What Is A Catfish and How Can I Tell If I’m Being Catfished?

Catfishing has grown in popularity due to the widespread usage of social media and dating apps. People enjoy scamming people over the phone or utilizing fake profiles online. 

Catfishing can be done in several ways and is not limited in any manner. Due to the constraints when meeting people in person, social media has become the primary means of communication in today’s world. People use their phones to find love on dating apps and use social media to meet new people.

Have you met someone online recently and are wondering if they are who they claim to be? Is your heart telling you one thing while your head is telling you something completely different? You always have the feeling you are overthinking every interaction you have with them. It is never too late to find out the truth about someone.

What Does Catfishing Mean?

Catfishing is when someone steals another person’s identity to form a romantic relationship with a person and/or creates a separate profile to exploit another. This is becoming more popular among adults and teenagers alike.

Many people use the identities of others for various purposes. When people are online dating, they often create several personas to appear more attractive. They may be self-conscious about their appearance, clothing, and speech patterns, among other things. They strive to disguise themselves as someone they are not because they believe no one will accept them for who they are. When someone is attempting to con someone out of money, they may also change their identity. They impersonate other people to create a bond and defraud someone for their money. They simply want to form a bond with someone with whom they can spend their money.

There are many signs you may be talking to a ‘fake’ person. There are several ways to identify someone and figure out exactly who they are and what their intentions are. Continue reading on how to discover if you’re being catfished or not.

5 Signs Someone Is A Catfish

It’s crucial to trust your instincts when meeting someone online. You may be unsure if your suspicions are right, so here are some signs of catfishing and that you are conversing with someone who’s pretending to be another. 

1. They will not meet in person or communicate over video chat. They may agree to Facetime, but when the time arrives, they create a reason why not to complete the call. The refusal to video call you is a first red flag.
2. The development of your relationship is progressing at a faster pace than usual. Before they even meet you, they start talking about their future together, bringing up marriage and children, and talking about starting a family. Even if you have met the individual, you should never rush into a relationship. If you haven’t met them yet and they insist on a relationship right away, that’s a red flag.
3. They have no images of themselves with their friends. It’s most likely a catfish if their social media account only shows them with no other friends or family members. If they use photos of other people but don’t tag them in any of their photos, likely, they aren’t using their own. It’s also possible that if you go to their account and click tagged photos and there aren’t any, it’s because they aren’t who they claim to be.
4. Their photos are exceptionally well-edited and appear to be professional. Everyone can take professional shots once in a while, but no one takes professional photographs all the time. People can use their iPhones to take images of themselves doing things from their daily lives that will tell you this is their original profile.
5. If they ask for you to send you money, that’s an automatic red flag, especially if you’ve just connected with them and/or haven’t met them in person. They begin by requesting tiny sums of money to cover minor expenses – Gas, meals, groceries, drinks for a night out, and so on, and then the amount just keeps growing. Next, they may ask for a large sum to cover their rent or insurance payment. 

How To Protect Your Child From Being Catfished

Teaching your child the truth about how dangerous online dating and social media can be is important but does not necessarily stop them from doing so. You are trying to build trust with them so if they encounter dangerous or uncomfortable situations online; they can come to you for help and advice. 

If you believe your child is online dating and may be in danger with those with whom they are interacting, look into parental control software like the SPY24 App. This tool provides the features necessary to oversee a child’s online and phone activities. This software enables you to gather information without them knowing! 

SPY24 is a great phone monitoring software to use because of the information it can give you. For example, you can view what apps are installed on their phone (social media and dating apps included), monitor their call and text message history, browser history and searches, and more. The importance of this software is your child’s safety while using their phone, and the perfect tool to put a parent’s mind at ease.

Besides utilizing SPY24, there are several other ways to protect your child from catfishing:

• Set your child’s social media accounts to private and utilize the account security settings available.
• Set up all profiles and accounts with them. Ensure they don’t disclose too much personal information on their profile. 
• Approve all apps installed on their phone. 
• Teach them the essentials of online, phone, and dating safety. 
• Utilize antivirus software on their devices.

 Don’t wait any longer, and securely protect your child from catfishing! Get started with these safety measures today and try SPY24!