Catfished
I get it. Maybe you just got divorced after many years, or your spouse just told you they wanted out. Maybe they’ve moved out of your bed, or worse yet, you’re on the couch. It’s over. You are feeling lonely, rejected and need physical and emotional attention, so meeting someone new online seems like a good idea. Why not? Sounds harmless. You swear you are just “looking” when suddenly….WOW. You see a very attractive picture of your dream girl or guy. You message them and boom….they reciprocate. Before you know it, you are in an intense texting relationship and this person has become your life. You fall in love. There is nothing you wouldn’t do for them except…you haven’t actually met them. What if they were lying to you? What if this special person wasn’t actually the person on the profile picture? Believe it or not, many times they aren’t. Worse yet, this person could be ill-intended.
Most online relationships begin on dating websites, like tinder, eharmony or match, but unfortunately, never make it past the texting stage. However, in some instances, the relationship takes a dramatic turn as one person, usually, a catfish begins to extort money from an innocent victim, under the pretense of the promise of love. What’s a catfish? Maybe you’ve seen the movie or TV show, but I’ll explain the term anyway. A catfish is someone behind a fake online profile used to seduce a real person, usually for a romantic relationship. They are essentially a fake persona, who is lying and tricking the other person a number of different levels. They have fake photos which were downloaded from other profiles and do not use their real name. Their entire persona could be fake, or they may mix some truths with lies about themselves to help keep their story straight, depending on what they want to get out of it. A catfish’s full intent is….to make you fall in love with them! Why? Different reasons, but the one we are talking about today is: Extorting money. How can they do this? By vetting their victims very carefully and choosing people who are desperate or vulnerable to falling in love. They say the most profound and convincing words to you and are experts at making you believe it. Since you are looking at a fake photo, usually a very good looking one, most vulnerable people that have the right amount of both naivety and desperation, will believe it is the person they are texting with. Don’t be fooled. Never give or send money to someone you have never met in person or without verifying who they are. Conduct background checks on people you wish to date and make sure you know who you are dealing with. Its ok to be alone. Be sure and subscribe,
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Detective Gomez
