to help reel it in.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":154,"featured_media":27656,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[634],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-27654","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-company"],"yoast_head":"\nHow Spokeo Helped Reel in History\u2019s Biggest Catfish | Spokeo<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"There\u2019s catfishing, and then there\u2019s There Is No Ethan, a true story of hauntingly prolific 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