WITH a wider presence of online dating, an increasing number of women are falling victim to catfish and scammers all across the globe.
Most recently, Fabulous told how Love Islander Georgia Steel and Thierry Henry’s ex-wife, model Claire Henry, were swindled out of thousands by a catfisher who posed as Prem League star.
For Georgia, her six-week romance ended in the devastating revelation that US government agent Miguel Johnson was actually Medi Abalimba, an ex-footballer who’d turned to crime when his sporting career ended.
By the time Georgia met him, had already served a four-year prison sentence for fraud – and it wasn't long before she was told the awful reality – she'd been duped into dating a swindler who, unbeknown to her, had spent around £32,000 on her credit cards.
But Georgia isn't alone – she's one of many who are catfished on a daily basis.
Speaking exclusively to Fabulous, relationship expert Hope Flynn, founder of feedmefemale and head of content at IPlaysafe, has revealed the seven signs that suggest you could be dating a catfish…
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1 . They have little online presence
The relationship expert explains that in this day and age almost everyone has an online presence across multiple platforms sharing photos and details about their personal lives.
"Some people are more private online but it is very rare that you can’t find a single trace of someone with a Google search," Hope says.
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"Another giveaway with someone’s lack of online presence is the fact they only seek active on one social media platform as this is the profile they use to communicate with their target."
2. Conversations get personal very quickly
Hope notes that a typical catfish will become "full on" with their "feelings and emotions" and will start to love bomb you after only a very short time of speaking.
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"They start displaying over the top behaviours and give you a lot of attention that makes you feel good but be aware as this is a catfishes way of luring in their victim," she warns.
3. They avoid showing you their face
The relationship guru notes that if you've been talking to someone online for a while and they always refuse or find excuses not to video call, this could definitely be a sign you are being catfished.
"If excuses like 'my camera is broken' or 'I’m too shy' constantly pop up, this may get you questioning how authentic this person is," she says.
"A catfisher will always avoid meeting in person or they may agree to meet up but then cancel last minute or just avoid the topic every time you mention meeting up."
She goes on to say that other ways you can check is through asking for a candid photo.
"Does this person send you photos in the moment or do they avoid sending you selfies?" she asks.
4. Their story doesn’t quite add up
Hope points out that the person may slip up and overtime parts of their story may not add up.
"Look out for red flags when asking questions about their work, upbringing or education," she says.
"Catfishers will tend to avoid answering very specific questions if you ask them and their stories overtime appear to be inconsistent."
5. They ask very personal information about you but keep their own lives very vague
The relationship expert says that not to state the obvious but if someone asks for your national insurance number there is a high chance they are trying to catfish/ fraud you out of something.
However, she points out: "Most catfishers tend to ask questions that encourage you to be vulnerable and open up to them to create that false sense intimacy.
"They want to hear details about your up bringing and your struggles so that they can use this to then manipulate situations to their advantage as they begin to understand your ‘weak’ spots and use this to gain your trust."
6. They ask you for money
Hope explains that another major red flag is when they ask for money – especially from someone you have never met.
"It doesn't matter if it’s money or a gift ranging from £1 or £1000 do not do it," she notes.
"This is the biggest telltale signs that someone is a catfish."
7. Something doesn’t feel right
The relationship whizz concludes by warning that we should always be suspicious in life – especially when it comes to talking to someone online.
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"Often in life when something doesn’t feel quite right it’s usually because it’s not," she points out.
"Your gut will always send signals to you when something feels amiss so please remember to trust your gut and don’t ignore the red flags."
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