Why I hate catfish….

The People that do it are selfish ! They do it because they either don't get attention in the real world and lack so much confidence, behind a screen they can be and say whatever or they just get off messing with someones emotions.

You hear so many stories how people fall for this, I can normally tell pretty much straight away, but some people are so desperate for love they will believe anything.

It's one of the most cruel things you can do lying to someone making then think you are someone you aren't! Allowing them to fall for you, then just disappearing.

They should put time in trying to sort themselves out rather than trying to hurt someone else because thats how it always ends ! The truth comes out.

they have no idea how hurtful it is what they are doing nor do they lack the remorse

You have wasted precious time that someone will never get back for a false hope

It's why I'm upfront in here. I tell whoever is interested in me that I'm a quadriplegic if they want me then it's cool if don't then it's cool too. I video call people too. I'm not hiding. If they think I'm ugly it's their problem. It don't make a difference to me. I'm content with the way I look and with my life.

Did I mention I'm extremely honest with them so they run off 😅

I think that too many folks here are pretending to be something other than what they really are.

I applaud you for your efforts, and I fully endorse your continued campaign against online impersonators who are, at the very least, emotionally harming vulnerable people.

I can relate to your friend's experience because a friend of mine was put through something similar or worse. There was a whole scheme involved, with more than one person. She is a lesbian but was led to fall in love with a young man who took pride in "turning" her sexual orientation. I and other friends were suspicious that something was not right with this long-distance relationship, but she was convinced. She posted rapturous declarations of love on her social media. Then the young man was supposedly dying in a hospital far away where she could not travel to see him, and she was heartbroken. Then she figured out somehow that the whole situation was fake, and she was able to trace it to someone who apparently makes a point of messing with gay and lesbian people's minds through this kind of scheme. Needless to say the whole experience was devastating. 💔

At the very same time I think that alternate or fake personas are just part of the reality of online life. I appreciate what you do when you identify that someone is using other people's photos, especially when they are personal photos from someone's social media like the situation you posted about the other day. But it is also up to each and every one of us to beware. This is going to get more and more prevalent as the technology of altered photos and videos advances. Every website is potentially going to be like Second Life where everyone knows that the person they are interacting with and possibly falling in love with is probably nothing like that in real life. A strong reason to try to have real-life friends and not depend on our online connections only...

The human brain is wired to meet its needs. One of them is the need to be loved. Sad that there are those whom scam that fulfillment but, such occurrences take place in just about every recourse of life I think. Far beyond dating. Catfishing has been around long before the Internet, reality shows and social media coined its phrase. Gotta be careful out there. Sorry to hear about your friend. Keep huntin'em girl.

These people have serious issues. They want to be liked for who they are not. They want to play with people’s emotions.

Catfishing , though mostly associated with using fake pictures to represent themselves, is also about faking their whole persona. This means representing themselves as someone else - different likes, diff jobs, diff family life, diff lifestyle. They can also fake their feelings towards you. They say you’re the “only one” to everyone and pretends to everyone differently. 🤦‍♀️

I’ve never directly experienced it, but like you, I’ve seen this catfishing practice hurt some of my friends.

I think they are awful human beings that exploit people for their own amusement

Unfortunately they have serious mental issues and it’s just never gonna go away.

I fell for one years ago back when I was naive about such things. We even talked on the phone, she was so nice. When I found out she was using fake pics I was devastated and so embarrassed. I still don’t quite understand it

I have mixed feelings. I hate to give an 'it depends' answer, but there was a user on here a few years ago called Atalanta who admitted to using someone else's pictures then left the site or was chased away from it feeling quite ashamed of herself.

The thing is... she was great. She was always so kind and thoughtful in every interaction. She wasn't trying to start relationships or get money or be cruel to anyone, it started out as her being shy about her looks and as she built relationships it became a noose around her neck because she realised it was too late to tell people the pictures weren't her.

The problem with catfish like the one who hurt your friend is their intent. Both John and Atalanta were insecure about their own looks and chose to use a different avatar. One decided to make friends and be kind, the other decided to seek out love and continue to be deceitful while claiming to be caring.

