What Is Catfishing? Signs, Risks and What to Do

Catfishing is when someone creates a fake online identity, usually with another person’s photos and an invented name and backstory, to deceive people into a relationship, friendship or conversation. Some catfish want money, some want attention or revenge, and some want to harass. If you’re the person whose photos are being used, you’re a victim too, and you can report the fake profiles and take steps to protect your name.

This guide covers both sides: how to recognize a catfish if you’re talking to one, and what to do if someone is using your photos to catfish other people.

What catfishing looks like

The term comes from a 2010 documentary called Catfish, and it has since become everyday language for any fake persona used to trick someone online. Catfishing happens on dating apps, social networks, messaging apps, online games and forums.

Common forms include:

• Romance scams, where a fake profile builds an emotional connection and then asks for money, gift cards, cryptocurrency or help with a “business opportunity”.
• Attention-seeking personas, where someone presents a more attractive or exciting version of “themselves” using stolen photos, with no clear financial motive.
• Harassment or revenge, where a fake account is used to trick, embarrass or monitor someone the catfish knows in real life.
• Sextortion, where a fake profile persuades someone to share intimate images, then threatens to publish them unless paid.
• Impersonating a real person to damage their reputation, for example by messaging their contacts or posting under their name.

Catfishing and impersonation overlap. The difference is mostly about intent: a catfish usually borrows someone’s photos to be someone new, while an impersonator pretends to be the real person. Either can hurt the person whose photos are used.

Warning signs you’re talking to a catfish

No single sign proves anything, but several together should make you cautious.

• They won’t video call, or always have a reason the camera is broken or the connection is bad.
• Their photos look professional, like modeling shots, and there are few casual pictures with friends.
• The profile is new, has few connections, or has little history before a recent date.
• They move very fast, with strong declarations of feelings early on.
• They want to move the conversation off the dating app to a private messaging service quickly.
• Plans to meet in person keep falling through at the last minute.
• Their story has details that don’t add up, such as a job overseas, military deployment or a sudden emergency.
• They ask for money, gift cards, crypto or financial information, however small the first request is.

How to check if someone is who they say they are

1. Run a reverse image search. Upload their profile photos to Google Lens or TinEye. If the same photos appear under a different name, on a model’s portfolio or on stock photo sites, that’s a strong warning.
2. Search their name and details. Look for a consistent footprint across a few places, such as a LinkedIn profile, a workplace page or tagged photos from friends.
3. Ask for a live video call. A short, unplanned call is hard to fake and is the simplest test.
4. Talk to someone you trust. Friends and family often spot inconsistencies you’ve explained away.
5. Meet only in public, and only when you’re ready. Tell someone where you’re going.

What to do if you’ve been catfished

Finding out you’ve been deceived is painful, and many people feel embarrassed. Catfish are often practiced at manipulation, and being fooled by one says nothing about your intelligence.

1. Stop sending money or information and don’t respond to new requests or threats.
2. Save evidence: screenshots of the profile, messages, usernames, payment records and any phone numbers or emails they used.
3. Report the profile to the dating app or platform using its reporting tool, so it can be removed and others protected.
4. Contact your bank or payment provider right away if you sent money. Recovery isn’t always possible, but acting quickly gives you the best chance.
5. Report the scam. In the US you can report fraud to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov and internet crimes to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at ic3.gov.
6. Secure your accounts if you shared any passwords, personal details or ID documents.

If the catfish is threatening to share intimate images of you, don’t pay and don’t send more. Our sextortion help guide covers what to do next.

Someone using my photos: what to do

Many people discover catfishing the other way round: a stranger messages them to ask why “they” were on a dating app in another state, or a reverse image search turns up their holiday photos on a profile with a different name. If “someone using my photos” is the problem you’re facing, here’s the order to work in.

1. Document everything

Screenshot each fake profile, including the username, the profile URL and the date. Save links in a single document. Fake accounts are often deleted and recreated, so a record helps you report new ones faster.

