How to find out if someone is a catfish on Instagram, Facebook, or Tinder or dating sites and social media? Without being careful when using dating websites and social media, lots of users get scammed.
That’s because of one main reason. They realized that the person they met or matched with is not a real one. So, how can you tell if a person is trying to catfish you online? And is there any way to find if they use fake profiles?
In fact, there are many catfish signs you can spot online. But many guys and females neglect the easy tricks and tips they should follow. By doing the right search, you can easily tell if someone is real on any dating website or just another catfisher on social media networks including Instagram, Zoosk, POF, Snapchat, or others.
But sometimes, the profile photos might give a hint. And in other cases, when you reverse lookup the username of that account, you may find interesting information about the owner behind that profile and pictures. So, you’ll know if it’s genuine or one of many catfish scams on the Internet that you should report and stop talking to.
6 ways to find if a person is a catfisher on the Internet
Detecting fake profiles on Catfishing websites is not complicated if you carefully look at the details of the person. So, it’s always a good idea to verify the user name, location, photos, descriptions, etc…But that’s not always easy for many. Now, use the following techniques and ways to find the truth and see the real person behind any dating account before you discover that you are being catfished and scammed.
1. Lookup their profile username
Username reverse lookup services provide accurate information about anyone you want to find information about, especially on dating sites and social media. They can show you all the accounts on dating sites from just the username. And if that does not work, there are other search options with their full name, email, phone number, or even address if you can get that.
The username search method for dating websites helps you to find the truth. And that could tell if someone is a catfish on Snapchat because they use someone else’s name and photos.
That way, you avoid getting catfished by someone who may steal your sensitive data and use it for fraud. Using someone’s online username to find his real information is powerful enough to show you common catfish warning signs that an online dating player is trying to hurt you in many ways.
When you do a background check on someone you’re probably dating, you can detect any hidden signs of catfish. Thus, fighting catfishers online stats from identifying their real names, and reporting them to local authorities. But you can’t do that without relying on a good search tool that tells you who these guys are.
2. Find if the dating profile is genuine using the full name
If someone on a dating website is real, he’ll add the real name on his profile. But if it does not have that, ask for his personal information and real identity. Then, reverse lookup his name and you’ll get all the details linked to that person. It’s the best way to know if the guy you met online is real and represents a good person or not.
By finding that the person you talked to online uses a fake name, then, it’s a sign that the guy behind is a player. And if he lied, then, what do you want to expect later?
3. Search for scam alerts
Here is how you can catch a catfish. Don’t be easy to manipulate by a scammer who creates dozens of fake dating accounts to attract your intention. Just look for scam reports on Google. By typing the user name followed by words like “scam” “fraud” and dating sites.
If there is any report about that user or person, you’ll find a trace on search engines. Also, by checking what other people say, you can tell if a person is a catfish on Facebook because you can see his username or details on conversations.
Many organizations and even blog posts list some of the scammer names on dating sites, such as Bumble, Hinge.com, Tinder etc.. And you may get many scammer photos on both sides, female or male romance. Even if that may not have the exact profile you’re looking for, that can tell you in many ways if someone is a catfish or not.
To find a good man or lady on a dating site, it’s recommended to use the above search method that shows you the identity of the person behind the profile. In a few seconds, you can tell if he’s that real guy you expected. Or you can see if he’s someone else completely who’s not what you looked for.
In addition to that, keep in mind that lying or adding wrong details is one of many signs of a romance scammer that you need to block to stay safe.
4. They represent someone else
Because many dating sites are so popular and receive millions of visits per month, scammers know how that can be a big opportunity for them. So, a catfish girl, for example, will pretend to be someone else.
Of course, she’ll add the picture of another female who is known with a good reputation. That makes users think that she’s a real person and the pictures are real ones. But of course, that person behind the account is a catfisher who hides secret accounts.
Thus, only thinking about the photos won’t be helpful for you. You can’t distinguish that way between a catcher and a real dating site user. Instead, look for the style of writing behind the account, and compare things with what’s supposed to be in real life.
If you exchanged messages, take a look at her writing style and how she uses words, grammar, or verbs. Then, reverse lookup the photos of the profile and see if there is any text on Google.
5. Catfishers use professional photos (or someone else)
Have you found that the female pictures are so beautiful, professional, and look similar to TV stars? Then, you’re not wrong, that’s a catfisher who possibly used photos of someone else.
She just copied that from another person’s social media account on Instagram or Facebook. Besides, if you see that the person has pictures taken from all over the world when he travels, then, it’s probably one of the fake dating profile examples you should be aware of.
Now, here is how to tell if someone is a catfish on Tinder or similar apps. All you have to do is use a reverse image search engine like TinEye or Google images. But first, save the user picture to search through. Instead of text, upload that file and see where it appears on the Internet.
There is no problem when someone travels the world and takes pictures here and there. But when it comes to online dating, that’s another story, and lots of catfishers use that strategy. In fact, when a guy or even a female adds lots of photos on a dang profile, then, that’s a way to attract users. And of course. It will be a Catfishing situation that you can easily detect even on social media like Facebook.
Google Images and advanced search can show you if someone is a Catfish. Just try it and see what other accounts these guys manage and use. They won’t stop using Tinder or Snapchat, but also, they may have other TikTok accounts, eHarmony, and so on.
6. Dating sites and fake profiles by catfishers
There is no exact percentage of fake profiles on all the dating platforms. However, studies estimate that one out of 10 users is fake, and that’s not a small number if you consider the fact that most people are not active.
Thus, they log in once a month or so into their accounts. Besides, Tinder is the dating site that has the biggest number of fake profiles and catfishing accounts.
So, be aware of that when you swipe their pictures. And unfortunately, if you don’t realize that you’re being catfished on tinder from the first step, they’ll take your money and even cause other problems.
By doing deep research, I found that on average, the percentage of match.com profiles that are fake is under 8%. And that’s one of the best scores compared to many popular sites. That’s because Match.com has a sophisticated system that detects fake accounts during their SignUp and in the first 48 hours of their profile creation. So, it’s safer than Tinder, Bumble, and similar platforms.
On the other hand, POF is not full of fake profiles, as it may look like for beginners. It’s similar to other websites and they all share nearly the same percentage of fake accounts versus genuine ones.
That said, Plenty Of Fish is so popular and I think that people who succeed are paying the premium subscriptions to get real people. So, many blame POF for showing fake profiles to free users, and real accounts for premium accounts.
Protect yourself against catfishers
The best way to check if someone is a catfisher is always to do online research. In addition, you can identify fake profiles on dating sites in a minute or two if you follow these tips and verification ways. However, believing in what everyone puts under his or her biography is not recommended. You need to check if that is true or not first.
In reality, online dating scammers can find your account on Facebook, Linked In, or others. Then, they can read about what you’re looking for as relationships and what you have as hobbies and interests. After that, they may target your exact profile and match exactly with your details to be that soul mate. Next, the catfisher will ask you for money and even empty your bank account.
So, be careful and verify every user before you communicate with them on Tinder or other sites. It’s better and you’ll avoid big problems when someone is trying to catfish you. You can protect yourself by doing the above verifications.
