160 replies to this topic

[Gab33]

I think that what's obvious as "fishy behavior" to an adult may not be obvious to a teenager or what's obvious to one adult may not be obvious to another. Also, on a darker note, there are cases of people with bad intentions who act normally to gain their victim's trust. So for that reason, it's important for this forum to promote online safety, especially since there are so many underage members on this forum. 

 

I also have become close with friends online but I wouldn't want to inadvertently promote sharing information online to a group of younger members.    

[Karenina]

Snapchat? Nope. I’ve heard handfuls of stories about people not being who they say they are. Sure they might show you pictures of them, tell you their school, name, age, phone number, etc. - and when you reverse image search or spy dial those things they come up with no results/the correct name. Nowadays people can get pictures from different people or places that won’t show up on reverse image websites and fake phone numbers while ...

Um..what?? Haha. How are people not who they say they are through snapchat? You can request a picture. They send it. Boom face confirmed. The only way it's not them in the picture is if they have that other person there with them. And even then Skype and Live Instagram video are a thing as well as facetime. Don't forget the classic "send a pic of you holding a spoon over your head and a paper with my name on it."

It would have to be a super amazing catfish in order to bypass all of that.

By the time I meet people in person we've already skyped, we snapchat pics on the reg, we talk on the phone for hours. All the info they have shared has been fact checked.

Again, intentions are a completely different ball game. Heck, even people you know in person could have vile intentions. But in terms of identity -with today's technology, unless someone has a network of people working together, it's almost near impossible to get catfished if you're smart.

[nebit]

I don't know how snapchat works, but I think it is wise to remember that photos don't necessarily prove someone is who they say they are. Catfish often send pictures- of other people. It is always wise, particularly for younger members, to remember that people may not be who they say they are online. And that giving out ANY personal information can potentially put them at risk later on.

 

Sure, knowing your name is Susie and you live in Nevada is unlikely to out you on it's own. But knowing your name is Susie, you live in Nevada, your local petstore was in the news for selling a gibbon, you posted a picture that didn't show faces, but did show your school mascot is a chicken and your school color is purple, and you just entered 6th grade just made you a LOT easier to find. Now consider you don't need to post those things together. That could be one bit of info in 5 different posts over the course of 2 years- put the info is out there, you can't take it back, and someone intent on finding, stalking, or harassing you now has those keys. 

[Saturnalia]

Um..what?? Haha. How are people not who they say they are through snapchat? You can request a picture. They send it. Boom face confirmed. The only way it's not them in the picture is if they have that other person there with them. And even then Skype and Live Instagram video are a thing as well as facetime. Don't forget the classic "send a pic of you holding a spoon over your head and a paper with my name on it."

It would have to be a super amazing catfish in order to bypass all of that.

By the time I meet people in person we've already skyped, we snapchat pics on the reg, we talk on the phone for hours. All the info they have shared has been fact checked.

Again, intentions are a completely different ball game. Heck, even people you know in person could have vile intentions. But in terms of identity -with today's technology, unless someone has a network of people working together, it's almost near impossible to get catfished if you're smart.

Not sure you get what I’m saying. Like nebit said, even through Snapchat somebody can fake their identity. They could send a picture from their gallery not a selfie from their camera. The spoon and paper thing you said - yeah that’s a good way to confirm who you’re talking to BUT what if that person goes that far and requests a picture from somebody else they’re talking to to try to prove it’s them in order to get a picture for you to believe them? There’s so many ways people could pretend to be somebody and be believed.

Obviously people you talked to are real - you heard their voice. I’m talking about when they don’t want to let you hear their voice, or video chat, etc.

And don’t say “near impossible.” There are a lot of people out there that can outsmart people who think they’re smart enough to not be catfished.

Edited by Viper, 30 June 2018 - 09:56 PM.

[Saturnalia]

I think that what's obvious as "fishy behavior" to an adult may not be obvious to a teenager or what's obvious to one adult may not be obvious to another. Also, on a darker note, there are cases of people with bad intentions who act normally to gain their victim's trust. So for that reason, it's important for this forum to promote online safety, especially since there are so many underage members on this forum.

I also have become close with friends online but I wouldn't want to inadvertently promote sharing information online to a group of younger members.

All the time! I read a book called Want to Go Private? by Sarah Littman.

I’m not going to spoil it if somebody wants to read it, but internet predators almost always say things in order to gain trust. And they know how to do it - trust me. Usually, like in the book, whenever the victim is feeling down or something about their life, they’ll share it with their friends (like all teenagers mainly). When they share it with the predator, the predator ends up saying things like “your life should be so much better”, etc. - things that are comforting and makes them feel better. That’s one of the ways the predator really can gain the victim’s trust.

[Karenina]

I don't know how snapchat works, but I think it is wise to remember that photos don't necessarily prove someone is who they say they are. Catfish often send pictures- of other people. It is always wise, particularly for younger members, to remember that people may not be who they say they are online. And that giving out ANY personal information can potentially put them at risk later on.

Sure, knowing your name is Susie and you live in Nevada is unlikely to out you on it's own. But knowing your name is Susie, you live in Nevada, your local petstore was in the news for selling a gibbon, you posted a picture that didn't show faces, but did show your school mascot is a chicken and your school color is purple, and you just entered 6th grade just made you a LOT easier to find. Now consider you don't need to post those things together. That could be one bit of info in 5 different posts over the course of 2 years- put the info is out there, you can't take it back, and someone intent on finding, stalking, or harassing you now has those keys.

With snapchat, basically, you send live pictures and videos. As in, pictures or video clips taken then and there with your own personal phone's camera. You *can* send images from your gallery but it let's the other person know it was from the gallery and NOT a live picture.

