Prioritising your safety and looking out for red flags on Badoo is essential, as unfortunately, catfishing does still happen online. A catfish is a person who uses a fake profile to pretend to be someone else. They do it to trick people online – sometimes for money, attention or revenge. A catfish may also be someone who suffers from loneliness or low self-esteem and uses a fake profile to connect with other people.

No matter the reason, catfishing goes against Badoo’s Community Guidelines, and we’re always working towards removing fake profiles from our app. If we suspect someone is a catfish or otherwise exhibits suspicious behaviour, we require them to get verified.

We can hide their profile and block access to their account until they do. Even still, knowing how to protect yourself against fake profiles is helpful to prevent being exploited.

How to spot a catfish

Staged-looking profile photos with no candid shots

When it comes to dating apps, “the most obvious sign of a catfish is if their profile looks too good to be true,” says Love Coach Michaela Bosquet Lambert. “In other words, if their photos look too slick and polished (for example, they have that celebrity A-Lister look, but their backstory doesn't seem to match up) then that's definitely a red flag.”

If they ask you to move off the app very quickly

“The second giveaway sign of a catfish is when they seem super keen to get your number so they can message you away from the app,” says Bosquet Lambert. Once you're texting off the app, a catfish may then do their best to get you emotionally attached as quickly as possible through regular texts. “By texting constantly back and forth with you, they can escalate the 'relationship',” she says. A catfish may use this emotional connection to encourage you to give them money. The best thing you can do is keep your personal and financial information private at all times.

They refuse to video call or meet up with you

Another typical behaviour of a catfish is expressing great interest in seeing you or meeting up, but something crops up every time you agree to make plans. Bosquet Lambert explains, “The catfish may seem to have some 'story' around why they can't meet or video call you–and that story can seem like a long and constantly evolving one.” If you notice inconsistencies in their story, a catfish is likely to get angry or try to gaslight you, she warns. “If it's been more than a week and you still haven't either had a full video chat or met in person, move on.”

They always want to focus on you

In a conversation with a real Badoo match, the other person is likely to offer you as many anecdotes and answers about themselves as you give to them. In the case of chatting with a catfish, the conversation will likely look a little different. “A catfish will give you little information about themselves that would enable you to verify their identity - and they can even get quite irate if they think you might be suspicious,” says Bosquet Lambert. They may frame their all-encompassing interest in you as flattery, attempting to make you feel special. “It’s best to use your intuition and really take your time getting to know someone before becoming emotionally invested,” advises Bosquet Lambert.

How to protect yourself from catfishing

As well as looking out for red flags, there are measures you can take to help protect yourself from catfishing.

Do your research

As mentioned, a catfish will probably have only a handful of photos on their profile. If you ask to see more, you might find that the photos they send show a different person. “As the saying goes, "If it's too good to be true, then it probably is,” says Bosquet Lambert. A quick reverse image search will usually show if the same photos have been used elsewhere on the internet.

Get verified and search by verified profiles

Badoo Photo Verification helps protect you from fake profiles–and shows people on the app that you look like the same person as in your profile photos, too. If they don’t have it, you can also ask a match to verify their profile. Here’s how to filter by verified profiles:

• Go to the tab to meet people near you
• Tap the filter icon in the top right-hand corner
• Scroll down to Advanced filters
• Tap Photo verified
• Select Photo verified only
• Tap Apply changes

Go slowly and trust your gut

In the early stages of chatting to someone, it can be easy to get carried away and get very personal, very quickly. It’s best to slow down, take a moment, and make sure that you’re not inadvertently revealing any sensitive information when you first begin a connection. Personal information can be anything from where you live, your email address and phone number, to less obvious things like classic security question answers like your first pet’s name or mother’s unmarried name. If a match ever pressures you to reveal information, trust your gut–it’s always ok to end a conversation respectfully or to Block and Report them. If you suspect someone on Badoo is a catfish, you can also contact us here.

Catfish are out there, but they’re not in the majority. So, enjoy messaging your match—just know the signs and be sure they are who they say they are before you start emotionally investing in them.