> Think the person you talk to online is not who they say? Test it in a few steps: a photo check, a live call and what each result means for you. If you are asking "am I being catfished", you cannot settle it by rereading the chat; you settle it by testing three things: whose face is in the photos, whether the person will appear live on camera, and whether their story holds together. Each test takes minutes and none of them needs you to accuse anyone. A doubt that keeps coming back is worth acting on, but it is not proof either way. **A catfish is someone using a face or an identity that is not theirs, and not every catfish wants money.** So "they have never asked me for anything" does not clear them. The steps below give you evidence, and the last section tells you what to do with it. ## WHAT CATFISHING ACTUALLY IS Catfishing means building a relationship online under a false identity, usually with someone else's photos. The motive varies. Some catfish are after money and follow the romance scam pattern the US Federal Trade Commission describes. Others want attention, company or control, are hiding who they really are, or are pretending to be someone you know. So the question is not only "is this a scam" but "is this person the one in the pictures". That one you can answer even when no money is involved. ## PATTERNS THAT POINT TO A CATFISH None of these proves anything alone. Several together, over weeks, is a different picture. - Meeting never quite happens. The FTC lists the usual reasons a romance scammer gives: living or travelling abroad, working on an oil rig, serving in the military, or working for an international organisation. - The camera is always broken. Texting is constant, but video calls fail or get postponed. - The conversation moved off the app early. The FTC notes that scammers soon want to message you off the platform where you met. - The story shifts. Details about work, family or home town change slightly when you come back to them. - The photos are all of one kind: polished, posed, rarely with friends. For the full list of scam warning signs, grouped by weight, read [is this person a scammer?](https://traceaifacescan.app/blog/is-this-person-a-scammer/) Here the focus is on testing your doubt. ## STEP 1: CHECK WHOSE FACE IT IS Start with the photos, because they are the part a catfish cannot easily change. 1. Screenshot the profile pictures and any photo they sent you in chat. Chat photos are often more useful, because they are less likely to come from a chosen set. 2. Run a reverse image search on each one, for example with Google Lens. It finds the same picture, or close copies, where it has been published. 3. **Run a face search.** Crop the face so it fills most of the frame and search it on [Trace](https://traceaifacescan.app/panel). Trace matches the face, not the file, so it can find the same person in a completely different photo, under a different name. Why the two searches find different things is explained in [reverse image search vs face search](https://traceaifacescan.app/blog/reverse-image-search-vs-face-search/). Trace only reaches the public web. It cannot look inside dating apps, messengers or private profiles, so the screenshot-and-crop method is the way to check someone met on Hinge, Tinder or Snapchat. Each result is a public page with a similarity score from 50 to 100: 70 to 80 is a possible match worth a second look, 80 to 90 is strong, and 90+ is near-certain. Front-on, well-lit, sharp photos give the clearest results. A score compares two images; it never says who someone is. ## STEP 2: ASK FOR A LIVE VIDEO CALL, WITHOUT ACCUSING A short live call is the simplest test there is, and you can ask for it as part of getting closer rather than as a check. - Suggest it as something you want: "I'd love to hear your voice and see you properly. Ten minutes tonight?" - Offer a time that suits them, then another. A real person who is busy will name a time. - On the call, a natural request such as a wave or turning to the window is enough to tell a live person from a recording. Do not mention that you searched their photos. If they are a catfish, telling them gives them the chance to delete the profile, change the story or switch to a new face. If the call keeps failing, notice the pattern rather than arguing about each excuse. Weeks of broken cameras, from someone who texts all day, is an answer. ## STEP 3: COMPARE A NEW PHOTO WITH THE PROFILE If a live call is not possible yet, ask for an everyday photo: what they are doing today, where they are right now. Then put it side by side with a profile picture in the free [face comparison](https://traceaifacescan.app/compare-faces/). It returns one similarity score on the same scale, searches nothing and stores nothing. A high score between a fresh photo and the profile photo is reassuring. A low score, or a "new" photo that turns up in a reverse image search, tells you the photos come from somewhere else. Keep in mind that relatives and lookalikes can score high, so treat the number as a lead. ## WHAT EACH RESULT MEANS | What you found | What it suggests | What to do | |---|---|---| | The same face on pages under another name, or on a model or stock photo site | The photos are borrowed | Stop sharing, save evidence, report the profile | | The same face on public pages that agree with their name and story | Consistent, not proof | Still do the live call before you trust more | | Nothing at all | Common for private people | Rely on the live call; an empty result is not an all-clear | | A live call where the face matches the photos | Strong sign they are who they say | Continue at your own pace and meet safely | When a result unlocks on Trace, it opens with a one-sentence verdict read off the pages, such as one consistent identity or the same face under several names. If you typed the name they gave you, it says whether the pages agree. Treat it as a lead, and look at the pages yourself. ## WHAT NOT TO DO - Do not confront them before you have saved screenshots of the profile and the chat. - **Do not send money, gift cards or crypto.** The FTC's rule is plain: never send money or gifts to someone you have not met in person. - Do not send intimate photos or a picture of your ID to prove your trust. Both can be used against you. - Do not keep digging into who is behind the profile. Once the photos are borrowed, you have your answer; your goal is to protect yourself. ## IF MONEY IS ALREADY INVOLVED Stop the conversation. If you paid by card, transfer, gift card or cryptocurrency, contact your bank or the payment company straight away and ask for a refund. In the US, report it at [ReportFraud.ftc.gov](https://reportfraud.ftc.gov/); elsewhere, use your national fraud reporting service or the police. Report the profile to the app where you met. The FTC's page on [romance scams](https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/what-know-about-romance-scams) lists the usual stories and payment requests. For a check before a first date, use the [online dating safety check](https://traceaifacescan.app/blog/online-dating-safety-check/). If the person claims to be a soldier, read [military romance scam](https://traceaifacescan.app/blog/military-romance-scam/). ## RESPONSIBLE USE Use these steps to check someone who is already talking to you, not to look up a person who does not want to be found. Trace shows where a face appears on public pages with a similarity score; it returns no names, addresses or contact details and is not an identification service. If your own photos are being used by a catfish, [remove my photos](https://traceaifacescan.app/remove-my-photos) deletes your face from Trace's index and blocks it from being re-added. ## FAQ ### How can I tell if I am being catfished? Test the three things a catfish cannot easily fake: search their photos with a reverse image search and a face search, ask for a short live video call, and check that their story stays the same over time. Repeated excuses not to call or meet, and photos that turn up under another name, are the clearest signs. ### Can you reverse image search to see if you are being catfished? Yes, and it is a good first step. A reverse image search finds copies of the exact picture. A face search goes further and finds the same face in different photos, which helps when a catfish uses pictures that were cropped, mirrored or taken from someone's less visible posts. ### What if they refuse to video call? One missed call means little. A pattern of refusals from someone who messages you every day is a strong warning, especially alongside reasons the FTC lists for not meeting, such as working abroad or on an oil rig. Do not send money or private photos while the call keeps not happening. ### What should I do if I am being catfished? Save screenshots of the profile and the chat, then stop engaging without announcing why. Report the profile to the app, and if you sent money, contact your bank or the payment company at once and report it to the FTC or your national fraud service.