When we’re talking about outsmarting a catfish, we’re not talking about fishing, no. We’re talking about online Catfishing.

We’ve all been catfished at some point in our lives before, haven’t we? Their game goes by so smoothly until you catch them red handed!

If you want to outsmart a catfish, you must learn how they act or what type of methods they use so you are one step ahead.

Thus, avoid sharing too much information about yourself on social media or on dating apps.

First, let’s check the difference between spotting and outsmarting a catfish:

The difference between spotting and outsmarting a catfish!

To spot a catfish means taking action to spot their malicious behavior.

It means that you have to spot signs that will define whether you’re being catfished or not.

On the other hand, outsmarting a catfish means that you need to confront them and end things with them.

In other words, by outsmarting a catfish you one-up them in their own game!

Here’s how you do exactly that!!

1. Investigate more about them, and do a background check.

Have you been thinking about how to outsmart a catfish if you encounter one?

Well, the first thing that you should do is to gather more information about them.

You can do this by using background checking sites such as National Sex Offender Registry,  ProfileChecker, Social Catfish, etc.

First, start by going to Dating Profile Search then you need to follow these steps:

• Write their name and surname;
• Enter their age;
• Select their gender;
• And write their address;
• Finally, tap/click search!

You can also do a background check just by entering their phone number.

You can also do a background check just by using their phone number and clicking Search on SocialCatfish.

Then you can get results whether they have other social media accounts or are on dating apps.

2. To outsmart a romance scammer, detect the red flags.

It’s important to not be judgmental about anyone but a catfisher will either be quite direct or use sweet words way too soon (it’s also called Love Bombing).

They might be in a relationship with someone else and try to catfish you. 

You might notice from the way that they communicate with you and how much effort they put in.

Thus, I recommend you check the language and the grammar that they use.

• Start to use sweet words with them too and use strong words to express your feelings.
• You might also trigger them if you speak about future plans and use words like “I wish”, “What if”, and “I will”.

Then check how they will react.

If they use broken language and ask you immediately to hook up and ask personal questions, you should confront them.

3. Ask them to send you a photo of a place that is in their area.

In general, catfishers use the same strategy. Their profile might be either out of this world or it might look pretty mid.

Thus, if you want to outsmart a romantic scammer, you should constantly ask them to send you photos.

They might ask you for photos so make sure to not send them nudes or other intimate photos.

• If they say that they are from a certain place ask them to send you a photo from that place.
• Then you can check if that is an original photo or if they took it from the internet.
• Go to Google.com;
• Then at the search bar, you can click on the right side, where the Lens Icon is located.
• Then you can upload the Image and click search.

Then you can get results whether the picture is original or if it was downloaded from Google Images.

4. Request them to Facetime more and ask questions.

To outsmart a romantic scammer, you should ask them to communicate more with you.

There are a lot of good guys in dating apps but the ones that try to scam you, try to avoid confrontation and emotional connection.

In this case, I would advise you to request them to Facetime more and ask a catfish more questions.

• Let’s say that you tell them that you really enjoy talking to them on other apps but you want to take it.
• Shift your conversation to video calling and audio messages.

If they are catfish then they will constantly find an alternative and avoid facetiming you.

In this case, you should state to them that you don’t like this fact and how can you change it.

5. To outsmart a catfish use the same psychology with them.

The one thing that a catfish does while dating, is lovebomb you at the beginning.

They will be asking you for your phone number or meeting immediately.

• You might do the same with them and check how they react.
• Tell them that you might want to do the same thing but set your boundaries.
• Ask them for their phone number and you can give them your back burner phone number.
• If you want to outsmart a catfish in this case, you can ask them to meet in an open place.
• Make sure that your family or friends are near and make sure to supervise them from a place where they can’t see you.

6. Outsmart a catfish by shifting your conversation to other apps.

To catch and outsmart a catfish you just don’t need their phone number or to video call them.

You should test them by asking them to switch the conversation to other apps such as Snapchat or Instagram.

If they refuse to give you their Snapchat, you will notice that they’re hiding something.

Since Snapchat is used to send photos, they might not want to reveal their face since the photos need to be spontaneous.

• Try to ask them if you can add them on Snapchat, so you can feel more connected and talk more.
• Avoid sending pictures of your face or body in the beginning.
• Start simple. Try to send them different photos of your meal or your city.
• Then try to reveal some parts of your face. Take mysterious photos and ask him to do the same.

I know that this is a lot of work, but if they don’t do it then you might just block them on all social media and detach them.

7. Be very strict about the information you share with them.

To outsmart a catfish, you should play safe.

You can tell them about your childhood or about your family only general information that won’t harm you in the future.

• To know more about them, you should ask the catfish questions like: When you were little what was your favorite activity?

It might sound like a simple question that won’t give you a lot of results but it depends on how you elaborate it.

If they said that they would like to play in the snow, you can ask if they tried skiing and where did they go or where did they play in the snow.

Then you can find out if what they tell you about where they lived and their childhood activities match.

What do you say to a catfisher?

Catching a catfish can be done easily but is it the same when you want to outsmart them?

To do it professionally and avoid getting in trouble, you should gather evidence first that they’re catfishing you and then confront them.

When I say that you should confront them, it doesn’t mean that you should necessarily talk to them.

Just block them and move on with your life.

– But what if you have shared personal information and photos with them?

If you share personal information and photos with a catfish then you can be polite with them and require them to delete them.

If they refuse to do it then you can take legal action but you should take advice from a legal agency or a lawyer.

Most people who catfish are interested in getting information so they can blackmail you.

So, it is important to check what can be done legally to save that information from sharing with others.

– If you have started a relationship but found out they’re catfishing you, you should be direct and precise with your speech.

Don’t try to beat around the bush. If you have found their reversed image or that they’re using someone else’s phone number then you can say something like:

• “Hey, I’ve wanted to add you to WhatsApp but when I click Save Number another name pops up.”

If they try to play the victim and blame you for it, you might ask for further explanation and if you don’t get it, you can just block them.

This is something that happens mostly during long-distance relationships and if you meet through dating apps.

The finish line!

To outsmart catfish you need to play the same game. First, you must be cautious and not share too much information with an unknown person.

Be the one that asks questions and wants to know them better.

Even if you let them know details about your childhood let them be simple (not too revealing).

Try to use third-party apps to gather more information about them so you can confront them in the following days.

Remember, do not speculate that everyone on social media or dating apps is catfishing you.

Check the signs and then follow the tips.