Many have always thought catfishing was just one of those online horror stories we hear about from shows like Catfish or in random Reddit threads. And honestly, it’s time we stop brushing it off as “just virtual lying.” Catfishing should be recognized as a crime and not just a social faux pas. It is a no-brainer that the motive behind the act as well as its effects can be deeply damaging to any victim.
So What Is Catfishing?
The concept emerged from the 2010 documentary film ‘Catfish’ directed by Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman. It popularized the idea of someone inventing an online identity to deceive others, usually in romantic relationships.
Catfishing, according to Wikipedia, is the making of a fabricated online persona or phony identity with the goal to deceive, typically on social networking platforms. The goal is often to dupe a victim into an online love relationship for varied reasons which may include committing financial fraud.
Is Catfishing A Crime?
Deception is an essential element that is used for a variety of crimes. Catfishing is done for personal gain whether financial or just emotional fulfillment. To carry out the same the need to deceive with all intent is used to avoid legal or societal repercussions. So why do we just treat catfishing like it’s simply “a bad online behavior”? The perpetrators’ use of fictitious images and personal information to create a more appealing persona to gain trust implies a critical trait of an individual with the propensity to commit a crime. Here is why! Check these out!
#1 It’s Fraudulent
Let’s talk about the perpetrator’s fraudulent motive. When someone deliberately sets up a fake profile or a false identity it only means that the intention is to trick another person and it isn’t innocent. Creating a fake persona to mislead someone implies intentional deception.
#2 It’s Malicious
At its core, catfishing relies on deception for personal gain. It is possible that the motive is to scam money, or maybe manipulate emotions, and other times it’s revenge or control. The law is clear as it states that knowingly misleading someone to get money, favors, or control, then evidently there is fraud.
#3 It Violates You
There is definitely a violation of trust which incidentally is the foundation of any human interaction and relation. The perpetrator deliberately breaks the foundation by committing fraud by being an online thief. The emotional fallout this can create on the victims can be brutal.
The Traumatic Effect Of Catfishing…“I was manipulated!”
Victims have lost years of their lives in fake relationships, invested real money, or even made huge life decisions to be intimate with a persona that did not really exist. Some have even uprooted their career plans because they thought they were moving closer to “the one.” Turns out, “the one” was a 40ish stranger using a stolen profile photo. It does not just result in embarrassment but results in absolute trauma on the victim.
Data has it that romance scams alone cost people in many countries over a billion dollars every year. Victims often feel embarrassed, stigmatized, isolated, or like they can’t trust anyone anymore. The devastating ripple effect leads to paranoia in new relationships, therapy costs, and productivity loss because of the emotional fallout.
My Take
Everyone these days knows that digital spaces are just as real as physical ones. If identity theft, fraud, and stalking are crimes offline, why should the same behaviors online get a softer label as ‘an awkward online lie’ which minimizes the damage giving perpetrators a free pass.
Yes, it’s tricky as some might say that not all catfishing is criminal by design. Some individuals may create fake profiles because they are insecure about themselves. Often they use filtered photos to pretend like they’re younger and even hotter. This act still remains a choice to be dishonest with the intent of fooling others. Even if it isn’t intentional manipulation for financial gain or power, the motivation is still malicious.
I would say that the effect of what these perpetrators do causes immeasurable harm to their victim whether it’s in the form of financial loss, emotional trauma, and even reputational damage. ‘Catfishing’ must then be absolutely prosecutable and the perpetrator accountable for their fraudulent online activities.
Communities, families and the entire society must push for laws to be legislated and rules to be revisited to penalize ‘‘Catfishing’”. Evidently with all consideration, it is primarily intended to deceive for gain or cause serious harm to unsuspecting victims. Catfishing evidently is a form of emotional, psychological, and financial abuse.
Until the law catches up, catfishing will keep living in this gray area where perpetrators feel untouchable. And the word unfair is not even enough to describe the evident betrayal, humiliation and trauma to the victims of these pretensions.
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