How to recognize potential Catfishes
* At the start giving you a lot of affection and attention and after they got you on their hook starting to neglect you in a cruel way and a lot. Keep this quote in mind: "Keeping someone waiting is the biggest form of disrespect!"
* They refuse to share with you rl-stuff and if they do then it's mostly something transparent and not very detailed.
* They all got their health issues as excuses! Very popular are adhd and anxiety issues for them to justify their bad attitudes. My best friend who suffers
on adhd too said to me "It's a struggle but no excuse!"
* They already talk about marrying you without even meeting you in rl before!!
* Family issues are a popular excuse for them to neglect you. Even a single, simple "good night-email" is then too much for them to ask for. Obviously their rl-mate/partner would become too suspicious if they would see them using a mobile phone before going to bed.
* If someone tells you they would be interested in a rl-relationship then ask for a video-chat (and even those can be
faked nowadays with face-morphing programs)! They will refuse it or using a dark room during that if they aren't for real. And just for the case check all of their photos/pictures with Google-Image-Search for their true sources. Heck one of my friends even found out that one of their poems belonged to someone else thanks to Google!
* The angle of the faces on their photos can tell you something too: If they bend it downwards it could be a trial to hide their Adam's apple (I've even read that it's possible to hide it too if they swallow at the right moment while taking a photo) and if they do the opposite
(bending upwards their head for a top view photo) then it's mostly a trial to hide their double chin. Personally I even know how to easily remove an Adam's apple from photos with graphic programs. It doesn't need much computer skills at all.
* They won't give you their real postal addresses away so check it better if they are fake. Even their email addresses won't reveal any rl-informations like their true name, etc.
* They will totally flatter you! Every fucking shit you do they will admire. It's
important in general to ask yourself if people make compliments to you "What does this person wants from me?" In loving relationships compliments aren't unusual but you need to have enough self esteem for knowing which one of them are able to be true and which not.
* Always trust their actions more than their words.
* Money will always be a topic. Sure they will pretend like they don't need it and that they aren't interested in yours but believe me: They will find a reason why they need money. For visiting you for example,
etc.
* Strangely those which I've met were all into pagan stuff (witches, druids, etc). So maybe accept this as one potential, red flag too? I don't want to say that pagans are potential catfishes but it's very possible that catfishes do like to pretend to be into pagan stuff so those people would feel more special to you? Even almost... unique and magical?
* They do pick out lonely people especially poor ones or with health issues who got problems to choose for someone in rl
instead.
* They use excuses all the time.
* They break their promises.
* Always trust your guts. I've made always the mistake to blame my trust issues for those bad feelings but I've learned on the hard way that they are always right and even read that people with bad experiences are better in feeling out suspicious situations. So don't hold back, just trust them. Maybe don't turn it then into dramatic fights which you would regret in the end but don't block those bad
feelings!
* High seducing skills. I mean just ask to yourself: Which kind of person needs such skills? For sure no one who is interested in casual love (or marriages)! Except maybe for those insecure ones who believe without them they can't keep a partner on their side but the other kind of people are those which got sex as their main goal in life! Especially because sex is able to manipulate very well for getting some bucks, etc.
* Their love is "perfect": Only you, you were the best they ever had, never felt so much,
etc.
* Check for the balance in your relationship: Who's giving more into this relationship? Let me guess: You!
* Big warning: If you love someone very deeply you are able to get manipulated easily. Every lie of them feels then like the truth! So use your head too!!
* They will always try to abuse your pity-feelings.
* If they ignore topics simply which are bothering you then it's another perfect sign that they are hiding something
before you and don't feel the slightest bit of respect for you too.
* One earlier therapist of mine gave me that advice which I've recognized in catfish attitudes too: Liars will always try to hide before you for a while for having time to make up better stories. One catfish even used fights for having an excuse, why not to see me again for a whole week.
Those are all signs which I was able to collect so far. If I should find out more then I will update those and send them to
you all again
MTV's show "Catfish" is useful too but stick to the older episodes, the newer ones seem to be more acted and less real if you ask me and some other, earlier fans.
And my best advice for you all: Have some real friends! They will warn you, they will help you to get over of those jerks and catfishes will try to avoid meeting your friends which is another helpful, red flag!
The FBI itself is taking such cases seriously too if money-scam for example was involved so don't hesitate to fill out
an online report if you should have become such a victim!
