Fake profiles
What Is Catfishing? How to Spot One and Stay Safe
A fake profile, borrowed photos and a story that never checks out. What the word means and how to test who you’re talking to.
Catfishing is pretending to be someone else online to trick or attract another person, often with a fake profile and stolen or AI-made photos. Money is a common motive. Signs include dodged video calls, a shifting story and requests for cash. A reverse image search and a live video call are two simple checks.
The word
What does catfishing mean?
Pretending to be someone you’re not online, so you can trick or attract somebody else.
- Catfish
- The person behind the fake profile. Cambridge Dictionary calls it someone who pretends on social media to be someone different, to trick or attract other people.
- Catfishing
- The act itself. Merriam-Webster defines the verb as deceiving someone by creating a false personal profile online.
- Catfished
- What happens to the person on the receiving end: you thought you were talking to one person and it turned out to be another.
This meaning of the word arrived in 2010 with a documentary called Catfish, which followed one man’s dealings with a woman who pretended online to be someone else. The title comes from a story told in the film, in which fishermen put catfish in tanks of cod to keep the cod lively. Merriam-Webster notes that the tale appears to be a fabrication, but the idea stuck: some people keep everyone around them guessing. The film was popular enough to become a TV series of the same name, and the word has since made it into the dictionaries.
Catfishing shades into fraud when money is involved, which is what our guide to dating scams in the UK covers. This page is about the identity side: who you’re really talking to, and how to find out.
Spot it early
Signs you might be talking to a catfish
No single sign proves it. Several together are a reason to slow down.
Five minutes, no fuss
Checks that work, and habits to drop
Do
- Run a photo through a reverse image search. Upload it to Google, or right-click it in Chrome and choose Google Lens. Report Fraud also names TinEye.
- Ask for a live video call early on. City of London Police lists excuses for avoiding one as a warning sign.
- Search their name, their photos or any phrase they keep repeating, together with the words “dating scam”, as Age UK suggests.
- Keep early chat on the site, where blocking and reporting work.
- Meet in a public place first and tell a friend where you’ll be.
Skip
- Sending money, vouchers or cryptocurrency to someone you haven’t met in person.
- Giving out your full name, address, date of birth or bank details.
- Treating a clean image search as proof. The trade body ODDA calls it a first step only.
- Sharing intimate images with someone you can’t verify. Police Scotland says it is a crime to misuse them or threaten to share them, even if you sent them willingly.
For lines that stay friendly without oversharing, see our profile and first message tips, and when you’re ready to chat with singles, start on the site.
The motives
Why do people catfish?
Money is the motive Age UK and the government point to first. It isn’t the only one.
A 2024 study in the journal Discover Data looked at answers people had posted on the question site Quora. It linked catfishing to entertainment, trying on an idealised version of oneself, wanting meaningful interaction and money. Those answers came from one website and aren’t a sample of the population, so read the findings as a sketch, not a headcount.
Whatever the reason, the person on the other end is being misled, and the checks above don’t change.
The law
Is catfishing illegal in the UK?
It depends on what the person did with the fake identity.
In October 2024 a UK government minister told the House of Lords that catfishing is when someone sets up a fake online identity and uses it to trick and control others, and that it “covers a whole range of offences, including scamming people out of money, blackmailing them or trying to harm them in another way”. So it helps to ask what was actually done. Some of the laws that can apply:
- Fraud (England, Wales and Northern Ireland). The Fraud Act 2006 deals with dishonestly making a false statement in order to make a gain or to cause someone a loss. The same minister pointed to it when asked about catfishing.
- Threats and false messages (England, Wales and Northern Ireland). Offences under the Online Safety Act have been in force since 31 January 2024. They include threatening someone with death or serious harm, and knowingly sending false information in order to cause non-trivial psychological or physical harm.
- Intimate images (England and Wales). The same Act made it an offence to share, or threaten to share, intimate images without consent, and created an offence of cyberflashing, including on dating apps.
The sections above do not extend to Scotland, which has its own criminal law; Police Scotland takes reports on 101. This is general information, not legal advice, the law changes, and it was checked on 17 October 2026. If you aren’t sure whether something is a crime, you can still report it to the police or Report Fraud, and Citizens Advice has guidance on scams.
If it has happened
You think you’ve been catfished: what to do
You are not to blame.
Stop and save
Stop replying, and keep the messages, usernames and photos as screenshots.
Tell your bank
If you paid anything, call your bank on the number printed on your card, or dial 159 if your bank is part of that service.
Report it
Block and report the profile on the site, then tell Report Fraud on 0300 123 2040, or Police Scotland on 101.
Talk to someone
Victim Support offers confidential help at no charge, and its 24/7 Supportline in England and Wales is 08 08 16 89 111.
The full list of who to tell is in our dating scams guide.
On the site
What Forget Dinner gives you to check a profile
A dating site can’t promise that every profile is genuine, and the terms say profiles and messages may not be. What it can do is hand you tools, and the safety page lists them.
- ID verification is optional and adds a badge to a profile, and a live video check with a moderator needs no documents.
- The site warns you when a chat begins heading for another app, WhatsApp for example.
- Blocking is instant, reporting is easy, and human support is there around the clock.
- Usernames stay safe: your real name and email are never shown.
The full list is on the safety page, and the legit guide explains the terms.
Catfishing questions, answered
What is catfishing in simple terms?
Catfishing is pretending to be someone else online to trick or attract another person. Cambridge Dictionary describes pretending on social media to be someone different, and Merriam-Webster describes creating a false personal profile to deceive. The person doing it is a catfish, and the person fooled has been catfished.
Is catfishing illegal in the UK?
It depends on what the person does. A government minister told the House of Lords in October 2024 that catfishing covers a range of offences, from scamming people out of money to blackmail. Fraud, threats and sharing intimate images without consent can all be crimes, though the laws differ between the UK’s nations. If you’re unsure, report it.
How can I tell if someone is catfishing me?
Look for several signs together: they avoid live video, their photos turn up elsewhere or don’t match their story, things get intense within days or weeks, and money or secrecy enters the conversation. Search the photos and ask for a video call before you share personal details. None of these checks is perfect alone.
Why do people catfish?
Reasons vary. Age UK and a government minister point to money and fraud. A 2024 study of answers posted on Quora also found entertainment, wanting to be an idealised version of oneself and wanting meaningful interaction. It’s a small, informal sample, so treat it as a sketch rather than a count.
What should I do if I think I’ve been catfished?
Stop sending anything, keep the messages and photos, and block and report the profile on the site. If you’ve lost money, tell your bank straight away and report it to Report Fraud on 0300 123 2040, or to Police Scotland on 101 if you live in Scotland. You are not to blame.
Can a dating site tell me whether a profile is real?
Not with certainty. Forget Dinner’s terms say profiles and messages may not be genuine, and no criminal background checks are run. The safety page lists what the site does offer: optional ID verification with a badge, a live video check with a moderator, alerts when a chat heads off the site, and instant blocking and reporting.
Check first, then say hello
Use the site’s tools to size up a profile, and take your time before you meet.
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