{"id":352682,"date":"2016-04-04T10:42:08","date_gmt":"2016-04-04T15:42:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/content.findlaw-admin.com\/ability-law\/consumer\/online-scams\/what-is-catfishing.html"},"modified":"2016-06-20T20:20:53","modified_gmt":"2016-06-21T01:20:53","slug":"what-is-catfishing","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/consumer\/online-scams\/what-is-catfishing.html","title":{"rendered":"What Is Catfishing?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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What Is Catfishing?<\/h1>\n\n
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\n By Hannah Hilst<\/a> | Legally reviewed by Amber Sheppard, Esq.<\/a>\n | Last updated\n
\n \n <\/i>\n Legally Reviewed\n <\/summary>\n\n
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This article has been written and reviewed for legal accuracy, clarity, and style by FindLaw\u2019s team of legal writers and attorneys<\/a> and in accordance with our editorial standards<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/details>\n\n

\n \n <\/i>\n Fact-Checked\n <\/summary>\n\n
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The last updated date refers to the last time this article was reviewed by FindLaw or one of our contributing authors<\/a>. We make every effort to keep our articles updated. For information regarding a specific legal issue affecting you, please contact an attorney in your area<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/details>\n<\/section>\n\n\n

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Catfishing is an online scam where someone creates a fake identity to deceive others, often for financial gain or emotional manipulation. These scammers typically target victims through dating sites or social media, using stolen photos and fabricated stories to build trust.<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n\n\n\n

Catfishing scams are emotionally and financially devastating. Beware of fake profiles on social media and online dating sites.<\/p>\n

This article will describe catfishing, how it works, and how to prevent it. You can also contact a\u00a0consumer protection attorney<\/a>\u00a0near you for legal advice specific to your situation.<\/p>\n

What Is Catfishing?<\/h2>\n

Catfishing is a scam where someone, the “catfish,” creates a fictitious online identity and seeks out online relationships. The scammer then uses these relationships to get money, information, and other items of value from the victim.<\/p>\n

Recognizing a catfish on the internet is difficult. There are a few typical signs of an illegal catfishing scheme.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, many people don’t detect an\u00a0online scammer<\/a> until it’s too late. Consumer protection laws aim to protect against catfishing and help victims recover from fraud.<\/p>\n

How Catfishing Scams Work<\/h2>\n

Catfishing involves significant deception \u2014 not just using an old photo of yourself on a dating website. A catfish will be far more deceptive.<\/p>\n

The scammer often uses someone else’s photos, sometimes even\u00a0pictures of children<\/a>. They might steal personal details such as work, educational history, and personal history from the internet. They might invent an entire fictitious life for their new identity.<\/p>\n

Catfishing often takes advantage of romantic relationships. Online dating websites and dating apps are fertile hunting grounds for catfish. But some catfish seek out friendships, professional networking, and other forms of social contact.<\/p>\n

What Do Catfish Want?<\/h3>\n

Catfish may have different goals, and not all involve financial fraud. Many catfishing scams intend to steal from the victim. Other catfish have more personal motives.<\/p>\n

Catfish might never ask for money or gifts outright, but they often prey on victims’ sympathy and emotions. They may invent tragic family events or personal circumstances so that the victim offers help.<\/p>\n

Some fraudsters use fake identities as a\u00a0phishing method<\/a>. They seek personal information to commit identity theft. The scammer usually wants to access the victim’s bank account, credit cards, and other financial information.<\/p>\n

In social catfishing cases, a person may use a fake online profile for amusement, emotional validation, or revenge. Money is not the primary goal. They can still disrupt others’ lives and privacy even without seeking theft.<\/p>\n

Online Romance Scams<\/h3>\n

The popularity of online dating has made catfishing an ever-present risk. Many cases of catfishing involve preying on people’s natural desire to form meaningful romantic relationships. Other common terms for this scheme are “honey trap” or “honeypot<\/a>.”<\/p>\n

In an online dating scam, the scammer creates a fake profile to find users on dating sites like Tinder or Hinge. These\u00a0romance scammers<\/a>\u00a0sometimes contact hundreds of people at once, waiting for whoever responds. Once they identify a target, they may spend a long time pretending to be in love with the victim.<\/p>\n

After luring someone, a romance scammer might begin making gift or information requests. The requests often start as small amounts on gift cards before moving to expensive purchases. For example, they might ask you to buy plane tickets so they can visit you, but they never arrive. Sometimes, the catfish may ask for help with a U.S. visa, exposing the victim to\u00a0immigration fraud problems<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Is Catfishing Illegal?<\/h2>\n

Creating a fake profile online is not a crime in itself. It may break the website or app’s terms of service. Yet, catfishing may enable the crime to happen.<\/p>\n

Catfishing may lead to crimes such as:<\/p>\n