Hence why I said snapchat is good at detecting catfishes, unless you've got a super invested catdfisher who is always with a friend 100% of the time making them take selfies and videos, etc.

[Saturnalia]

With snapchat, basically, you send live pictures and videos. As in, pictures or video clips taken then and there with your own personal phone's camera. You *can* send images from your gallery but it let's the other person know it was from the gallery and NOT a live picture.

Hence why I said snapchat is good at detecting catfishes, unless you've got a super invested catdfisher who is always with a friend 100% of the time making them take selfies and videos, etc.

They also make up excuses, other than sending pictures and videos of their friends. And let’s say there’s some desperate girl (or guy) who wants a boyfriend or girlfriend and they meet this person online who’s perfect to them. Well even though the person they met keeps turning down phone calls, video calls, live selfies, etc. doesn’t make the person think they aren’t who they say they are.

The predators can make the victim believe them in many ways and the victim sometimes does believe the excuses being made. I think there’s a lot more of this happening than you may think.

My friend was playing this game and she got a message from this guy. He sent her a picture and said he was 13 (she’s a year older). While it was happening she told me what he was saying and sent me the picture he sent her. It was of this boy who looked older than 13 and was really attractive. I reversed it for her and told her tons of different results came up for it. Not to mention the boy asked her out when he didn’t see any picture of her, just knew her first name (or just knew she was a girl. Something like that). So when she confronted him he sent her a picture of a 9 year old looking kid and said he’s 10 but still wants to go out. That’s either somebody messing around because they’re bored or some old guy who has bad intentions. Anyway they stopped talking when she realized he lied about who he was. Whether he was that little kid or not we didn’t know. But that picture had no results, and I was just warning her how he could’ve got that picture and it might still not be really him.

I know we’re talking about my friend who’s a teenager in this situation, but still this can happen a lot. Even on Snapchat. And the predators can trick the victims into believing them in many different ways. Nothing is really safe on the internet. Not even this site.

[Hamster~paws]

Wow I never really thought of it like that wow..
Well I have talked to people on HH before one friend in particular and I mean she said she is the same age as me (she said it first) and we have talked and all but I’m pretty sure she is who she says she is and anyway she is in America I’m in the UK it’s not as if anything is really going to happen. Well I haven’t told my mum as she is always going on about internet safety and would go mad at the idea but we started talking on HH and eventually she found my Twitter form this profile and we have talked on there since but I dunno, seems harmless to me. Just makes you think though, strange...

[Damaris]

I've only read this last page, but I wanted to make a small point: catfishing doesn't necessarily have to mean you're using someone else's picture. Someone can say they're from a completely different area, with a completely different name, and say they're really into this thing that you're into even though they aren't.

 

Snapchat doesn't necessarily always have location info, so someone could tell you they're in New York when they're really in California, and you wouldn't know. Same with Facebook, you can list yourself in another town or state. I have a friend who lives with me who has his location on FB set to a town two hours away (not for any nefarious purposes, but because he doesn't want the government knowing everything about him). There's people like me who don't put location info in at all, or who do something generic like "PNW."

 

Also, even if you're an adult, and you think you know someone really well, you can still have things go wrong with meeting people online. I have met quite a few internet friends irl, and most of those experiences were good experiences. I had one really bad one though, that has caused me to be very careful with people I've met ever since then.

[FloorCandy]

I've only read this last page, but I wanted to make a small point: catfishing doesn't necessarily have to mean you're using someone else's picture. Someone can say they're from a completely different area, with a completely different name, and say they're really into this thing that you're into even though they aren't.
 
Snapchat doesn't necessarily always have location info, so someone could tell you they're in New York when they're really in California, and you wouldn't know. Same with Facebook, you can list yourself in another town or state. I have a friend who lives with me who has his location on FB set to a town two hours away (not for any nefarious purposes, but because he doesn't want the government knowing everything about him). There's people like me who don't put location info in at all, or who do something generic like "PNW."
 
Also, even if you're an adult, and you think you know someone really well, you can still have things go wrong with meeting people online. I have met quite a few internet friends irl, and most of those experiences were good experiences. I had one really bad one though, that has caused me to be very careful with people I've met ever since then.

People think catfishing and wasting time in a bogus relationship or whatever is the worst that could happen, but that's like a 2nd to best case scenario. People respond to sales ads with intent to go to your house, see what you have, and rob you later. People lure kids, and adults into bad situations and kidnap or assault them. Any kind of preteen or teen chat app is gonna be like minimum of 15 % dirty old man pedophiles. In this day when kids have moved on to new things, better apps etc, there's probably whole forums, reddits, and chats full of these guys talking to each other, everyone catfishing thinking they're the smartest one in the room.

Let's say out of nowhere your great aunt starts liking your pics and videos etc, there's a good chance some creep at their office saw their pw stuck to their monitor with a post it, (seriously super common) and since this great aunt so and so uses the same pw for everything, and has all their links saved, this guy or anyone else could be flipping thru your photos pretending to be a relative right from the office. Even when you think someone is safe, maybe they were safe yesterday, but today it's really the gross night security guard at their workplace.

[Damaris]

Let's say out of nowhere your great aunt starts liking your pics and videos etc, there's a good chance some creep at their office saw their pw stuck to their monitor with a post it, (seriously super common) and since this great aunt so and so uses the same pw for everything, and has all their links saved, this guy or anyone else could be flipping thru your photos pretending to be a relative right from the office. Even when you think someone is safe, maybe they were safe yesterday, but today it's really the gross night security guard at their workplace.

 

This is why I don't think people should post their kid's pictures on social media, you never know who is looking at it. Even if you have the most secure privacy settings, someone can still save your picture and repost it somewhere else.