Catfishing vs. romance scams: How to spot fake profiles and stay protected

Online scams are getting smarter. Catfishers and romance scammers have turned social media and dating apps into their playground, leaving a trail of heartbreak, stolen money, and shattered trust. 

Knowing the difference between catfishing and romance scams isn’t just trivia—you need it to protect yourself.

The impact can be devastating; consequences often include profound emotional distress, significant financial loss, and, in extreme cases, destroyed reputations.

Let’s break down what you’re really up against—and how the right protection measures can help you stay one step ahead.

Catfishing: More than just a TV show buzzword

Internet catfishing blew up in pop culture thanks to the 2010 documentary and MTV® show, Catfish. But it’s far more serious than awkward meetups and meme-worthy reveals.

In plain English: Catfishing is when someone builds a fake persona online—think: stolen photos, imaginary life stories, and in some cases, even deepfaked videos—to lure you into an emotional relationship or manipulate you for personal reasons.

Where do internet catfish lurk?

• Social media: Fake Instagram models with too-good-to-be-true lives? Probably fake. It’s reported that 95 million Instagram accounts are bots, and 15% of influencers’ followers are not real.
• Dating apps: TinderⓇ, BumbleⓇ, HingeⓇ—you name it. Romance is big business, and so are lies. 
• Gaming and forums: Even anonymous gamers aren’t immune to catfish scams. Cons can strike anywhere that users hide behind avatars or digital screens.

Why do people catfish online?

• Validation: Chasing admiration, likes, or attention they don’t get in real life
• Insecurity: Hiding behind a fake persona because they fear rejection or feel “not good enough” for genuine connections
• Identity exploration: Sometimes folks catfish to live out an alternate life or test-drive a completely different persona
• Power or control: Catfishing lets people play puppetmaster, pulling strings and seeing just how far their story can go

The new era: Career catfishing

Catfishing isn’t just for dating sites and social networks—it’s infiltrated the workplace, too. Welcome to the age of “career catfishing”—where candidates and companies both play the game of online deception.

A 2025 WorkLife investigative report found that:¹

• Almost 80% of workers feel deceived by misleading job ads at some point in their career.
• 4 out of 5 hiring managers now admit to “catfishing” applicants in the hiring process—for example, embellishing how “collaborative” the culture is, spinning up non-existent perks, or glossing over toxic realities.
• Job-seekers aren’t exactly innocent, with 13% of candidates confessing to career catfishing—from inflating skills on their résumé to “borrowing” portfolio work for interviews.
• 1 in 3 recruiters says they’ve uncovered major lies about job experience.

This career catfishing arms race may seem victimless at first glance, but the consequences run deep: lost income, burned-out new hires, and eroded trust throughout the hiring process. “It’s a feedback loop of skepticism—where no one’s sure which version of the truth to believe,” says Professor Gloria Howard of the MIT Work Futures Lab.²

Romance scams: When the love story goes bankrupt

Romance scams go a step further—they’re built from the ground up to rob you, either financially or emotionally.

According to an FTC report (released February 2024), romance scams cost Americans a total of $1.14 billion in 2023, with a median average loss of $2,000.⁴

A Malwarebytes survey published in September 2024 further demonstrated just how common—and how costly—romance scams are, with more than 66% of respondents saying they’d been targeted by such a scheme. Of those who fell victim, 10% lost $10,000 or more, while a shocking 3% parted with $100,000 or more.⁵

How do romance scams work?

It starts off with a quick “chemistry”—fast confessions of love, daily check-ins, then... a crisis. Maybe they need money to fly over and meet you. Or hospital bills pile up. Or their bank account is “suddenly” frozen.

“Scammers are professionals at manipulating their victims, and operate without conscience or compassion,” Special Agent in Charge Mehtab Syed, Salt Lake City FBI.³

Who falls victim to romance scams?

No one’s immune, as romance scams are reported across all age groups. FTC data shows the following trends:⁶

• Ages 20-29 saw the sharpest increase of romance scams during COVID, doubling the number of reported incidents in 2019, as social restrictions drove people to interact online.
• Ages 40 to 69 were the most likely to report losing money to romance scams.
• People 70 and older reported the highest individual median losses.

The romance scam playbook

• Fast flattery: “I’ve never felt like this before.”
• Isolation: They discourage you from talking to friends or family.
• Asking for money: Sometimes, within days of meeting.
• Escalation: Each payment leads to a new catastrophe.

How are catfishing and romance scams different?

And now... the deepfake twist

AI-generated voices and videos of someone “FaceTiming” you with lips synced perfectly—but it’s not real. These are the weapons of the modern catfisher.

By 2025, an estimated 90% of the content available on the internet will be produced with the help of artificial intelligence.⁶ Deepfakes are making catfishing almost foolproof for the untrained eye.

How do you spot a deepfake? Researchers at MIT recommend watching for:²

• Odd blinking/eye movement
• Strange mouth sync/distorted shadows
• Weird, stilted cadence or inconsistent accents in voice messages

Is catfishing illegal?

Here’s where it gets complicated. In the U.S., there’s no law against “catfishing,” per se. 

However, if you use someone else’s photo to deceive, defraud, or scam someone out of money, you may be violating the Identity Theft and Assumption Deterrence Act—a federal offense as of 1998.⁸

• Identity theft: Max 15 years in prison, plus fines.
• Financial fraud: Fines and jail time, depending on severity.

How to protect yourself from catfishers and romance scammers

Ready to swipe smarter? Here’s your playbook:

1. Audit their digital footprint: GoogleⓇ their name. Reverse-image-search their profile photos (tools like TinEye and Google Images work wonders).
2. Verify cross-platform consistency: Do their Instagram, Twitter, and dating profiles line up? Gaps = danger.
3. Watch for behavioral red flags: If they’re hesitant to join video calls, evasive about their jobs/hometown, or have “too good to be true” stories, beware.
4. Guard your info: Don’t share last names, workplace, or send money to anyone you haven’t met in real life.
5. Report suspicious profiles: If it walks and quacks like a catfish, don’t wait—flag them. Most major platforms now have dedicated fraud teams.

And here’s why experts recommend going further: Identity protection tools let you catch breaches before they spiral. Scam insurance from OmniWatch doesn’t just clean up the mess—it gives you peace of mind.

The bottom line: Safe online dating is totally possible

Nobody should have to second-guess every DM, match, or friend request. The catfishing/romance scam epidemic is real—but it’s also preventable. Stay sharp, educate yourself, and invest in identity protection that actually works.

Frequently Asked Questions