{"id":2132,"date":"2025-07-29T07:39:28","date_gmt":"2025-07-29T05:39:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.singles2meet.co.za\/help\/?p=2132"},"modified":"2025-07-29T09:35:54","modified_gmt":"2025-07-29T07:35:54","slug":"the-catfish-checklist-what-to-do-when-something-feels-off","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.singles2meet.co.za\/help\/the-catfish-checklist-what-to-do-when-something-feels-off\/","title":{"rendered":"The Catfish\u202fChecklist: What to Do When Something\u202fFeels Off"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

by Lisa Love Powers<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019m your friendly love guru, armed with glittery wisdom and far too much coffee. Today we tackle a slippery beast hiding in the digital closet -\u202fthe catfish.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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So, what is<\/em> a catfish?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

You meet \u201cMike\u201d online, a dreamy marine biologist. He\u202flooks like a Calvin Klein model, writes poetry on Tuesdays, and somehow always<\/em> has perfect Wi\u2011Fi on his yacht. Sounds epic, yes? Maybe too epic. That\u2019s the hint.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A catfish is a person who pretends to be someone else online. New name. New photos. New life. They hook hearts, reel in trust, and vanish or ask for money. Poof, like smoke from a dodgy braai!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019ve seen it all. One guy looked uncannily<\/em> like Brad Pitt. Just like, Brad Pitt in Fight Club<\/em>, not \u201cjust dropped the kids at school\u201d Brad Pitt. The other? He claimed to be a plastic surgeon who only operated on celebrities and \u201cdoesn\u2019t use Zoom because of privacy laws.\u201d How Convenient!?! Both of them disappeared faster than leftover cake at a family braai the moment I asked for a live video call. Poof! Gone, like vanishing into thin air!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Sniffing Out the Fishy Vibes of Catfish<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Their life story keeps changing like a soap opera.<\/strong>
One day they’re a firefighter in Joburg. Next week? A tech entrepreneur from Cape Town. Suddenly their gran\u2019s birthday is on a third<\/em> different date \u2014 again. If the details of their life constantly shift or don\u2019t quite line up, that\u2019s a big red flag. Real people have consistent stories. Catfish tend to get tangled up in their own lies. Think of it like a plate of spaghetti: if everything\u2019s twisted and slippery, don\u2019t take a bite.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They always have an excuse to avoid video calls.
<\/strong>They\u2019ll say their webcam\u2019s broken. Or they\u2019re \u201ctoo shy.\u201d Or they\u2019re mysteriously always<\/em> at work during your call time. If someone refuses to appear on video, especially after days or weeks of chatting \u2014 it\u2019s a major warning sign. Most genuine people are happy to wave and say hi on camera. If they keep ducking it, they might not be who they say they are\u2026 or they might not even be the same gender or age!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They fall in love at the speed of light.
<\/strong>\u201cWe just met, but I think you\u2019re my soulmate.\u201d
\u201cYou\u2019re the only one who understands me.\u201d
\u201cI would marry you tomorrow if I could.\u201d
Flattering? Sure. But, also suspicious. Catfish often try to build intense emotional connections very quickly. Why? Because strong feelings cloud judgment \u2014 and make it easier to manipulate someone. Take things slow. Real connections grow over time, not overnight like a dodgy microwave curry.

They ask for money \u2014 before you’ve even met.<\/strong>
This is the biggest<\/em> red flag of all. They say they lost their wallet. Or their phone was stolen. Or they need a quick loan to fly and \u201cfinally meet you.\u201d They might ask for airtime, gift cards, crypto, or even help paying rent. No matter how charming or convincing they are \u2014 never send money to someone you haven\u2019t met in real life. A real partner will want your heart, not your wallet.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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