Catfishing Scams: How to Spot, Prevent, and Take Action

Online dating has become a major part of mainstream culture, and with it, so has catfishing. Popularized by the 2010 documentary Catfish and MTV series with the same name, the term is commonly used to describe people who intentionally misrepresent themselves on dating apps and social media. The reality is that many catfishers have malicious intentions and are just looking for a target to prey on.

Catfishing is when an individual creates a fake online persona to lure others into relationships, scams, or financial fraud. Being a victim of a catfishing scam is a horrible feeling. It can bring on overwhelming emotions of shame, guilt, and even helplessness. However, there are ways to fight back against these cybercriminals. In this article, we’re giving you the resources to protect yourself from catfish scammers and steps to take if you are a victim of one.

Common Methods Used by Catfishers

Most catfishers employ the same tactics when creating their profiles and targeting a victim. They typically use an attractive face as their persona and flaunt an aspirational life in things like wealth or fitness. These are just a few of the warning signs to look out for. Once you learn all of the signs and common methods from catfishers, you’ll understand exactly what profiles to avoid.

Fake Social Media Profiles and AI-Generated Identities

One of the biggest giveaways of a catfish profile is when a stock image is used as the main picture. A stock image is something that you would find on Google Images. They look staged, extremely high-quality, and a little too perfect.

Although with the development of AI, modern catfishers have more tools at their disposal to avoid easy detection. Deepfake technology in particular gives catfishers the ability to create convincing images, voices, and even videos. The progression of AI makes spotting catfishers difficult but there are still telltale warning signs you can always use to identify a suspicious profile.

Barely a presence on social media: Catfishers typically don’t use their profile for anything other than messaging their victims. They may have a few posts to look legit but their post and profile history won’t be long and you likely won’t be able to find them on other platforms.
They never want to video call or meet up: Shyness doesn’t mean that someone is a catfisher. Many online relationships delay video chatting or meeting in-person until both parties are comfortable. However, a catfisher will advance the relationship quickly while constantly avoiding a video chat or meeting up.
It feels too good to be true: Getting attention from someone who is attractive, successful, and wealthy feels amazing. Unfortunately, this is what catfishers use to lure in unsuspecting victims. The blackmailers want you to cast off any suspicions because of how good they are making you feel. You should always keep a healthy amount of skepticism when messaging a stranger.

Emotional Manipulation and Grooming Techniques

Catfishers tend to play the long game to gain the trust of their victims. They often spend weeks or months DM’ing their targets and use multiple psychological tactics to lower their guard and develop a romantic bond. Here are a few manipulative tactics you can watch out for.

Love bombing: Perpetrators commonly use flattery as a form of manipulation. They want you to feel good about them and will give you excessive compliments to do it.
Huge promises: Catfishers will make big promises to give their victims something to look forward to. This can be marriage, moving closer to you, money, etc.
Fabricated emergencies: After trust is built, the blackmailers can create fake emergency situations in which they request money for unexpected bills. Many times, with the promise to pay you back.
Use vulnerability as a weapon: The catfishers will often reveal vulnerable moments or emotions to build trust with their victims. Sometimes, their goal can also be to get the victim to reveal something vulnerable in return.
Send photos to ease doubts: Most catfishers won’t reveal themselves to their victim but they will send you multiple fake images of “themselves” to convince you that they are a real person.

Sextortion and Financial Fraud

There is a growing relationship between catfishing accounts and extortion scams. In 2021, the FBI reported that twenty-four thousand victims across the US lost approximately one billion dollars to online blackmail (1). The number of victims is only increasing as extortion scams have quickly become one of the most pervasive issues in the modern era.

Sextortion is the most prevalent extortion scam that catfishers use against victims. This extortion scam is when a catfisher tricks someone into sending them explicit images of themselves and then threaten to expose those images if they are not compensated. Many catfishing scams lead to sextortion or sexploitation, when the catfisher demands more sexual content or favors. Victims of sextortion may feel as if they only have two options: ignore the perpetrator or pay them. However, there are far more options at your disposal if you need help with online blackmail.

Another type of online blackmail is a romance scam where a blackmailer lures someone into a romantic relationship and uses emotional manipulation to pressure the victim into paying them. In a romance scam, catfishers begin by gaining the trust of the victim after weeks or months of developing a relationship with them. Then, they create a convincing emergency where they need money to cover an expense and demand it from the victim.

They may also use the built relationship to put pressure on the victim to buy them gifts or send them money. Romance scams aren’t as common as extortion scams but they still happen very frequently.

The Role of Digital Forensics in Identifying Catfishers

Criminals that catfish hide behind anonymity. They believe that their real identity is protected and that they can’t be caught. However, digital forensic experts can track down these catfishers and bring them to justice. There are also tools that you can use to expose catfish scammers on your everyday phone or computer.

