8 Matching Annotations
  1. May 2019
    1. There’s not necessarily a catch to catfishing. A catfish is often just someone pretending to be someone they’re not using the anonymity of the Internet. He or she might may have low self-esteem and build a fictitious online persona to interact with people. Or a catfish might simply find their deception amusing. More malicious motives can exist as well. Some catfish seek money, and build a fake relationship with their victims to get it

      One thing some people seem to be confused about catfishing is that it isn't always related to money. Catfishers may not always want money for their victims. Instead, they might be interested in playing emotional games with them, in case they have personal self-insecurity issues.

    2. The growing popularity of online dating has made catfishing more and more common. Estimates for catfishing victims are in the thousands, and that number is probably under representative. Catfishing victims can be deeply embarrassed and many don’t talk share or talk about it.

      I think that catfishing is only existent because of creation of the internet. This is because catfishing is always online these days. It would be hard to see it in other medias, since in order for it to be effective, there needs to be communication, interchanging of images, and even audio communication (though phone or other methods). The point of it is that the scammer needs to communicate with their victim, and what better way than through the internet using applications and specific software.

    1. They Want to Get Serious Too Soon

      For someone online to want to be serious in a relationship with you fast, already seems like a give away of their devious intentions. And this is probably because they want to be able to ask you for money soon too. The faster they get you in the mood of being in a relationship, the faster they can start asking because you (the victim) will feel to have a commitment of some sort.

    2. Not everyone has a degree in English Lit, however many scammers will consistently use incorrect grammar and spelling because they’re from a foreign country and are portraying themselves as locals

      I see this being even more the case with many of the catfishers who are from overseas.

    3. They Will Be Otherworldly Attractive

      It makes total sense why catfishers would use images of overly-attractive people. The primary intention must be to fully seduce their victim and keep them interested. Also, to make it harder for the victim to say "no," to their demands.

    1. When he first asked for money to help finish a construction job, she said, “I prayed about it. I’ve always been a very giving person, and I figured if I had money … I could send him some.” That’s how she came to lose the first $30,000.

      Her example is a good one of how these scammers take advantage of good people with good intentions. Perhaps, they make such people their primary target, since they know that get what they want.

    2. Reported losses exceeded $230 million

      $230 million is a large amount money, for an online scam. And to think that this is coming from only about 15% of the people who reported.

    3. In the U.S., romance scams account for the highest financial losses of all internet-facilitated crimes

      This is truly a sad phenomenon happen nowadays. So may people are deceived, when looking for love online. And the amount of money they can loose is a big concern, as a result of these people who call themselves "catfishers".