According to Wikipedia, the term originates from the myth that cod were shipped with catfish in the same tanks in order to keep the cod active, ensuring the quality of the cod. Shipped alone, the cod would become pale and lethargic. This story originated in the fiction writings of Henry Nevinson (1913, Essays in Rebellion) and Charles Marriott (1913, The Catfish).

Modern day ‘Catfishing’ refers to the act of creating a fake online identity to deceive someone into a relationship. A ‘catfish’ is someone who pretends to be someone they are not with the intention of deceiving someone into developing feelings for them.

It happens largely on social media and dating websites.

Why do people catfish?

Catfishing is a deliberate act of deceit and can happen for various reasons including:

• to satisfy some unfulfilled need or desire - perhaps wanting attention, feeling powerful, escaping personal issues or insecurity or simply being bored and looking for a way to pass the time;

• revenge;

• fear of rejection if they revealed their true identity;

• poor taste jokes.

Catfishing is not just a personal issue, but also a significant social issue. The rise of social media has made it more accessible for individuals to create fake profiles and catfish others, making it easy to deceive people into trusting a fake online identity.

Consequences for the Victim

Catfishing can have severe consequences for the victim. It can leave them feeling humiliated, heartbroken and betrayed.

Depending on the extent of the deception, the victim may have invested a significant amount of time and emotions into the relationship, leading to feelings of disillusionment.

If individuals who choose to meet the person they have been talking to in real life. Catfishing can put individuals in potentially harmful situations with strangers and can make them vulnerable to dangerous or embarrassing scenarios.

How to avoid Catfishing

Individuals need to be made aware, and many television programmes are doing their best to expose the practise. Some basic precautions include:

• double-checking profiles and information shared on social media;

• never revealing personal information about themselves too soon;

• try to engage people through video apps before engaging too deeply - it’s far harder to fake being someone in a live conversation.

Age Concern offers additional advice here: Age Concern, How to Spot a Catfish.

If you fear you, or someone you know is being Catfished, Anna Rowe has set up a site called Catch the Catfish which many will find useful: Catch the Catfish.

If you want to take direct action to protect people who fall foul of ‘catfishers’, sign Anna’s online petition to expand the law (UK): Change.org, catfishing petition.