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Catfishing is a deceptive activity in which a person creates a
fictional persona or
fake identity on a
social networking service
A social networking service or SNS (sometimes called a social networking site) is an online platform which people use to build social networks or social relationships with other people who share similar personal or career content, interests, act ...
, usually targeting a specific victim. The practice may be used for financial gain, to compromise a victim in some way, as a way to
intentionally upset a victim, or for wish fulfillment. Catfishing television shows have been produced, often featuring victims who wish to identify their catfisher. Celebrities have been targeted, which has brought press attention to catfishing practices.
History
Etymology
The modern term originated from the 2010
American
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, pe ...
documentary ''
Catfish
Catfish (or catfishes; order Siluriformes or Nematognathi) are a diverse group of ray-finned fish. Named for their prominent barbels, which resemble a cat's whiskers, catfish range in size and behavior from the three largest species alive, ...
''. The documentary follows
Nev Schulman
Yaniv "Nev" Schulman ( ; born September 26, 1984) is an American TV host and producer. He is best known for the 2010 documentary film ''Catfish'' and the follow up TV series '' Catfish: The TV Show'' on MTV of which he is the host and executive ...
, the executive producer, as a victim of catfishing. He had cultivated a relationship with what he thought was a 19-year-old girl from the Midwestern United States. The woman with whom he had been communicating was actually a 40-year-old housewife. In the documentary, the woman's husband makes a comparison between the woman’s behaviour and a mythical use for literal catfish in the shipping of live cod fish.
The myth is that
cod
Cod is the common name for the demersal fish genus '' Gadus'', belonging to the family Gadidae. Cod is also used as part of the common name for a number of other fish species, and one species that belongs to genus ''Gadus'' is commonly not call ...
were shipped with
catfish
Catfish (or catfishes; order Siluriformes or Nematognathi) are a diverse group of ray-finned fish. Named for their prominent barbels, which resemble a cat's whiskers, catfish range in size and behavior from the three largest species alive, ...
in the same tanks in order to keep the cod active, ensuring the quality of the cod, whereas when shipped alone the cod would become pale and lethargic.
This myth originated in the fiction writing of
Henry Nevinson
Henry Woodd Nevinson (11 October 1856 – 9 November 1941) was an English war correspondent during the Second Boer War and World War I, a campaigning journalist exposing slavery in western Africa, political commentator and suffragist."Nevinson ...
(1913, ''Essays in Rebellion'') and Charles Marriott (1913, ''The Catfish'').
The term catfishing has become more widely known throughout the subsequent decade, thanks to a television series which followed the main star of the movie, Yaniv (Nev) Schulman, helping other people investigate their possible catfish situations.
The term also spiked in popularity during an incident involving
University of Notre Dame football star
Manti Te'o
Manti Malietau Louis Te'o ( ; born January 26, 1991) is an American football linebacker who is a free agent.
Te'o played college football at Notre Dame, where he was a consensus All-American and received eight national awards. He was drafted ...
in 2013.
Practice and sociology
Catfishing has been thought to have grown in popularity as it allows participants to disassociate from one's everyday identity, shielding from moral obligation or responsibility. This is attributed to the
online disinhibition effect
Online disinhibition effect is the lack of restraint one feels when communicating online in comparison to communicating in-person. People feel safer saying things online which they would not say in real life because they have the ability to remain ...
, due to which online users feel more comfortable sharing information, some of which may be untrue, on an online forum than through in person communication.
In catfishing, an internet user uses a fake identity to persuade another person to believe they are the person they portray. This often is used for relationships, such as the scenario in the movie ''Catfish'' The person catfishing uses another person's photos and life facts to make them appear as a real person. Often, the person who this identity has been molded from does not know that their pictures and name are being used. They are unaware that their identity was used to create these fake relationships online. The person uses catfishing in order to appear as a better version of themselves by using a fake identity. Their primary reason to appear as a fake person is to befriend the other person for a relationship, sexual reasons or financial gain.
Some online users have used catfishing to explore their gender and/or sexual identities.
