Online dating has become our new way of meeting people either for dating, friendship or hookups. Many online dating sites’ security measures aren’t up to scratch. This means that there are loads of fake profiles on their databases. These fraudulent profiles can cause havoc in many hopeful’s lives and scam you out of a lot of time.
So, if the hookup dating site can’t protect you against these fraudsters, you have to be informed on how you can catch a catfish yourself. Before they break your heart or steal your money. The Dating Cop also helps with spotting sites that
What is a Catfish?
In the online dating world, a Catfish doesn’t refer to the freshwater fish with whiskers, no. A Catfish is someone who creates a fake online profile to lure in potential partners. Most Catfishes live in a fantasy world where they are hotter and sexier than in real life.
They create a person that victims can easily fall in love with. Then they use their victims for attention, money, or emotional support.
Common Signs that Someone Might Be a Catfish
There are a few typical signs that all Catfishes show. It’s vital to your safety that you are aware of these signs before you fall prey to their disastrous and narcissistic games.
1. They Never Want to Video Call
This fake person obviously has something to hide. If they are as hot as they look on their profile photos, then why wouldn’t they want to talk face-to-face.
A usual excuse would be that their computer’s camera is broken, or that they don’t have working Wi-Fi, or even that they don’t have a phone with a camera. (Let’s be honest, do you really want to date someone with a phone dated back to the stone age?)
2. They Make Excuses When It Comes to Meeting in Person
After texting for months, you’ve tried to make arrangements for meeting up. No matter how hard you try, they always come up with an excuse.
Click here for safety tips for a first date.
3. They Aren’t Very Active on Social Media
All the photos that they post on social media are either quotes, or pictures of cats. They don’t have a lot of interaction from friends. It seems as if they are rotating the same photos over and over again.
Furthermore, their social media profile dates back only a year or two. These are tell-tale signs that this person can be a bit shady.
4. They Ask for Money
The moment someone, you’ve never met before, asks you for money it’s a no-go. Ask yourself why this person is asking a complete stranger, don’t they have any family or friends. This kind of behavior has ‘scam’ written all over it.
5. They Disappear and Reappear
It can be difficult to keep up with all the lies. Catfishes usually disappear into thin air, only to reappear with an extremely sad story of why they ghosted you. It’s not unlikely that they might be talking to other victims. For a short while they’ve been focusing on their other conversations. Then switching back to you when the novelty of the others have worn off.
If they don’t invest their time and share their life with you, it’s not worth wasting any more time on them.
6. They Don’t Send You Selfies
You know those impromptu photos that your family send you throughout the day. Either of them holding a cup of coffee, or having dinner somewhere fancy. Yes, a Catfish won’t send those. If they do it will either be of the surroundings, without any sign of their reflection in a mirror or window.
Read here for more tell-tale signs: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/10-ways-to-tell-youre-being-catfished_b_5976143de4b0545a5c3101ee
7. Their Occupation
“I’m a model” or “I’m a musician” is one of the best occupations Catfishes have. This allows them to use the excuse that they travel a lot, as well as explain the fact why they have so many professional studio photos of their well-toned bodies.
As long as you are aware of the above signs, you can catch a Catfish early on. Before investing too much valuable time and emotions. Request that you either video call or meet in person early on. And once the excuses come rolling in, say ‘goodbye’ and move on.