Fake females/ Catfishing

Catfishing is when someone sets up a fake online profile to trick people who are looking for love or friendship, usually to get money out of them.
There have been, and always will be many on this forum.
They mostly target the more mature guys on HIP.
Often starting threads in the Sex sections, saying they adore older guys.
BEWARE

Some easy clues to look for!!!
They're telling you they love you, but you've only been talking for a couple of days or weeks.
They're just a little bit too perfect.
Their stories sometimes conflict with each other or don't quite add up.

• The number of photos – It's normal for people to have more than just one photo of themselves.
• Quality of photos – Do they have a few photos, but they all look like they've been taken by a professional photographer? Catfish often steal photos from the internet, and they often choose professional-looking shots.

 

Mine began as a new member post I'm new on here, welcome me. I wrote welcome to the site. Hope you like it. Barely five minutes later I received a PM from her, the very first one thanking me for being kind , etc. She gained my trust then we exchanged cell phone numbers. Luckily I smelled a rat before I got in too deep.

 

From a forum point of view having worked in a Fraud Department of a major UK Bank ,there are certain things I look for when detecting a Catfish .

A common reason for Catfishing on the Forum is if its a banned member making a return

Style - The use of grammar , vocabulary and any text slang are things I often compare .
The use of emojis and how they are employed .
Pictures for the avi - Sometimes they will post a picture saying its them ,when its actually from a internet photo library

Any Catfish for me is a concern as there is usually some kind of untoward reason for being one in the first place .

 

Always, always tell someone if you are targetted on HIP.
At least you told me. xxx

 

I felt I was being set up and led away from the flock like a sheep to slaughter. Lol. But you all are on your toes and a fantastic bunch of Mods. You have my utmost respect and adoration.

 

Sure, you can find love online. You could also find yourself falling for a clever con artist who will gain your trust and rob you blind. It happens all too often.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) received more than 25,000 complaints about romance scams in 2019. According to new data released this week, victims reported losing $201 million to these scams last year, up nearly 40% from 2018. For the past two years, more money has been lost to romance scams than any other type of scam reported to the FTC.


Romance scammers post their fake profiles on popular dating websites and apps. They also target people through direct messaging on social media sites. Their goal is to steal your heart and then steal your money. Victims can lose hundreds of thousands of dollars. In some cases, their life savings.

Some people go online looking for a different type of relationship. Young women and men (known as “sugar babies”) visit websites that connect them with someone older (a “sugar daddy” or “sugar momma”) who agrees to pay them in gifts or cash in exchange for companionship. This relationship may or may not include sex.

“Sugaring sites have millions of users — and a lot of fraudsters. They pretend to be a sugar daddy or sugar momma and promise to pay off their victim’s debts, but it’s just a ruse to get their credit card or banking information," Fraud.org cautions.

“The sites where people go to look for sugar daddies or sugar babies are crawling with scammers,” said Fraud.org’s John Breyault. “Complaints are skyrocketing. That’s why we advise against going online to look for a sugar daddy or sugar momma.”

 

Another thing that can be done quickly and easily is to do a reverse image search on google or tinyeye, if you are on a computer then simply right click your mous on the image and then select search on google for image.
It's not a surefire way and not a gaurantee of anything, because an image can easily be altered so that these programs can't find them, but it's always worth a try and doesn't take long.

 

Yeah;. What he said.

 

I have also noticed a few, that steal photos from Instagram. These will NOT show up on a Tineye search.
But look


This one has been used by a member.
No professional photos will actually be them.

 

This is a good thread. Perfect.

 

‎Reverse Image Search App

This app can be helpful when looking for the source of some pictures .

 

I'd let her use me at least for a night or two and not feel badly about it afterward.

 

I agree. As common as this problem is getting, as our cyber lives become more dependent on the web. it's a subject that can't be overdone.

 

Thanks for the information. Also please note that some people lie about their age.

 

Need to Do an Image Search on Twitter? Here's How

Thought I would add this, as many are using images from Twitter.

 

What?!!!! She sure looked 49. Damn!

 

To many guys (and girls) fall for it. That's why it keeps happening. Just like the scammers calling you.

 

It is an unfortunate growing problem. I've never been gullible enough to let them get into my wallet or personal zone. But a lonely, unattractive overweight friend of mine has lost thousands of dollars to female scammers charming him into sending money in hopes to buy some company, affection and sex.

 

Innit tha what street prostitutes awe for?