Known this way as a type of romance scam, catfishing is often employed on dating websites however the use of social media or email will serve for scammers as a way to make initial contact.
For example, on the MTV show ''
Catfish
Catfish (or catfishes; order Siluriformes or Nematognathi) are a diverse group of ray-finned fish. Named for their prominent barbels, which resemble a cat's whiskers, catfish range in size and behavior from the three largest species alive, ...
'', based on the
documentary film
A documentary film or documentary is a non-fictional film, motion-picture intended to "document reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction, education or maintaining a Recorded history, historical record". Bill Nichols (film critic), Bil ...
, a girl named Sonny connects with a male model named Jamison who is, in reality, Chelsea, a woman using her alternative identity to interact romantically with other women in an online space.
Financial gain can be another motive of catfishing. In 2015, three girls created a fake social media profile and managed to steal $3,300 from the
Islamic State
An Islamic state is a State (polity), state that has a form of government based on sharia, Islamic law (sharia). As a term, it has been used to describe various historical Polity, polities and theories of governance in the Islamic world. As a t ...
, a terrorist group. The three girls had been approached by a recruitment officer to join the organization. After coming into contact the three girls proceeded and asked for money to travel to Syria. When they received the money, the girls immediately deleted their internet account and pocketed the cash that was intended for their own personal travel.
Catfishing has also been used as a tactic to stop criminal activity. In 2004, ''
Dateline NBC
''Dateline NBC'' is a weekly American television news magazine/reality legal show that is broadcast on NBC. It was previously the network's flagship general interest news magazine, but now focuses mainly on true crime stories with only occasion ...
'' produced the segment, ''
To Catch a Predator
''To Catch a Predator'' is an American reality television series in the television news magazine program ''Dateline NBC'' featuring confrontations with host Chris Hansen, partly filmed with a hidden camera, of adult men arriving at a sting ho ...
'', which documented undercover cops posing as minors online to catch pedophiles. Pedophiles would then be lured into spaces arranged by the undercover officers where an encounter between the posed minor and the adult were to occur.
Catfishing can also be used as a tactic to
cyberbully
Cyberbullying or cyberharassment is a form of bullying or harassment using Electronic communication network, electronic means. Cyberbullying and cyberharassment are also known as online bullying. It has become increasingly common, especially ...
someone online by attacking other individuals online working under a fake or anonymous identity. Since they are using another person's identity or a made-up identity, the person is less likely to get in trouble or have any consequences as the cyberbullying is more difficult to be traced back to them.
Dangers
Catfishing can be used to attract a person from the Internet and allow them to meet them in person. The person catfishing can lure a victim to a place to be kidnapped, or hurt in another way. Sexual predators use fake identities to talk to teens, allowing them to get close to them so that the victim will trust them. This then allows for the predator to get information from the victim to use that information to potentially harm them. Examples of this are the 2002
murder of Kacie Woody
Kacie Rene Woody (October 17, 1989December 4, 2002) was an American teenager from Holland, Arkansas, who was catfished, abducted, and murdered by 47-year-old David Leslie Fuller, from La Mesa, California, whom she met in a Yahoo Christian cha ...
and 2007
murder of Carly Ryan
Carly Ryan (31 January 1992 – 20 February 2007) was an Australian schoolgirl who was befriended online and then murdered by a serial paedophile, 50-year-old Garry Francis Newman. The case, which highlighted the emerging phenomena of catfishing ...
.
Catfishing as a way to harass others online also has increased the number of
suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Mental disorders (including depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, personality disorders, anxiety disorders), physical disorders (such as chronic fatigue syndrome), and s ...
s in teens as mental abuse is involved, an example being the 2006
suicide of Megan Meier
Megan Taylor Meier (November 6, 1992 – October 17, 2006) was an American teenager who died by suicide by hanging herself three weeks before her 14th birthday. A year later, Meier's parents prompted an investigation into the matter and her sui ...
.
Signs
Although subjective, there are multiple warning signs attributed to catfishing behavior:
*If an unknown person starts following or messaging a user and the person's profile picture looks fake or too good to be true.
