Talk:Catfishing

Bots

Bots can be used to "catfish" humans. It is not just a problem related to humans on the Internet. As per the definition found within this article.

Identity

The definition in this article revolves around the false assumption that users of online social media should not be anonymous by default. And Internet history has taught us that in fact, users are much safer interacting online when they are afforded the security provided by anonymous interaction. Online video game communities and "gamer tags" are evidence of this.

On the Internet, differentiating between a perceived "fake identity" (a term even more deceptive and arbitrary than "fake news") and a username created for the purposes of user account anonymity are commonly very similar whilst also difficult to distinguish without such systems as Twitter's "verified user" tag. Especially from the limited information obtained as a result of tiny amounts of interaction with such a user account.

Caveat

This article needs to include some kind of caveat which explains that a person simply having a differing opinion to someone else on the Internet and that person repeatedly demonstrating that fact within their interactions with them, does not mean that an act of "catfishing" has occurred. "Catfishing" is a deliberate targetted attempt to cause others grievance via an act or series of acts of deception.

For instance; the fifty dollar bill on a fishing pole trick (seen in episodes of Jackass) is a type of "catfishing." The deception is caused by the instigator creating a situation where a victim perceives that there is money simply "blowing in the wind" and that it could be theirs if only they chase after to capture it. The instigator then pulls on the line attached to the money, just as the victim is within reach of their "prize." The trick continues until the victim looses interest and gives up, the instigator pulls the money out of view or the money detaches from the hook accidentally.

It's important to understand too, that in the above example, whilst being an obvious example of perceived trolling, the definition of trolling revolves around the fact that only the instigator laughed. It's easy to argue that people (more than just the instigator) laughed whilst watching the trick performed on the Jackass TV show. Confusing online abuse with trolling is both a trap and a mistake far too many people fall into. Please avoid doing so, especially within this article. Maintaining a clear distinction is extremely important.

Legality

There should be more information about how laws deter and punish acts of catfishing around the world. Along with links to the applicable legislation and examples of court cases, if any. Failing that, mentioning whether catfishing is at all illegal, classified as a form of fraud (and therefore covered by fraud legislation) or such should also be considered.

Refs in lead section

The lead currently has 9 references, 6 of which are not used in the article body. This is far too many - see WP:LEADCREATE and MOS:LEAD. Could someone review the article, if necessary add information to the body which is currently only in the lead, and so ensure the lead reflects sourced information which is included in the body? Masato.harada (talk) 11:53, 2 May 2026 (UTC)

Corporate Catfishing

There needs to be a section on corporate catfishing.

https://www.reconsequence.com/the-king-of-corporate-catfish/ ~2026-31683-09 (talk) 16:44, 27 May 2026 (UTC)

I removed the whole section, reconsequence.com is not a reliable source and this is a WP:COATRACK to critique Dmitry Volkov (entrepreneur) - which can be done properly, using reliable sources, in that article. "Corporate catfishing" is a WP:NEOLOGISM not widely used. Fences&Windows 21:26, 31 July 2026 (UTC)