Great tips for avoiding being hooked by a catfish

The Catfish show on MTV is intriguing to watch. But being catfished isn't fun for victims who fell hook, line and sinker.

Lifehacker Australia's Patrick Allan offers some excellent tips for avoiding online catfish no matter where you may be in the world. Here are some warning signs about catfish types from the story:

• They don’t have any social media accounts like Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. Or, by contrast, they have more than one profile on each service.
• They have exceptionally low friend counts on their social media accounts.
• Their photos are only of them in modelling-type shots and not of activities.
• Their photos do not include other people like family or friends.
• There are no tags for any of their photos.
• Constant plays for your sympathy and asking for help.
• They contact you out of the blue outside of your online dating service.
• They declare their love for you quickly and before you’ve met in person.

This piece is packed with more common-sense tips for avoiding catfish scammers, including a suggestion to ask for a face-to-face meeting sooner than later.

For more tips on dating safety, check out the InspectaDate Safety Tips page.