*If profiles between dating and social media sites are inconsistent, for example having different names or pictures between websites.
*If after a few encounters the opposing party starts proclaiming love, especially after only a few days or weeks of contact.
*If a person refuses to send photos of themselves or talk on the phone.
Legal cases
The first successful civil claim relating to a catfishing scam in the UK, and in the
common law
In law, common law (also known as judicial precedent, judge-made law, or case law) is the body of law created by judges and similar quasi-judicial tribunals by virtue of being stated in written opinions."The common law is not a brooding omnipresen ...
world (''Kirat Assi v Simran Kaur Bhogal'') was won in June 2021 after Kirat, a British radio presenter, discovered she was a victim of a nine year catfishing campaign perpetrated by her younger cousin Simran, a former Barclays Investment banker.
Notable instances
Alicia Kozakiewicz
Beginning sometime in 20002001, 13-year-old
Alicia Kozakiewicz
Alicia Kozakiewicz ( ; born 1988) is an Americans, American Celebrity, television personality, motivational speaker, and Internet safety and missing persons Child protection, advocate. Kozakiewicz is the founder of the Alicia Project, an advocacy ...
befriended an individual she believed was a boy her age in a
Yahoo chat room. On January1, 2002, he invited Kozakiewicz to meet him near her
Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...
,
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...
home. The boy was actually 38-year-old Scott Tyree from
Herndon, Virginia
Herndon is a town in Fairfax County, Virginia, in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area of the United States. The population was 23,292 at the 2010 census. In 2020, the population was estimated to be 24,532, which makes it the largest of three i ...
, who, after coercing Kozakiewicz into his vehicle, drove her to his home where he held her captive, shackled,
raped
Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse or other forms of sexual penetration carried out against a person without their consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority, or agai ...
and
tortured
Torture is the deliberate infliction of severe pain or suffering on a person for reasons such as punishment, extracting a confession, interrogation for information, or intimidating third parties. Some definitions are restricted to acts c ...
her in his basement dungeon while live streaming online. A
Florida
Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...
viewer recognized Kozakiewicz from news stories and a
National Center for Missing & Exploited Children
The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) is a private, nonprofit organization established in 1984 by the United States Congress. In September 2013, the United States House of Representatives, United States Senate, and the Pres ...
flier, and gave an anonymous tip to the
Federal Bureau of Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic intelligence and security service of the United States and its principal federal law enforcement agency. Operating under the jurisdiction of the United States Department of Justice, ...
(FBI). After tracing Tyree's
IP address
An Internet Protocol address (IP address) is a numerical label such as that is connected to a computer network that uses the Internet Protocol for communication.. Updated by . An IP address serves two main functions: network interface ident ...
, FBI stormed the house on January 4 and freed Kozakiewicz at 4:10 PM. Kozakiewicz has gone on to become a
motivational speaker
A motivational speaker is a speaker who makes speeches intended to motivate or inspire an audience. Such speakers may attempt to challenge or transform their audiences. The speech itself is popularly known as a pep talk.
Motivational speakers ca ...
,
Internet safety
Internet safety or online safety or cyber safety and E-Safety is trying to be safe on the internet and is the act of maximizing a user's awareness of personal safety and security risks to private information and property associated with using the i ...
and
missing persons
A missing person is a person who has disappeared and whose status as alive or dead cannot be confirmed as their location and condition are unknown.
A person may go missing through a voluntary disappearance, or else due to an accident, crime, de ...
advocate, and has founde
The Alicia Project
Kacie Woody
In 2002, 13-year-old
Kacie Woody (screen name: modelbehavior63), from
Arkansas
Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the Osage ...
began an online friendship with a supposedly 17-year-old boy named Dave Fagen (screen name: jazzman_df) from
California
California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
. "Dave Fagen", whose profile picture was of a young man, was actually 47-year-old David Fuller from
La Mesa. Fuller traveled to Arkansas and abducted Woody from her home on the night of December 3. After an investigation by Arkansas law enforcement and the FBI, Woody and Fuller's bodies were found the next day in Fuller's rented minivan inside Guardsmart Storage in
Conway. Fuller had sedated Woody with
chloroform
Chloroform, or trichloromethane, is an organic compound with chemical formula, formula Carbon, CHydrogen, HChlorine, Cl3 and a common organic solvent. It is a colorless, strong-smelling, dense liquid produced on a large scale as a precursor to ...