Reverse Image Searches and Metadata Analysis

If a catfish scammer stole their profile picture from somewhere else, a reverse image search can find the original image or profile it came from. Forensic experts regularly use reverse image searches to pinpoint the origin of any stolen image.

There are also reverse image search tools available to the average person. Google Lens is one of the most popular tools to use to reverse image search. Although these tools vary widely in effectiveness, they can be a great first step to see if a profile is a catfish.

Forensic experts will also utilize metadata analysis to get as much information from a catfish image. An examination of the image can inform these specialists on what device the image was taken with, when it was taken, and sometimes, where it was taken using embedded GPS data. This is a great way to look for any inconsistencies in someone’s stories. There are also metadata analyzer websites for the average person that can be very helpful in determining if someone is a catfish.

IP Tracking and Online Footprint Analysis

Data is involved in any action over the internet and forensic experts can use this data to get more information on the identity of the catfisher. By examining internet activity and collecting key data, specialists can pinpoint the location and identity of the criminal.

IP addresses are an important part of this process. Every device that connects to the internet has a unique set of numbers linked to it. This is known as the IP address. Experts can trace the IP address to the perpetrator’s location. Financial transactions also leave a trail for forensic experts to follow. Turning to experts like Digital Investigations is an effective way to fight back against extortion scams.

How to Protect Yourself from a Catfishing Scam

Now that we’ve fully covered what catfishing is, it’s time we get into how to prevent yourself from ever becoming a victim to them. Luckily, online platforms have given their users more resources to limit exposure to catfish scammers and to identify catfishers. Here are a few ways you can protect yourself from catfishing scams.

Use reverse image research to easily identify stolen images and check the social media history of any profiles you come into contact with.
Be extremely cautious about online relationships and avoid sharing ANY sensitive information with strangers.
Report suspicious accounts to the platform administrators and if a target of online blackmail, report to the local authorities.
Take note of any inconsistencies in profile, language, or behavior.
Set your profile to private to limit who can contact you on social media.
Trust your instincts. If something doesn’t feel right, there’s a good chance that it’s not.

What to Do If You’ve Been Targeted by a Catfish

After investing your time, energy, and emotions into a relationship, it can be devastating to realize that you were a victim of a catfish. These emotions will be even more intense if the relationship deteriorated into a romance scam or online blackmail. However, there are actionable steps you can take to take control of the situation and to make sure it doesn’t get any worse.

Cease Communication and Gather Evidence

Once it’s confirmed that you were being targeted by a catfish, you should immediately stop communicating with the individual. Gather all of the evidence of your conversations. Take screenshots and save any other relevant info for reporting purposes.

Report the Incident to Local Authorities and Platforms

Report the profile on the platform that you were using and make sure to specify why you are reporting them. Next you want to report the catfishing scam to the authorities. This step is vital if you are a victim of a romance scam or extortion. The local police will do their best to help you with the situation but they may be limited by jurisdiction. Along with the local police, report the catfishing scam to the FBI’s Internet Complaint Compliance Center (IC3). They can contact Interpol to work with the authorities in the country your attacker is from.

Do Not Block the Perpetrator

Before you rush to block the catfisher that targeted you, it’s important to report the profile on the platform first. That way their profile can be removed or added to a database of suspicious accounts. The perpetrator cannot see that you reported them. If you are a victim of an extortion scam, then blocking the perpetrator is not a good idea. The criminal will be able to see that you have blocked them and may retaliate by releasing the sensitive info they have on you.

Seek Professional Assistance if Necessary

Sextortion and romance scams are serious and you may need professional help to deal with everything that comes with dealing with them. There are resources for victims of online blackmail to help you fight back against the scammer and to even bring them to justice.

Legal Professional: They can help you take legal action against the perpetrator. However, the scammer needs to be identified and in their jurisdiction. They also cost a lot of money to hire.
Victim support organizations: StopNCII.org, CCRI, and CISA have free resources to help victims of sextortion and can help stop any explicit images from getting circulated on social media.
Digital forensic experts: These specialists can find the perpetrator and work on getting the explicit images removed from the criminal’s phone before they are released and without you paying a dime.

The Future of Catfishing and Online Fraud Prevention

Catfish scammers are not the only ones that are using AI, the authorities and forensic experts are also using AI to improve their fraud detection. Meta in particular is using AI to find catfish profiles by the thousands to remove them. Forensic experts are using AI to improve their methodologies in identifying and locating cybercriminals no matter where they are.

There are many ways we are fighting back against catfishing scams but most important of all is the continued education about preventing online blackmail. Remember, stay vigilant when talking to strangers online and don’t forget to report any profiles that may be catfishers.

Are you a victim of online blackmail or sextortion? You’re not alone. Digital Investigation Inc. can help. Our digital forensics experts will work to identify and trace the scammer, and provide the cybersecurity protection you need. Take back control – contact us for a confidential consultation.

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