Catfishing is an online activity involving a person using someone else photos to create a digital identity and post fake online information to produce a convincing social circle for various reasons (con money from people, seeking revenge on someone, etc).
You can find out where else an image appears online by using the Reverse Image Search Tools:
More Reverse Image Search Tools are at "Reverse Image Search Engines, Apps And Its Uses".
Some signs that you might be getting catfished online:
- If they seem too good to be true or they look like a model, movie stars or other famous people
- If you meet someone online and they have broad interests that could relate to just about anyone
- If they say that they care about you and they act like things are getting serious after only a short amount of time
- If they don't know what Skype is or have problems using it or downloading it and you can only chat online
- If they contact you out of nowhere and you do not know them, and they try to romance you over chat and email
- If they have far-fetched stories that make you feel sorry for them and ask you for money to help them
To prevent catfishes or Internet scammers from stealing your details,
- You can set your privacy settings to the highest security level on social media so that only friends can access your photos.
- Avoid posting too much personal information on the social media or public.
Always exercise caution when dealing with unknown persons “befriended” through the Internet:
- Avoid going overseas alone with persons whom you know through the Internet.
- Report to the administrators of the dating site or social network if you suspect that you are targeted.
- If you are a Singaporean, inform the Singapore Police Force (SPF) immediately if anyone attempts to extort money from you.
References
1. WebUser issue 368 (April 2015), page 36, Our guide to Catfishing
2. Reverse Image Search Engines, Apps And Its Uses
3. 12 signs that you might be getting catfished online
4. Singapore Police Force (SPF)
