The internet is an amazing place. You can easily find flings, dates and hookups online. However, you have to be careful as you can easily get catfished. Thankfully, with our tools at your disposal, you’ll be able to prevent such a thing from happening to you.
Use Legitimate Websites
Whether you want a casual fling or not, there are many sites for you to use. You have to be careful about the site you choose. They could be fake, having a multitude of bots and fake accounts.
This is especially true for sites focusing on niche interests, so if you’re looking for a steamy affair, major names like swipe-affair.com would be your best bet.
If you know a friend or family member who’s been lucky on such a site, ask them about it. Getting information from a person in real life is more reliable than asking online users, who could be bots or fake accounts as well.
Google Them
Let’s say you found a great site. That’s awesome, but you still need to be careful. You need to Google the person you’re talking to. Remember that the internet is a treasure trove of information, so don’t be shy to fact check.
Not only will this help you know if the person is who they say they are, but it’ll let you know if certain aspects about them are true or not. For example, someone may be a contractor instead of a navy officer, which may bum you out as you only reached out to him because you have a thing for military men.
Hammer Some Answers Out Of Them
If the individual is catfishing you but has covered their tracks, you may think they’re the real deal. This may not be the case as people who catfish expect you to run a background check on them.
So, ask them about important things about their life, making note of minute details. Over time, bring these questions up again. If you notice them slipping up on details, several red flags will be raised.
Speak To Family And Friends
You might be entranced by the other person. So, you might be too enamoured to notice any red flags. To be on the safe side though, tell your loved ones about the person you’ve been talking to.
Tell them about everything the individual has said, and show them your conversations if you feel comfortable. They’ll be able to make note of anything alarming.
Of course, you should be prepared. They’ll tell you things you might not want to hear, so your relationships with them might get bumpy.
Pictures, Pictures, Pictures!
Get as many pictures of them as you can. This is one of the best things you could as if they’re catfishing you, they’ll have only a limited supply.
Of course, don’t be too pushy as if they’re the real deal, they’ll easily get creeped out.
As the two of you get closer, don’t hesitate to video call them. This is as good as meeting in real life.
You could have a voice chat too, but this won’t be as effective. You could figure out their real age, gender and location through this, but some people are good at masking their voice.
Meet Them in Real Life
What is the best way to prevent getting catfished? Well, meeting the person you’ve been speaking to in person, of course.
What’s more, this can easily be arranged if the two of you are committed. If they keep making excuses, they’re definitely hiding something.
Nevertheless, there are many things to keep in mind if you want to avoid getting catfished. Luckily for you, we ran through the most important things you should know.
