Apps like WhatsApp and Messenger make it easy and convenient to keep in touch with people you already know and meet new ones. Unfortunately, they also make it easier for bad actors to act up and cause trouble.

Catfishing has become more prevalent in recent years, and it’d be best to know how to protect yourself from falling victim to it. Considering how commonplace it has become, the sooner you know how to spot a catfish, the better.

What Is Catfishing?

To catfish is to create an entirely false online personality of yourself. You present fake images, plus a false name and profession. You can even share bogus likes, dislikes, preferences, and interests. Essentially, what you put out for people to see is a falsehood. You will probably have found fake profiles on online dating apps, but they’re also common on social media.

There is a chance that only parts of your online self can be fake; in such cases, the term “kitten fishing” is more appropriate.

Social media and how easy it has become to get your hands on other people’s photos has made it quite simple to catfish. You can easily fool people into believing your fake persona.

Even if you don’t use someone else’s images as a front, if you’re good at Photoshop, you can alter your own pictures to the point of them becoming unrecognizable.

What’s the whole point of this, though? Well, people catfish for different reasons.

Some feel better if the world doesn’t see their true face and simply choose to hide behind a more comfortable facade. Others have far less good-natured reasons and aim to cause harm—financial, emotional, any.

Regardless of the other person’s reasons, catfishing can cause real damage. So, it’s best to know how to protect yourself from the possibility of getting catfished.

Here are a few helpful tips on how to do that.

1. Ask for a Video Call

The easiest way to see if someone is the real deal online is through a video call. It takes away their opportunity to hide behind a fake facade.

There are countless apps you can use to see them face-to-face; FaceTime, Viber, WhatsApp, Messenger, and Skype are a handful of examples.

If the person you’re talking to declines to video chat every time you bring it up, they might be catfishing you.

2. When Did They Last Post?

A good way to see if someone is who they say they are is to track their uploads.

No, you don’t have to turn into a stalker. It’s simply helpful to monitor when they post images.

Do they have a regular posting schedule? For example, do they avoid posting selfies and only post them if you bring it up as odd that they don’t? Has their last image post been done on the day they created their profile?

Not everyone posts selfies daily, but if you’re the person you’re pretending to be online, it’s safe to assume you’ll share images with your face on them fairly regularly.

It may be a red flag if they don’t.

3. Look Out for Red Flags and Trust Your Gut

Speaking of red flags, do your best to be on the lookout for red-flag behavior.

Plenty of people have behavioral quirks and oddities that are perfectly normal. However, some should raise alarm bells in your head. If they’re purposely vague on personal details and refuse to meet up, that’s a huge signal that you’re potentially being catfished.

Another sign is how they chat with you. One example is that they claim to be a certain age, but their writing style doesn’t match up. Someone could say they’re in their thirties, for example, but use teen slang or an abundance of abbreviations you’ve never heard of before.

If they do things that leave you feeling uneasy, trust your gut. Insist on video chatting so that you can see them face-to-face and verify whether they are who they claim to be.

4. Google The Suspected Catfisher

A simple Google search can help you answer the question: Is this person who they say they are?

Type in the name they’ve given you, and see what comes up. Nowadays, many people have social media accounts you can check or, at the very least, a LinkedIn profile.

Check whether the name, image, and information listed in these profiles match what you know about them.

Perhaps, the name and profile picture match, but you see posts with a significant other they’ve never mentioned before. Or you find information that the person lives in a completely different area than the one you’re communicating with told you.

Little things like that can prove invaluable in unmasking a catfisher.

In addition to Googling them, you can also reverse image search the images you have.

They may have sent it to you themselves, or it may be the one used for the account on the app you’re communicating on, but either way, it will work.

It’s a quick process that can yield powerful results.

6. Stay Guarded Until You’re Sure It’s Not a Catfish

It’s important not to give out any sensitive information about yourself before you’re absolutely certain that you’re not chatting with a catfish.

Some catfishes trick people with nefarious reasons and can try to get their hands on personal details they can later use for financial benefit. Maybe they’ll try to hack your accounts, get a hold of banking details, and so on.

You never know what these people are after, but it’s always better to assume the worst and keep your guard up.

It’s Better To Be Safe Than Sorry

Getting catfished can be pretty harmful to your mental and emotional state, and in worst-case scenarios, it may even lead to physical harm. That’s why it’s essential to do your best to be safe and avoid becoming an easy target to catfishes.

People who catfish prey on trusting, naive individuals who choose to look for the good in others. However, when communicating with strangers online, it’s better to take off the rose-colored glasses.

Even if it may be a buzzkill at times when chatting with another online, try to keep your wits about you. That means to avoid getting too personal too soon, to ensure you know you’re talking to the real deal, and if something seems off, trust your instincts. Ignoring red flags won’t end well.