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Catfishing

Article written by: Palak Tiwari

Article designed by: Palak Tiwari & Sanvi Desai


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Catfishing is one of those things that sounds like it only happens to someone else until a random text pops up on your phone at midnight and suddenly the internet feels like a maze. Picture this. You are eating cereal, half awake, when you get a message from an unknown number that says, I tried calling you. Call me back. You stare at it like your phone just became self aware. The truth is that catfishing does not always start with big dramatic scams. Sometimes it begins with something tiny. A message. A fake profile. A kind sentence that seems harmless. Real stories are the best way to understand how people get pulled in and how you can stay safe.


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One of the most shocking examples of this is the story from the documentary My Sweet Bobby. Kirat, a smart and successful woman, thought she was talking to a man named Bobby who lived in London. They had mutual connections, believable conversations, and a relationship that felt steady and real. But behind all of it was not Bobby. It was not even a stranger. It was a woman named Simran, someone from Kirat’s extended family circle, who created an entire world of characters to keep the lie alive. She invented siblings, friends, illnesses, emergencies, and drama. She used years of voice notes, social media posts, and messages to convince Kirat that Bobby was real. It lasted more than a decade. One person was pretending to be an entire cast. The case shows how a lie can grow layer by layer until the truth becomes almost impossible to see.


Catfishing also shows up in places that look helpful. A growing number of teens run into fake support accounts. Someone makes an account that looks like a mental health helper or a friendly classmate or a community resource. The messages are warm. They check on you. They seem caring. Then they start asking for private information or photos or secrets. This is one of the easiest ways for catfishers to build trust. They use kindness as a disguise. The lesson here is important. A real helper is honest about who they are. They do not hide their face. They do not avoid calls. They do not pressure you for private things.


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Then there are the unknown numbers, which might be the most common starting point of all. A simple text lands on your phone. “Your code is 3984.” “Are you coming today.” “Hey, I changed my number.” These messages are written to confuse you. Confusion makes you curious, and curiosity makes you reply. And once you reply, they have a way in. After that, they can pretend they know you, build a story, or try to push you toward a link or a fake profile. It is surprising how often a whole catfishing situation begins from a random text that was designed to look casual.

When you put all these stories together, you see the same lessons repeat themselves. Catfishers avoid real time communication. They avoid video calls. Their stories change slightly over time. Their accounts look too new or too perfect. They rush into emotional closeness because trust gives them power. They stay online because meeting in person would collapse everything. None of these signs alone prove anything, but when several appear together, it is time to pause.


You do not need to be scared of the internet, but you do need to be aware. Anyone can be fooled. Anyone can be targeted. What protects you is noticing when something feels strange and trusting that instinct instead of ignoring it. Awareness is not fear. Awareness is power. And if a weird midnight message ever shows up on your phone, you will know exactly what to do next.



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