, bound, raped and
shot
Shot may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
* ''Shot'' (album), by The Jesus Lizard
*''Shot, Illusion, New God'', an EP by Gruntruck
*'' Shot Rev 2.0'', a video album by The Sisters of Mercy
* "Shot" (song), by The Rasmus
* ''Shot'' (2017 f ...
her in the head before shooting himself upon law enforcement's arrival. Woody's friends and family subsequently founded th
Kacie Woody Foundationin order to educate parents and children about Internet safety, and her case appeared on the
Investigation Discovery
Investigation Discovery (stylized and branded on-air as ID since 2008) is an American multinational pay television network dedicated to true crime documentaries owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. As of February 2015, approximately 86 million Ameri ...
TV shows "Web of Lies" and "Man With a Van."
Suicide of Megan Meier
The
suicide of Megan Meier
Megan Taylor Meier (November 6, 1992 – October 17, 2006) was an American teenager who died by suicide by hanging herself three weeks before her 14th birthday. A year later, Meier's parents prompted an investigation into the matter and her sui ...
in October 2006 was attributed to Lori Drew, a neighbor of the Meiers and the mother of Megan's friend Sarah, who had created a
fake account in order to
cyberbully
Cyberbullying or cyberharassment is a form of bullying or harassment using Electronic communication network, electronic means. Cyberbullying and cyberharassment are also known as online bullying. It has become increasingly common, especially ...
Megan for allegedly spreading gossip about Sarah. Sarah and several other people were also involved. On
MySpace, Megan had received a friend request from a supposedly 16-year-old boy named "Josh Evans", who claimed to have recently moved to a nearby city,
O'Fallon, Missouri
O'Fallon ( ) is a city located along Interstates 64 and 70 between Lake St. Louis and St. Peters in St. Charles County, Missouri, United States. It is part of the St. Louis metropolitan statistical area. As of the 2020 census, O'Fallon had ...
. The two became friends; however, on October 16, Josh began sending increasingly hurtful messages to Megan, the last of which told her that the world would be a better place without her. Megan had become upset, and after being confronted by her mother, Tina, for not signing off when she was told, ran to her bedroom. A while later, when Tina went to Megan's room to check on her, she found that Megan had
hanged herself with a belt inside her closet. Attempts to revive her failed, and Megan was pronounced dead the next day, three weeks before her 14th birthday. About a year later, the scheme behind the account was discovered. In 2008, a jury indicted and convicted Lori of violations of the
Computer Fraud and Abuse Act
The Computer Fraud and Abuse Act of 1986 (CFAA) is a United States cybersecurity bill that was enacted in 1986 as an amendment to existing computer fraud law (), which had been included in the Comprehensive Crime Control Act of 1984. The law pr ...
in connection with the incident, but the conviction was later vacated by a federal judge on a post-trial verdict, on grounds that the act did not intend to criminalize Drew's alleged conduct. The government decided against appealing the ruling. In 2009, Drew was also acquitted of
cyberbullying
Cyberbullying or cyberharassment is a form of bullying or harassment using electronic means. Cyberbullying and cyberharassment are also known as online bullying. It has become increasingly common, especially among teenagers, as the digital ...
in ''
United States v. Drew
''United States v. Drew'', 259 F.R.D. 449 (C.D. Cal. 2009), was an American federal criminal case in which the U.S. government charged Lori Drew with violations of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA) over her alleged cyberbullying of her 13-ye ...
''. Tina founded th
Megan Meier Foundation an organization intended to fight cyberbullying.
