On January 29, 2019, I posted about phishing. (https://www.4kcc.com/blog/?p=774) Today, I’m posting about another kind of fishing – catfishing. No, not fishing for the “freshwater or marine fish with barbels resembling whiskers around the mouth, typically bottom-dwelling.” Rather, pretending to be someone else online in an attempt to deceive others.

There are some real horror stories about people who have been catfished. I just read a story early this morning about a 23-year-old American woman, Tomi Masters, who wound up floating in a box in a river in the Philippines after she had been catfished. It’s a very sad story.

How does someone get catfished? Usually, this happens on Social Media sites or gaming sites or messenger-type apps where you can interact with strangers. Someone will set up a fake account. Often, they use fake profile pictures, they give themselves an alluring bio, and they will often post selfies (hiding their face if they used a fake profile picture) where they are surrounded by money or expensive items like cars, watches, etc. Many times, their profile will show lots of followers to make it look like they are very popular. More so than not, the great majority of these followers are actually fake accounts.

Those who catfish do so for a variety of reasons – sometimes they do it “for fun,” sometimes to swindle people out of their money and sometimes, for bragging rights among their friends. Those who catfish are often charming and charismatic. They are generally very good at social engineering. (See my blog post “The Weakest Link In The Chain.”)

How can you avoid being a catfish victim? Don’t be drawn in by people you don’t actually know. One good thing is that most Social Media sites verify celebrities and public figures. For instance, I’m fortunate enough to follow and be followed by Paula Abdul, both on Twitter and Instagram. I know it’s really her because her account is verified. But, I receive tons of requests from people claiming to be celebrities and those accounts are not verified. I am always leery of those accounts.

One final thought: while you might not be into Social Media and probably will never fall victim to a catfish scheme, you might have children or grandchildren who are active on these kinds of sites. Speak to them about catfishing or forward this blog post to them. It could save them money, embarrassment and, perhaps, even their life.