Catfishing

A catfish is someone who pretends to be a different person online. He uses other people’s photos and makes up his age, where he lives or his life story. Some just want attention, but often there’s a scam behind it: in a so-called romance scam, trust is built up first and then money is asked for.

The term became known through the 2010 film “Catfish”, which later also became a series.

Typical warning signs: he never wants to talk on the phone or by video, a meet-up always falls through at the last minute, and at some point there’s an emergency: “I just need a bit of money quickly, you’ll get it straight back.”

On DaddyBoy

Look out for the Verified badge on a profile: it shows that someone has proven to us that they are an adult, and it protects against fake profiles. Never send money to chat acquaintances, however good the story sounds. If a profile seems suspicious, report it in the chat or on the profile.