Why does catfish mean

They're telling you they love you, but you've only been talking for a couple of days or weeks. They're avoiding face-to-face contact, either meeting up or video chats.

They're just a little bit too perfect. Their stories sometimes conflict with each other, or don't quite add up. Do you think you've been catfished? Are they on social media? If you've met someone online, it's a good idea to make sure they are who they say they are. If you find them online, look out for: Number of photos — It's normal for people to have more than just one photo of themselves.

Quality of photos — Do they have a few photos, but they all look like they've been taken by a professional photographer? Catfish often steal photos from the internet, and they often choose professional-looking shots. Are they asking you for money? Is the relationship moving quickly? Have you spoken face to face? Is it too good to be true? In most cases, the catfisher will invent excuses as to why they cannot talk or video chat. For example, each time you agree to a time to connect, something comes up, or they claim their schedule is inundated with appointments.

They may also pretend to be ashamed of how they look due to a serious illness, such as cancer. Another excuse may be they are traveling or in the middle of visiting family. Regardless of the excuse provided, repeated rejections of a visual or aural meetup may indicate you are being catfished. Because a catfisher only has access to so many false profile pictures of the person whose look they are stealing, they may keep the same profile picture for many years.

If you notice that the person is, for example, 45 years old, but their profile picture looks closer to 35, they may be falsifying their identity. A catfisher may be able to grab several pictures of the same person online and then roll them out one by one as months or years go by.

However, the pictures they take may have all been snatched at the same time, making them look as if they are not aging as time passes. There is no surer way for their false identity to be compromised. A catfisher who lives close to you will be easier to spot if they refuse to meet up, regardless of how public the intended location is. If the catfisher lives farther away, it can be easy for them to repeatedly use that as an excuse.

In that case, if you are suspicious, you can always recommend a video call. If they are not open to that it is highly likely you are being catfished. Assuming another identity requires a string of flawlessly executed lies.

It is easy for a careless catfisher to slip up. In other instances, the catfisher may claim to have attended a certain high school or university but knows little about the location or the institution itself. If your suspected catfisher asks for money or a gift, your suspicions are likely correct.

Even if you have already formed an emotional or business connection with the person, it is best to refuse their request. In general, you should never send money to someone whose identity you cannot confirm. If you are in contact with someone you have never met and they make overly committal claims like they love you or want to engage in a major business venture with you, they may be catfishing you.

It is likely they feel a grand gesture may win your trust. A proactive security approach is essential to address these threats. Deception technology is one such approach.

Deception technology is a method of uncovering the bad actors and their tactics. It can be difficult to avoid being catfished in the first place, but there is much you can do to prevent falling for the scam. Always be cautious when talking to peop online. I catched a catfish and haggled him open with my saw, and towards sundown I started my camp fire and had supper. Channel catfish from stations W-3, A-3, and C-5 were taken on hook and line. It is situated a short distance over the top of the hill leading up from Catfish , and a little over a mile from Washington.

New Word List Word List. Save This Word! We could talk until we're blue in the face about this quiz on words for the color "blue," but we think you should take the quiz and find out if you're a whiz at these colorful terms. Words nearby catfish Catesby , cat eye , cat-eyed , catfall , catfight , catfish , cat flea , cat flu , cat-foot , catfooted , cat got one's tongue.

Translations of catfish in Chinese Traditional. See more. Need a translator? Translator tool. What is the pronunciation of catfish? Browse Caterpillar tractor. Test your vocabulary with our fun image quizzes.

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