Carly Ryan
In 2006, 14-year-old
Carly Ryan from
South Australia
South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...
befriended and began dating an American-Australian teen named Brandon Kane over
MySpace. "Kane" turned out to be Garry Francis Newman, who in January 2007 travelled from
Melbourne
Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...
to attend Carly's 15th birthday party and give her presents, while posing as Kane's father Shane, but after behaving erratically and inappropriately, her mother Sonya told him to leave. About three weeks later, Carly left the house apparently to have a sleepover with friends, but after being reported missing when she didn’t return home the next morning, her body was found floating in Horseshoe Bay in
Port Elliot
Port Elliot is a town in South Australia toward the eastern end of the south coast of the Fleurieu Peninsula. It is situated on the sheltered Horseshoe Bay, a small bay off the much larger Encounter Bay. Pullen Island lies outside the mouth of t ...
. She had been beaten, smothered in beach sand and then thrown into the ocean to drown. An investigation led back to Newman, who was arrested and, in January 2010, found guilty of Carly’s murder and sentenced to
life in prison
Life imprisonment is any sentence of imprisonment for a crime under which convicted people are to remain in prison for the rest of their natural lives or indefinitely until pardoned, paroled, or otherwise commuted to a fixed term. Crimes for ...
with a 29-year non-
parole
Parole (also known as provisional release or supervised release) is a form of early release of a prison inmate where the prisoner agrees to abide by certain behavioral conditions, including checking-in with their designated parole officers, or ...
period. Carly's mother, Sonya Ryan, founded th
Carly Ryan Foundation which successfully lobbied for "Carly's Law" being enacted in order to protect Australian minors online.
Thomas Montgomery and Mary Shieler
Thomas Montgomery (screen name: marinesniper), a 47-year-old married man, pretending to be an 18-year-old male Marine named "Tommy", ended up in a love triangle with Mary Shieler (screen name: talhotblond), a middle-aged married woman pretending to be an 18-year-old woman named "Jessi", and a co-worker of Montgomery's, 22-year-old Brian Barrett (screen name: beefcake). As a result of jealousy, Montgomery murdered Barrett, and the deceptions unraveled. These events were covered in a 2009 documentary film, ''
Talhotblond'' and a subsequent movie adaptation.
University of Virginia rape hoax story
According to a ''
Washington Post
''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...
'' article, the ''
Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...
''
University of Virginia rape hoax story may have been an example of catfishing where a young woman posed online as another student after the young man she had a romantic interest in did not reciprocate. The young woman posed as a made-up upperclassman student online in order to stay in communication with her love interest.
Lincoln Lewis
The identity of an
Australian
Australian(s) may refer to:
Australia
* Australia, a country
* Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia
** European Australians
** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists
** Aboriginal Au ...
actor,
Lincoln Lewis
Lincoln Clay Lewis (born 24 October 1987) is an Australian actor. He is best known for his roles in the movie ''Tomorrow, When the War Began'' and in the television series ''Home and Away'' and ''Slide''.
Early life
Lewis was born in Brisbane, Qu ...
, was used by an impostor over four years. The actions resulted in the suicide of one victim, who had at one point reached out to the real Lincoln Lewis as they had attended
primary school
A primary school (in Ireland, the United Kingdom, Australia, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, and South Africa), junior school (in Australia), elementary school or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary e ...
together, so the victim was familiar with some aspects of his life that were discovered and exploited by the perpetrator. The perpetrator, who turned out to be a female, Lydia Abdelmalek, operated from at least mid-2011 until arrested in mid-2016, and in early 2019 was found guilty of stalking six people.
["Lincoln Lewis warns of social media dangers after online impersonator convicted of stalking"](_blank)
ABC News Online
ABC News, or ABC News and Current Affairs, is a public news service produced by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Broadcasting within Australia and the rest of the world, the service covers both local and world affairs.
The division of ...
, 2019-04-09["Catching a catfish: A terrifying story of virtual deceit and inexplicable malice, perpetrated by the last person anyone expected"](_blank)
James Oaten, ABC News Online, 2019-04-09
See also
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References
External links
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{{scams and confidence tricks
Deception
Internet fraud
Social networks
Cybercrime
Online child abuse