The lives of Americans and Canadians in modern society
have become dependent on technology to a very high extent due to the various
great improvements that continuously come about. Our world revolves around smartphones,
laptops, social media and all things virtual. From children and teenagers, to
adults and the elderly, people young and old use technology to communicate,
search, share, and learn. This virtual reality has its benefits; however, it
also has its drawbacks. A main drawback is something called catfishing.
You may be wondering now, “what is catfishing?” Catfishing
is when a person makes a fake account (or accounts) on social media like
Instagram or Facebook, to trick people into believing he or she is someone that
he or she is not. People who partake in catfishing are called “catfishes.”
Catfishes create their fake identity by finding and using pictures of
unsuspecting people online and by making up believable life stories. They even
add fake friends, fake jobs, and fake life experiences to their profile. The
means behind catfishing is usually to spur up online relationships. A professor at the University of Wisconsin named Catalina Toma studies online dating and has found that "deceptions are frequent but subtle: a 2008 study she co-wrote found that 81% lie about their age, weight or height" (Rothman, 2013). Catfishing
occurs immensely on online dating websites where “unknowing victims will fall
in love with women or men they meet online – with no idea the person behind the
screen is someone completely different” (Flynn, 2016). Catfishes usually
pretend to be something they wish they could be, in order to feel liked by
others.
So why is it called “catfish?” The term started being used in 2010, after a documentary called “Catfish” was made. The documentary is about a man named Nev Schulman that falls in love with a 19-year-old woman named Megan via the Internet and even through phone calls. He also spoke to her “mom, stepdad, and half-sister” online. The documentary ends with Schulman discovering that “Megan” was a phony account run by a 40-year-old woman named Angela who’s married. She admitted she was the face behind the profile the whole time. After meeting and finding out about Angela, Schulman tells a story about catfish and live cod were shipped together to guarantee the quality of the cod and to keep the cod vigorous. He tells this story as a metaphor to describe people like Angela saying “there are always ‘catfishes’ in our lives who keep us alert, active and on our toes” (Flynn, 2016).
So why is it called “catfish?” The term started being used in 2010, after a documentary called “Catfish” was made. The documentary is about a man named Nev Schulman that falls in love with a 19-year-old woman named Megan via the Internet and even through phone calls. He also spoke to her “mom, stepdad, and half-sister” online. The documentary ends with Schulman discovering that “Megan” was a phony account run by a 40-year-old woman named Angela who’s married. She admitted she was the face behind the profile the whole time. After meeting and finding out about Angela, Schulman tells a story about catfish and live cod were shipped together to guarantee the quality of the cod and to keep the cod vigorous. He tells this story as a metaphor to describe people like Angela saying “there are always ‘catfishes’ in our lives who keep us alert, active and on our toes” (Flynn, 2016).
There are different types of catfishing scams. One
specifically is called the “419 Nigerian Prince Scam.” This is one of the most
known and one of the oldest catfishing scams that has evolved over time. It
started with needing money to get the prince out of jail. Personal information
would be needed in order to send the money. The most recent version is people
pretending to be distant relatives on Facebook saying that they know a wealthy
person in need of money because they don’t have current access to their own.
The catfish claims he or she will give a large payoff in return as soon as the
person gets access to the money. A second type of catfishing scam is called the
“Russian Brides Scam (Romance Scam).” This scam occurs when an American or
Canadian is contacted by a man or woman (from outside of the country) looking
to marry and settle down. After some time, the catfish asks for money for things
like the internet and for plane tickets. Another version is when the catfish
disappears for some time and then reappears saying he or she needs money for
medical expenses because of an accident.
If you want more information about catfishing and how to avoid it, check
out "Minimization of Catfishing"
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3. Rothman, L. (2013). The Catfish Came Back. Time, 182(1), 59.
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1. Catfishing
– What is it, where it came from and the Psychology Behind Catfish Online
Dating Scams. (2016, August 02). Retrieved February 03, 2017, from https://socialcatfish.com/what-is-catfishing-online-dating/
2. Flynn, E.
(2016, September 09). What is catfishing and how do you know if it’s happening
to you? Retrieved February 03, 2017, from https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/1754916/what-is-catfishing-and-how-do-you-know-if-its-happening-to-you/3. Rothman, L. (2013). The Catfish Came Back. Time, 182(1), 59.
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