Weeding Out Catfish

i mean alot of people like to skype and video call just to make sure the person they are talking to isnt a catfish. but for me i dont like video calls and i can assure you im not a catfish i just dont like being on camera. i have no prob meeting up in person though i have nothing to hide and if i reeeally had to i would do the call

A fascinating and intriguing thread... If I may offer my thoughts... 1. They look a little too nice in their pictures Some humans do look amazing. Like unfairly high stats were given to them... Guys and gals. I am not one to judge :P 2. They don't have very many pictures of themselves (a few or less) What if they: A) only joined recently B) only obtained a camera or a way to upload pictures to internet recently (I personally could only do this as of last year) C) are simply shy about having the whole world see their pics... Like they can privately message a friend they trust but you can't find all sorts of self-pics by stalking the profile... D) have been stalked in the past and thus are very wary of posting pics online and attracting that person's attention (or any would be stalkers) 3. They either don't have Skype or refuse to Some people actually don't even have Facebook or Instagram or Tumblr... Whether by preference or lack of knowledge / confidence in a service... Aaaand... some people don't have cameras in their computer! I have lived almost a quarter century without one, only obtaining one on laptop, but... currently said laptop has no internet. Because no WiFi (long story short, no bill paid, no Interwebz) 4. They start to contradict themselves about their personal details No reason for this... Except bad memory maybe? Anyway tell the truth! 5. Refuse to talk on the phone Again, depending on the person and their living situation, this could be honestly feasible... A) Because they didn't pay the bill, they don't have phone access. B) They can't call because they live in another state or country. And long distance bills are killer. C) They don't have the time to. Not time to spare, but rather time to themselves, ergo privacy. Either they are at school, at work, on public transportation, or at home, with noisy parents... I have seen situations where two middle school friends were chatting on house phones (before either had a cell phone) and parents would pick up the phone somewhere in the house and eavesdrop the whole conversation! And then there are those who, even when you have a cell phone. Stop what they are doing and quietly press their ear to a wall to hear you... 6. Has a foreign phone number (if they say they live in the same country as you) Foreign phone number... Maybe... They recently moved from somewhere else? And did not bother changing cell phone number? I am no expert, but I think that sounds expensive... but who am I to judge? 7. Doesn't want to meet-up IRL Well I would love to meet any friends I make over the internet! Now, if they say they are unable to (distance, schedule with school/work), cost of transportation, please believe them! It's tough enough watching a couple date for 3 years in high school and then break up because one person goes to college in Rhode Island and the other in Hawaii... Distance is probably the number one breaker upper! Like if Jill wants to meet Bill, but Bill knows he is going to move in 3 months, he may decline, simply to avoid dragging her deeper and then breaking her heart. And then there are those who are teases, pretend they like you or flirt with you... and then when you want to meet them (provided you are not creepy or have bad intentions) they clam up and flee faster than an antelope who makes eye contact with a lion. I am not sure if this is cat fishing or not but boy is it common... I went on a rant! Hope I haven't taken too much of your HP to read this... Have a good day and happy commenting!

I took so long to write that I didn't even see Panda-kun and his comment. But he raises anot her good point. Some people straight up don't LIKE video chatting. And this reminds me, some people should not video chat. I know one guy who openly admits he is on the can half the time he goes on the phone... Dunno about you but I'd rather not see someone pooping or something as they speak... And some people are legit shy about video. They can type up a storm, maybe evem chat on phone, but add visual? Public speaking is a very real fear, and even one on one... strike that... ESPECIALLY one on one, like with a crush, can put butterflies in the stomach. Some more things to consider. Alright, this time I am really out. Smell ya!

I think a lot of what's outlined is good advice. Unfortunately a lot of people have way too much time on their hands to pretend to be someone else just to get a rise out of fooling someone. I can't really say it's happened to me very much, but I don't exactly go out of my way to message a lot of people on here and online in general.

Well, how I find out if the person I'm chatting with is a catfish is by pretty much take the bait, and do some "research" after getting to "know them". If you suspect they are using a voice changer, listen to the surrounding. If their voice is "girly" or "manly", anyone else in their house, etc, who speaks will have that same voice if they are close to their computer. Pay attention to that. With video chat, if I remember, I think there are software that people can use "fake people". What I mean is that when they go on cam, they are not on cam but rather a "person" that has been programmed. If you wave your hand to greet, they can make their "person" do the same. Tell them to do something like put their pinky on their ear and watch them get all defensive. xD If you want to know if their location is true, you can convince them to use/create a Skype or any other VoIP (Voice over IP) softwares like Discord. If they don't want to voice call, then tell them that they can just mute and send text while you're on voice. Once you're doing that, run some type of traffic analyzing/sniffing software like Wireshark (Learn how to use it) and obtain their IP. There are Skype resolvers but most are shit. Most catfish will fuck up eventually and get defensive which is some funny shit. Most try way too damn hard. Don't be desperate and you'll be fine. Desperate people are an easy target.