They only get in when you're vulnerable otherwise you'd see straight through them. I had a run in with one on MS Messenger when people could just randomly start talking to you, I was newly separated and had lost everything I'd worked 20 years for. Up pops this dolly bird, I was late 30s wants to be my friend but would disappear every so often to 'talk to the pasteur'. Not kidding 2 weeks in she wants me to send her a mobile phone for her birthday- I'd only just got one myself! Said I couldn't afford it so she went down to a cd player. Blocked her, I knew all along but you don't need that sort of distraction in life when things are crap already.

Catfish were about 10 years ago but with the world becoming more and more superficial there's more and more people who don't believe they look like the world expects them too. Anyone who isn't good looking is worth nothing essentially.
But then there's the Catfish who are actually just out to scan more and more money out of you.
There's also the sickos who want to just cause mayhem in people's lives because they've got a grudge or worse still just want to see the world burn and anyone crushed even if they don't know you.
I myself was Catfished but I only realised it years later. Now I have to see the person on video or I won't talk to them privately.

I met a guy on EP and we talked for about a year or so ?I had this exact same case where he'd postpone meeting on a video call by stating something silly.I also figured out the pics he sent me were though not fake still it was taken from his younger days .He basically matched my age.I was 27 then.

Later on ,I discovered the man right here in SW in his late forties,bald and still continuing to chat with females here trying to get hold to them.He's a very active user here btw.

I can easily confront him and ask why he fooled me but then I am not going to lower myself to his level and be a sob story .Rather sharing his story here might open eyes for some possible victim.

I've really only ever had one encounter with a catfish. On here.

Just someone I thought would be fun to talk about things like star wars, stuff like that. I wasn't shattered when I found out but I sure was bummed. The convos seemed so real.

It's cruel, selfish, and crazy. Some of them enjoy hurting others, they get off on it.

How could anyone possibly be in a relationship for 18 months (!) without ever seeing the other person?

So sad.
I’ve seen too many people here get hurt that way

I was taken in by one once. Fortunately, since I knew I was being lied to, I had the good sense not to fall in love. But I never thought for a minute that EVERYTHING except "I live in Ohio" and "my language is English" was a lie!!! 🤬

Obviously people with some serious issues. Your friends example it is a shame maybe just some guy very insecure in his looks etc so lives via another image. Maybe all was lies so married, kids etc and just sadly unhappy but unwilling to leave his relationship and be honest. Or maybe darker and there was some scam at the end intended the old "I need money" or "thanks for the video of you nude I'll expose you to your friends on Facebook unless you pay... "

There are some i see on here, the obviously stolen pics fron online or badly photoshopped with the same 3 clear face pics.

I think online relationships are too risky whether you know how does the person look or not and not worth being too invested emotionally. So I can't really relate to all that disillusinment. It's not the best idea to idealize someone based on what they decide to show you anyway.

Personally, I think it's even more disrespectful to the one whose appearance they've stolen. Who would like to have a false identity created somewhere on the internet presenting opinions, showing behaviour or do all the things they would never do themselves? It's a form of identity theft.

You hate being lied to ...so do I ...and so do most people ...uou have to stay vigilant with all the fakes ...online and even offline

Actually love me some catfish .. good for my hillbilly soul

Agreed. I couldn't live with myself if I was hurting someone.

I have no alt accounts or anything like. All I am here is a 'roided up version of myself. I think I'm pretty easy to predict too

I love you. Send me your nude photos and credit card number. I promise to always take care of your heart. Heh, heh, heh.

I think that they're sad pieces of shit to be honest. They're pathetic. Their lives are a joke. I've had them try to catfish me before but they failed. I am the kind of person who expects that you will prove who you are and I won't get gaslighted about that. If you make excuses then you're gone.

It’s a shame when peoples lives are so boring they need to make drama out of online lives !!

Being a catfish is about the lowest, meanest thing it is possible to do to another person online.

That is awful. Your poor friend.

Well they fool me easily. I have a tankful of them.

And what about some men who pretend to be women? I have found that often too.

I'm 100% Guyfish..☹️

If you don’t video/FaceTime together in in the first couple of weeks you deserve to be catfished. Dating profiles should just be video.

Anybody who hurts another purely to gratify their own ego is a louse