How To Avoid Being Catfished Online
What Are The Dangers Of Catfishing?
Internet dating has become increasingly popular over the last few years. But with so many online dating sites, and such a multitude of individuals using them, learning how to avoid catfishing is an essential skill for anyone searching for love on the Internet.
Each week, thousands of new men and women are getting registered on online dating sites. And with so many singles giving up going out to public places like pubs or clubs in lieu of meeting someone on dating sites or social media accounts, the odds of people finding their special someone online can be quite high.
Unfortunately, not everybody receives what they are searching, for and that’s mainly because not everyone online is who they say they are.
Here enter the “Catfish”. A “catfish” is an individual who creates bogus profiles on the Internet, sometimes by using somebody else’s images and data. All these “catfish” utilize dating apps and social networking websites, typically with the intent of getting different individuals to fall in love with them. Catfishes and that part of the Internet dating equation that is frequently left out, and which has been even presented by many docu-series, including one made by MTV.
“How to avoid being catfished online?”, “How do you prove to someone they are being catfished?”, or “Do people get in trouble for catfishing?” are some of the questions we receive most often from people trying to keep safe while searching for love online. To help you have a better online dating experience, in this post we’ll look at how to avoid catfishing and getting scammed.
Why Being Catfished Online Can Happen to Anyone
By now, almost everyone in the US knows the famous hoax story of the Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te’o and his deceased girlfriend. Individuals that are trying to understand how to avoid catfishing found a lot of interest in this narrative. The biggest equation people have been trying to solve was whether Te’o has been really duped, or whether he somehow perpetrated the fictitious story of having a girlfriend who died.. They’re also wondering how a celebrity college soccer player could get duped in the first place into falling in love so easy with a person who did not exist in the first place.
Now anybody who has read our posts before, knows by now that we are completely against internet dating. We believe that it enables many individuals to deceive and lie with ease regarding their identity and intentions, it’s a lazy and passive form of dating, and it forces you to be connected to a computer which makes it even more upsetting.
For those of you that enjoy meeting someone else online, but are also preoccupied by how to avoid catfishing, there are a few methods that can help you prevent becoming a casualty of a Catfish.
So make sure to check these tips below.
Plan A Video Meeting
Facetime should be a must step for anyone looking to avoid being catfished online. Video chat enables you to see who you are talking with, and can help you make a better impression about the other person than by just talking on the phone. If your online partner finds constant excuses as to why they can not meet you on Facetime, they might either be either embarrassed, or have something to hide. Any excuse however should definitely raise some red flags.
Never Provide Personal Information
While it is tempting to discuss every facet of your life with a person that you believe you may be in love with, you never share your personal details with someone that you just met online. At least not until you’ve established some kind of an offline connection.
Background Checks
You don’t have to be part of the law enforcement to perform a digital history check on a possible suitor that seems too good to be true. Internet search engines can be quite helpful in this regard for those looking for how to avoid catfishing, so don’t hesitate to use them. Also, check your new online’s date image on tineye.com and see what appears. Many scammers tend to use a photograph of someone else, that they have swiped from Facebook or Instagram.
Watch for Language Cues
There are a whole lot of scammers out there that use online dating sites to trick people into sending them money. Be vary of everyone that asks you to help them solve some family problems, or pay for a relative’s operation. These are among the most common excuses digital thieves use to trick others into feeling sorry for them. A cue you can also look out for is the way they write and speak. If their English language is bad, but they’re claiming to be a native citizen of the US, this should definitely raise some warning signs.
NEVER SEND ANYONE MONEY ONLINE
NEVER AGREE TO PURCHASE ANYTHING ONLINE FOR SOMEONE
Our Final Word On How To Avoid Catfishing
There’s not anything wrong with trying to find love and happiness online.There are various men and women who’ve succeeded at forming perfectly happy relationships after meeting online. And while nobody wants to believe they are taken advantage of, or that they are part of an online dating scam, hundreds of thousands of individuals are catfished every single year. Since scams are happening so often, if you want to know how to avoid catfishing, it’s far better that you are well prepared. Like this, you can realize from the get go when someone is attempting to benefit from you, before it gets too late.
Hoping our post will help you do just that, we are inviting you to look through our other internet privacy posts as well. And for any questions you might have regarding how to protect your identity online, or the risks of social media, don’t hesitate to get in touch. We are here to help you solve all your online privacy issues.
