🐟 Catfish Detection Cheat Sheet

Who's Really Behind That Profile?

• Their photos look a little too perfect.
• Every video call gets cancelled at the last minute.
• Their job keeps them overseas and hard to reach.
• Their social media profiles are brand new or nearly empty.
• Details of their story keep shifting.
• The conversation is drifting toward money or private photos.

A catfish builds a relationship on stolen photos and an invented life. The goal is usually money, personal information or intimate images. They're patient and convincing, and by the time something feels off, you may already be emotionally invested.

This one-page cheat sheet gives you a few quick checks to confirm whether someone is who they claim to be. You don't need to rely on gut feeling, and you can run them before you share anything you can't take back.

What's inside: four checks before you fall

🖼️ Check The Photos: reverse image search their pictures with Google Images or TinEye, look for inconsistent backgrounds, lighting or apparent ages, and watch for watermarks or odd cropping.

🔍 Verify Identity: search their name with their photo and job, look for real social profiles with history, friends and tagged photos, and ask specific questions about their claimed city or workplace.

📱 Test In Real Time: ask for a live video call, request a specific live photo, and watch for endless excuses to avoid it.

🛑 If They're Fake: stop all contact, never send money or photos, report and block the profile, and report scams to the FTC.

Who it's for

• Anyone using dating apps, social media or online communities to meet people
• People in long-distance or online-only relationships
• Adult children worried about a parent's new online friend
• Parents talking with teens about who they're chatting with

Why it works: it replaces "it just feels off" with a few concrete checks you can run in minutes, so you find out who you're really talking to before you share your heart, your photos or your money.

📄 1-page printable PDF (US Letter) · Instant download · Unlimited personal printing

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Expand your collection with other popular MSOS guides:

• Online Dating Red Flags Checklist

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Great Companion Guides

Pair this with:

• Online Dating Red Flags Checklist
• Dating App Privacy Settings Card
• Payment App Safety Checklist
• Wire Transfer Safety Card
• Phone Location Privacy Settings Card
• Identity Theft Warning Signs Checklist

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