AS was stated in a previous article, cat-fishing is the term used to describe the means by which persons pretend to be someone else online. The term made popular by MTV’s series Catfish, always has a negative connotation, and usually leaves a trail of hurt whenever the term is use.

Cat-fishing is used mainly to gain the trust of complete strangers so that they may be exploited, whether it is to exploit love, money or favours.

The uses of cat-fishing include:

Phishing: This is an Internet term used to describe the act of getting information, such as user names, passwords, credit card information and the like from a stranger. In the world of cat-fishing however, phishing takes on the form of the emails, Skype contacts and Facebook friends, who say they are from a far away land, are royalty or come from a very wealthy family and have fallen on hard times. Never give out any personal information online, even if you know the person requesting it. Someone in the World Wide Web may be waiting to swoop in and collect your information.

Low self-steem: When it comes to romance, the act of cat-fishing is usually based on low self-esteem, whether the cat-fisher is doing it out of loneliness, boredom or curiosity. Social networks give you a platform to create whoever it is you always wanted to be, from gender, to social status, to economic status, and make it as easy as it is to create an avatar in a game. Because of this, persons with low self-esteem, feeling that they are too fat, too thin, too dark, too pale, too poor, or just plain not good enough to be loved, can seek out partners who will be interested in who they think they should be.

Revenge: Cat-fishing for revenge, whether over love or money is always used to cause emotional damage to it’s victim. Persons may create fake profiles to capture and get back at an ex, or swindle someone out of an item, or a friend/boyfriend that they may want for themselves. Revenge cat-fishers may also create fake profiles to lead on and hurt someone who they are jealous of because of their economic circumstances, their good grades or their appeal to the opposite sex.

Now that you know the uses of cat-fishing, be on the look out for these predators online.

— Kristen Laing