Catfish
what it means
Named after a 2010 documentary. The term now covers everything from mild photo enhancement to elaborate long-term deception and fraud.
Someone using a fake online identity, usually with stolen photos, to deceive people romantically.
the origin story
From the 2010 documentary Catfish and the MTV series that followed it.
The MTV series ran for many seasons and made the term universal. It's since expanded to cover romance fraud, which is a serious and widespread crime, so the casual and criminal senses now sit uncomfortably close together.
in the wild
He won't video call and the photos are all from 2016.
Might be a catfish.
The photos were ten years old.
Soft catfish, but still.
how to use it
- Describing fake online identities
- Dating safety conversations
- Discussing romance fraud
- About people using flattering photos
- As an accusation without evidence
- Casually where actual fraud is involved — that's a crime, not a catfish
related terms
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