In 2010 when the American documentary Catfish was released on Music Television, MTV, no one would have guessed that a new term would be born. The term catfish is when someone sets up a fake online profile to trick people who are looking for love, usually to get money out of them. Records show 18,000 people were victims of being catfished in 2018, and since then that number has risen. With online dating continuing to grow across the entire world, this gives catfishers more and more opportunities to find new prey. Many online daters do not realize they are getting catfished until it’s too late. In this article, we are going to give you 5 of the best ways to avoid getting catfished online. After reading this article you won’t have to worry about getting scammed or lied to while trying to find love online. Let’s get into it!

1. Are They On Social Media

When we match online with people the person we match with may seem too good to be true. Whether it is their pictures on their profile or the things they say just doesn’t seem to be real and we sometimes think it is a prank. One of the best ways to determine if the person you matched with is real is by looking them up on social media. With social media continuing to grow and take over everyone's daily life most people on dating apps have their Instagram, Twitter, or other social media accounts located in their dating profiles. This allows people to look them up to see if they are real, and to gain more followers if we are being honest. If they do not have their social media account name in their profile, looking up their real name can help you determine if the person is real or not. Sometimes you are able to find the person on social media and if this happens look at their profile and see if their dating profile pictures match their social media pictures. By looking up your matches name online can help you determine if they are as real as you hoped they would be or if they really are a catfish. If you are unable to find anything by searching their name on their profile you can always use reverse image search on Google. This may be the fastest way to determine if the person you are messaging is real or fake. Reverse image allows people to see if the images they updated are anywhere else on the internet. By searching your matches name online or using reverse image on Google you are not only saving yourself from getting catfished, but you are saving yourself a lot of time that could possibly be wasted on a fake person.

2. Ask Your Friends

Online dating can be difficult and honestly embarrassing at times. People who use dating websites or apps find it difficult to tell their friends and family they are on them. One, they feel embarrassed about being on them in the first place, and two it makes you look desperate in some eyes. I would much rather feel embarrassed by telling my friends I am on a dating app rather than telling them I got catfished on a dating app, wouldn’t you? If you are messaging a person you matched with and feel they could possibly be catfished by the way they are messaging you or their profile, ask a close friend what they think about it. Don’t feel embarrassed by asking them. You are doing the right thing by looking out for your best interests and your bank account. If they are a true friend they will not only understand your concern, but they will also help you figure out if your dream match is real or not. 

3. They Ask You For Money

Everything is going great with your new match and you haven’t had any red flags just yet. Say you decided not to look them up on social media, use reverse Google images, or tell your friends about your new love to see what they think. And then your match asks you for money! This is a clear-cut sign that they are a catfish and are only looking for one thing, your money and not your love. When this happens you need to unmatch them immediately or not respond in general. Some catfishes like to ask for a loan or a gift. When this happens you need to understand that no matter what story they give about their grandma being sick, or some other sad story they give you is a flat out lie! Once you send them money once they will continue to ask for money weekly and then daily. So the best thing to do when money comes up, is to LEAVE!