Join us on SCAMFISH as our team of Search Specialists helps Katonyia uncover the truth!
Have you ever wondered if someone you met online was really who they claim to be? Katonyia Fernandez met a man named Earnest on Instagram. They began chatting and continued to do so over six months. Their messages were innocent at first. He was handsome and charming. Initially, she told him he was too young for her (he was in his mid 30’s, and she was 55).
However, he continued to peruse and message her, persisting. Although they developed an online relationship, she slowly began to worry whether everything he told her was true or if he was a con artist. She did the right thing and contacted Social Catfish.
Her suspicions arose when some of Earnest’s messages confused her. He would tell her that he was trying to start a travel business and send her beautiful pictures from Paris, France. Then, he’d mention Bitcoin, which she’d never heard of. Later, his stories began to change. He told her that the Nigerian government had accused him of conning or deceiving people and that he’d been to jail.
Next, he said that Sephora was trying to send him a check, but he needed Katonyia to deposit it – on his behalf – to avoid tax problems. He asked her to convert and send the money to him as Bitcoin. This request led Katonyia to consider further the possibility that the handsome younger man she’d grown used to messaging could be a scammer.
Linnie, one of our Social Catfish Search Specialists, began to research Earnest by the full name he’d given Katonyia. No matter how she looked him up or abbreviated his name, no matches were found in public records. That lack of a trail raised the alarm, but an algorithm photo search was even more severe.
A search of some of the (many!) photographs that Katonyia had received showed that the pictures “Earnest” sent were stolen from a famous Nigerian celebrity’s profile. The Nigerian star is called Jim Iyke. Iyke had a verified profile, which proves he was the real deal and that Earnest was a scammer.
Not only were the photographs Katonyia received stolen, but “Earnest” also sent her fake video. While the videos looked convincing, he used stolen video from Iyke, then dubbed his voice over the audio, to trick her. When Social Catfish searched the phone number Katonyia’s scammer had been using, it was linked to an internet phone or VoIP number.
While emotions can run high in these situations, Katonyia was lucky to err on the side of caution and not accept the checks he offered her. If she had, she might have been involved in a money-laundering scheme, without even realizing it! This could have put her at legal and financial risk!
Are you interested in appearing on our show, ScamFish? Let us know your story in the comments. Romance scammers don’t only break hearts, and they also break wallets.
As Katonyia’s story shows, scammers will go to any length to trick you and get their fraudulent payday. Protect yourself and background check your online connections by phone number, email address, photo or profile image, username, or name.
How good of a writer are you? Could you invent an entire internet persona and create a hoax that millions of people would follow and believe in? Kaycee Nicole was a young girl who … Read More
What do you think of as your life savings? Whether it's a thousand dollars, or a hundred thousand plus, losing money to a scammer is probably not what you have in mind. Meet the wo… Read More
Imagine being a parent and discovering that your beloved teenage son had killed himself after being tricked by an online catfish? The catfish in question? Natalia Burgess of New Ze… Read More
What would cause two women in their 20’s to become killers? That question was on everyone’s mind when 23 year old Kelsey Lipp and 27 year old Aleczandria Reinhardt were implica… Read More
Have you ever wondered how to find out if someone has a dating profile, like your boyfriend, girlfriend or spouse? This situation comes up more oft ...
Read More >>No matter what your dating situation or dilemma, read this article and learn four ways to perform a Tinder search. Find who you're looking for on the ...
Read More >>In POF scams, the scammer will begin contacting you as if they were interested in meeting you and becoming acquainted with you. What is Catfishing on ...
Read More >>Discover the twelve tell-tell signs that you are being catfished online in social media networks or on popular dating websites. Signs That You Are ...
Read More >>Though the site is free, paid upgrades to offer to remove advertisements and give more photograph and email options, POF search options remain the sam ...
Read More >>You've been talking to someone online, and you start getting suspicions and you're getting some signs that you might be catfished. The person t ...
Read More >>0 Comments
Social Catfish is an online dating investigation service based in California, USA. We verify information to confirm if the person that you've met online is really who they say they are.
We do in depth checks using our own proprietary online tools to verify things like images, social profiles, phone numbers, emails, jobs and a lot more to make sure that you have the most information about the person that you've met online. We are the only company doing verification of public information such as jobs, phone numbers criminal checks as well as social profiles and images.
If you want to be aware of the latest news and catfish stories, subscribe to our newsletter!
