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Related: Culture Forums, Support ForumsHave you been Catfished?
The term Catfish comes from the movie about a young guy who falls for a woman on Facebook, only to discover she is a forty-something married woman with children. Essentially it means being deceived by a fake profile accompanied by a fake photo.
Anyone here experience that?
In_The_Wind
(72,300 posts)BainsBane
(53,032 posts)Out with it!
In_The_Wind
(72,300 posts)Lots of Match.com guys had profiles on several sites. Those were the ones who usually turned out to be (on-line) players. Only two guys ... the one from POF and a Match.com guy ( who was also on UpState Match.com) has current photos. Most of the guys were using 10 to 20 year old pics. The heart breakers were the long-term-getting-to-know-you-guys who just couldn't make it to that 1st date after months of e-mailing.
BainsBane
(53,032 posts)but that's not the same as catfishing. Catfishing is pretending to be someone else. They post a completely fake photo of another person and generally lie about what they do for a living, hobbies, lots of stuff.
In_The_Wind
(72,300 posts)BainsBane
(53,032 posts)You might checkout the Catfish show on MTV. Generally these people don't want to meet. What happens is they post a fake photo and end up getting quite close with people online and over the phone, sometimes talking several times a day. Then resist meeting because they aren't who they pretended to be. Nev Schulman contacts the person reluctant to meet, and then you see if they are a catfish or if something else is going on.
In_The_Wind
(72,300 posts)I stopped on-line-dating 4 years ago.
Sekhmets Daughter
(7,515 posts)It takes a suspension of one's 'credibility monitor' to buy into most online profiles...or at least those on dating sites.
BainsBane
(53,032 posts)Some of the people keep communicating for ten years! It's amazing how much people want to believe in a fantasy.
Sekhmets Daughter
(7,515 posts)and there are many people who, for whatever reason, prefer fantasy to their reality.
Moondog
(4,833 posts)and have never done online dating sites.
And I am not a younger guy. On the dark side of 60 here, but only by a couple.
There is a larger question though, and it is - has one ever been BS'd, either by omission or by outright lie, about a material fact by someone that was "of interest"?
The answer is sure, who hasn't? And who doesn't get put off by it when it happens to them?
Meh. People lie. Constantly. It's part of life. Believe what you are told at your peril.
Tuesday Afternoon
(56,912 posts)Manti Teo comes to mind ...