What is a Catfish Image Search and Why Would Someone Use It? (2024)

You’ve been talking to someone online and over time realize that something feels off. They keep asking you for money, they won’t show you their face over video chat, their picture looks like a model and too good to be true, and you’re starting not to trust that this person is telling the truth about their identity. You start to research ways on how to unveil their true identity and come across a term called catfish image search. Now you’re probably wondering what it is, how a reverse image search works, and why you might want to perform one.

What is Catfishing?

Catfishing is when a person pretends to be someone they aren’t on the Internet. They then reach out to their victims on a social media platform or dating app, sparking up a conversation to get closer to who they want to trick. Once the victim builds trust with the catfish, they more than likely form a romantic relationship that helps benefit the catfish in some way. Usually, people catfish to get money, companionship, or self-esteem back to feel better about themselves.

Different Types of Catfishing

• Romance Scam/ 419 Scam: Scammers catfish their victims and pretend to be someone they aren’t so that they have better chances of their victims falling for them. They then form a relationship with their victims, talking to them every day so that victims can build their trust with the scammers. They then start asking for money, and the victims are oblivious thinking they need it for an emergency. Then once the victims’ bank accounts are drained, the scammer blocks them and moves on to the next one.
• Self-Esteem Issues: A person isn’t satisfied with how they look physically, so they pretend to be someone different on a dating app or social media platform. This allows the catfish to feel better about themselves since they can get whoever they want on a dating app.
• Opposite Gender:There are many reasons why someone might want to catfish someone else as the opposite gender. Either a person is curious about being the opposite gender, or they are curious about their sexuality and don’t want to be judged for talking to someone of the same gender.
• Russian Bride Scam:Someone from a different country tells you they want to marry you, and you get tricked into it thinking you’re going to get a beautiful bride. They then start asking for a bunch of money so they can fly over to see you. Once they drain your bank account, they block you since they got all the money they need from you.

When Should You Perform a Catfish Image Search?

• When the person you are talking to online won’t video chat with you or meet you in person.
• When they have a picture that looks like a super-model and are too good to be true.
• When they have poor grammar and misspell words along with misplace punctuation.
• When they message you out of nowhere to try and get to know you.
• When they ask for money.
• When they tell you unrealistic stories about their life.

What is a Catfish Image Search?

A catfish image search is when the victim of a catfishing incident takes the photo of their supposed partner and plugs it into a reverse search program. The program then scans the face and tries to figure out where on the Internet the picture first originated from and how many of the same photos are used online.

If there are a lot of search results on the internet with many social media profiles based on one picture, this could mean that the person you are talking to got the picture online and is using it to catfish you. If there is only one search result of this image and its on your partner’s social media page, you don’t have as much to worry about but you still need to be careful.

Why Would You Want to Use a Catfish Image Search?

• A catfish image search verifies someone’s identity so that you know you are talking to the person in the pictures with a facial recognition search. This allows you to make sure you aren’t talking to a criminal, scammer, or another person with bad intentions.
• It lets you know the real identity of the person in your catfish’s pictures.
• It allows you to see the additional names and social media profiles associated with that picture.
• It helps you realize who you are giving money to in a romance scam.
• It helps you figure out who you’ve actually been in contact with.

Perform a Catfish Image Search Today Using Social Catfish

Click the image button below and upload your image to get started.

Whose Pictures Do Catfish Usually Steal?

Catfish usually steal pictures from social media influencers with a massive following. These scammers realize that they aren’t famous enough to be noticed by others, but also public enough to where their photos are easily accessible. They steal these influencers’ entire photo and video library and claim these pictures and videos as their own, even going as far as to edit the videos so that they are saying what the scammer wants them to say.

We have a YouTube series about the people who’s photos were stolen called Famous and Catfished. We cover people who wish to tell their stories about how their photos were stolen from them and used to create thousands of fake profiles. Above, you can view a YouTube video about Tristan King who is a brand influencer for Military Fresh. He shares his story on how often his photos were used and how often victims contact him about this issue.

Why is it Important to Perform a Catfish Image Search?

There is a certain type of catfish that is dangerous to anyone who falls for their schemes. This type of catfish is called a Nigerian romance scammer, and their goal is to drain your entire bank account. In the above video, we tell the story of a woman who lost thousands of dollars to a romance scammer, thinking that it was the love of her life. This YouTube series is called Scamfish, we have several stories that are like hers.

This is why it is important to perform a catfish image search on your online partner if you are ever unsure about a catfish’s intentions. It could be a matter of you saving thousands of dollars instead of wasting your time falling in love with someone who only wants you for your bank account.

Social Catfish is Here to Help You!

If you think you’re dealing with a scammer/catfish or have had your pictures stolen, Social Catfish is here to help you!

If you want to be a part of our next YouTube video or blog post and share your story, now is your chance. You can educate an audience about what you have gone through and make sure no one else goes through the same thing. All you need to do is email ShareMyStory@socialcatfish.com, and we will get back to you with more details.

You can also reverse search any information you have on the catfish to see who it is you’ve really been talking to. If you have their name, email address, phone number, social media username, or image you can search it up in our search bar to see if there is more information on the suspected catfish you are talking to.

Perform a Catfish Image Search Here Today Using Social Catfish

Click the image button below and upload your image to get started.