2. Report the fake profiles

Most major platforms, including Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and the main dating apps, have a reporting option for fake accounts or impersonation. Reports from the person being impersonated tend to carry more weight, and some platforms ask you to verify your identity. Our guide to online impersonation covers the process in more detail.

3. Use copyright where it applies

If you took the photos yourself, you generally own the copyright, and you can ask the platform or website host to remove them with a copyright notice. If a friend or photographer took them, they usually own the copyright. Our guide on how to file a DMCA takedown notice explains when this works. Only file a copyright claim for photos you actually have the rights to.

4. Warn the people who might be targeted

If the fake profile is messaging your friends, colleagues or followers, a short post on your real accounts helps: “There’s a fake account using my photos. I’ll never ask you for money. Please report it if you see it.”

5. Tighten what’s public

Review which photos are visible to the public on your social accounts. Limiting old albums to friends makes it harder for someone to build a convincing fake. Our guide on cleaning up your digital footprint goes further.

A worked example

This is an illustrative scenario, not a real client.

A personal trainer gets a message from a stranger saying they’ve been talking for weeks to “him” on a dating app, and that “he” recently asked for money for a family emergency. The trainer runs a reverse image search on his own profile picture and finds three profiles using his photos under different names.

He screenshots each profile, reports them all to the platforms as impersonation, and files copyright notices for the photos he took himself. He posts a short warning on his real Instagram and business page. Two of the profiles come down within days. The third reappears under a new name a week later, so he reports it again, attaching his earlier screenshots.

He also sets up a monthly reverse image search and a search alert for his name, so he’ll spot new copies early.

When catfishing affects your reputation

Catfishing can leave traces that follow the person whose photos were used. Screenshots of a scam can end up on warning forums or social posts with your face attached, and people searching your name might find them.

• Ask forum moderators to blur or remove your photos, explaining that you’re the victim, not the scammer.
• Where screenshots appear in search results, build accurate profiles and pages about yourself so the real you shows up first.
• If the fake content is being used to deliberately damage you, our personal reputation management service can help with removal requests and search clean-up.

If the catfishing turns into repeated contact, threats or tracking, it may amount to harassment or stalking. See our guide on cyberstalking, and contact the police if you feel unsafe.

Is catfishing illegal?

Creating a fake profile is not, by itself, a crime everywhere, although it usually breaks the platform’s rules. What the catfish does with it often is illegal: fraud, extortion, harassment, stalking and some forms of impersonation are crimes under federal or state law, and some states have laws that specifically address online impersonation. If you’ve lost money or are being threatened, report it and consider talking to a lawyer about your options.

Common mistakes

• Confronting the catfish publicly. It rarely gets an admission and can escalate things.
• Sending “one last payment” to recover earlier losses. Scammers often promise refunds to extract more.
• Paying a “recovery service” that promises to get your money back. Many are follow-up scams.
• Filing copyright claims for photos you don’t own. Use the platform’s impersonation route instead.
• Staying silent out of embarrassment. Reporting helps platforms remove the account before it targets others.

Frequently asked questions

What does catfishing mean?

Catfishing means pretending to be someone else online, usually with stolen photos and a made-up identity, to deceive people. It’s common on dating apps and social media and is often linked to romance scams.

How can I tell if someone is catfishing me?

Common signs include refusing video calls, photos that look professional, a new or thin profile, fast declarations of love, canceled meetups and requests for money. A reverse image search of their photos is a quick first check.

What can I do if someone is using my photos?

Screenshot the profiles, report them to each platform as fake or impersonation, file a copyright notice for photos you took yourself, and warn your contacts. Keep monitoring, because fake accounts often reappear.

Can I sue someone for catfishing?

It depends on what they did and where you live. If a catfish caused you financial loss, defamed you or used your identity, there may be legal options, but finding out who they are can be difficult. Talk to a lawyer about your specific situation.