"Catfishing" - The Dark Side to Online Dating

"Catfishing" - The Dark Side to Online Dating

Unfortunately, even without the invention of online dating, "catfishing" has been around as long as when the internet was invented.  Urban dictionary defines cat fishing as: "The phenomenon of internet predators that fabricate online identities and entire social circles to trick people into emotional/romantic relationships (over a long period of time)."  This meaning people who create false identities to gain attributes or materialistic items for themselves at the expense of another.  The term catfish was created after the award winning American documentary "Catfish" was released in 2010.

Why people catfish can have many different reasons.  Some of these include: 

1. The Revenge Catfish - often someone out for specific revenge on another individual who they have felt wronged them in some way. 

2. The Bored Catfish - more often or not this person has selected you at random because they are addicted to the internet, have way to much time on their hands or the idea of messing with you just sounds like fun. 

3. The Secretly-In-Love-With-You Catfish - this person has an unrequited crush on you and for whatever reason feels he or she is not adequate enough for you in the real world. 

4. The Scary Catfish - this catfish is just blatant evil out to break hearts and cause chaos. 

5. The Lonely Catfish - this catfish usually has a great sob story or never ending problem that they love talking to you about.  This is one of the hardest catfish to deal with as you become the reason they "keep going in this world".  

Unfortunately, in a virtual world where people can be anyone they desire to be, cat fishing is a very real phenomenon in this day and age.  A later post will discuss how to protect yourself from these kind of people. Below is the trailer for the hit documentary "Catfish" released in 2010. 

-- Emma