Catfishing has been brought more into the public eye in recent years due to the concept being featured on various television shows and greater awareness about the types of scams that may be related to catfishing.
Catfishing can be a somewhat harmless action in its milder form, or it can escalate to the point of being a criminal activity, depending on the actions that go along with catfishing. Our article gives you more details on whether or not catfishing is a crime.
What Is Catfishing?
Catfishing is the act of misrepresenting your appearance, views, and personality online; individuals may do this to slightly alter how others perceive them, especially when it comes to things like social media and dating apps, or they may engage in catfishing as a way to interact with others online completely anonymously.
In some cases, catfishing may involve using a stolen identity to deceive others or using a fake identity to try and perform romance scams, financial scams, or further identity theft. In cases where a person is actively using stolen information and attempting to commit further crimes with their fake profile, catfishing can easily be prosecuted as a crime.
Where Does the Term Catfishing Come From?
The term catfishing or catfish in relation to fake internet personas comes from a 2010 documentary called Catfish. The term was used to describe the behavior of a catfish when shipped with a container of cod, and it is somewhat of a misunderstanding of how fish behave.
The concept was to describe how interacting with a catfish will keep the cod alert and always guessing at their movement. Similarly, dealing with a person who is acting like a catfish can result in feeling alert, on guard, and confused. Historical records show that this term may even pre-date this documentary, but the 2010 film is what brought this term into popular vernacular and even inspired the MTV reality show Catfish.
While pretending to be someone else online or misrepresenting your appearance, views, and opinions online is not technically illegal, the activities involved in catfishing can become illegal very quickly.
Catfishing is often a step into the world of fraud, identity theft, and financial scams, which are crimes that can be prosecuted on the state or federal level, depending on their severity.
The types of crimes that catfishing may lead to include:
- Identity theft
- Stalking, cyber stalking, and harassment
- Transmission of harmful material, transmission of harmful material to a minor (this occurs when a catfish sends explicit photographs or statements to someone or an underaged person)
- Computer crimes (this can be a large umbrella for other more specific online crimes, depending on your state)
- Communications crimes
- Financial fraud or financial crimes
Of course, the exact criminal terminology and the punishments for catfishing-related crimes depend on your jurisdiction and the circumstances surrounding the crimes. Every state may treat catfishing differently when the behavior turns criminal.
How Do I Know If Someone Is Catfishing Me?
Understanding the signs that someone might be catfishing you is important if you want to protect yourself from accidentally falling into the trap of a catfish. Common signs that the person you are dealing with online is not being honest about their identity include:
- Conflicting stories and information when asked questions
- Fake photographs or photographs that appear altered, AI-photographs
- A very new online profile
- Refusing to meet in person, refusing to talk on the phone or video chat
- Constant excuses as to why they can’t meet
- Emotional stories or proclamations of deep connection to play on your emotions
- Asking for money, gift cards, or other items with financial value
- Constant attempts to get your personal information
- No other online presence except for the one they use to speak to you
Protecting Yourself From Catfishing
When it comes to protecting yourself from individuals online who may be attempting to catfish you in an attempt to steal your money, time, or personal information, it’s important to be on guard.
You should perform basic background checks and online research about the people you interact with online, especially if you have never met them in person, and quick online searches and even reverse email searches can tell you if someone is being dishonest about who they really are.
You should also be very cautious of people asking you for money and personal information, especially if they are trying to create a bond with you or playing on your emotions, as these are classic signs of online scams that people who catfish engage in.