History Main / Catfishing

* ''Series/{{CSINY}}'': In "Who's There?", a woman makes a fake Facebook profile to lure her husband into an online affair so she can use it against him in their divorce.

** PlayedForLaughs on ''Series/DegrassiNextClass'', when Frankie is moping after being dumped by Winston. Her friends Shay and Lola pose as a boy on Instagram so figure out what's wrong with her.

* ''Literature/{{Animorphs}}'': Jake recieves a mushy love letter (well, email) from Cassie, but he quickly realizes it's from his best friend Marco. So, he goes along with it, telling "Cassie" he loves her too, but unfortunately, he's sworn not to go any further into a relationship until Marco gets a girlfriend, knowing it'll get a laugh.

* One chapter of ''Manga/BeastComplex'' has a white tiger pretending to be a zebra on a zebra dating app because he thought he might have more success dating another black and white striped animal even they were completely different species.

* Catfish wants to use the intended person for something illegal (a romance scam in which they feign interest and then ask for money, or to steal money in a con artist scheme, etc.). This latter variant is also known as catphishing as a combination of the words of "catfishing" and "phishing".

* Catfish wants to use the intended person for something illegal (a romance scam in which they feign interest and then ask for money, or to steal money in a con artist scheme, etc.).

* In ''Film/YouAndYourStupidMate'', Jeffrey has cyber sex with Hot Pants 69, a fellow ''[[SoapWithinAShow Sons and Surf]]'' fan he met through the fansite he runs. At the protest to stop his favourite character from being killed off, he finally gets to really meet Hot Pants 69, who turns out to be [[spoiler:a middle-aged male dwarf in a wheelchair, played by Quentin Kenihan]].

* ''Literature/{{Animorphs}}'': Jake recieves a mushy love letter (well, email) from Cassie, but he quickly realizes it's from his best friend Marco. So he goes along with it, telling "Cassie" he loves her too, but unfortunately he's sworn not to go any further into a relationship until Marco gets a girlfriend, knowing it'll get a laugh.

* ''WebAnimation/{{Daidus}}'' did this not for malicious reasons but to boost a friend's self esteem after they had been rejected by girls too often. And it worked, the boost allowing the friend to successfully ask a girl out and get a girlfriend.

[[folder:Fanworks]]

[[folder:Light Novel]]
* In ''LightNovel/WelcomeToTheNHK'', the {{Hikkikomori}} protagonist meets a girl online and falls for her, before discovering that "she" was actually a sockpuppet made by his (male) neighbor to teach him a [[ThereAreNoGirlsOnTheInternet harsh life lesson]].
[[/folder]]

* In ''LightNovel/WelcomeToTheNHK'', the {{Hikkikomori}} protagonist Sato meets a girl online and falls for her, before discovering that [[ThereAreNoGirlsOnTheInternet "she"]] was actually a sockpuppet [[{{GIRL}} made by his (male) neighbor]], in order to teach him a harsh life lesson against wasting all his time in front of a screen.

[[folder:LiveActionTV]]

* In ''Film/YouAndYourStupidMate'', Jeffrey has cyber sex with Hot Pants 69, a fellow ''[[SoapWithinAShow Sons and Surf]]'' fan he met through the fansite he runs. At the protest to stop his favorite character from being killed off, he finally gets to really meet Hot Pants 69, who turns out to be [[spoiler:a middle-aged male dwarf in a wheelchair, played by Quentin Kenihan]].

* PlayedForLaughs in the Todd Strasser children's book ''[=Y2K-9=]''. A group of friends on an online chatroom have to join forces as a RagtagBunchOfMisfits, only to realize at their first in-person meeting that all of them have lied heavily about their identities. The protagonist, an UpliftedAnimal, is [[HypocriticalHumor shocked at their deception]]. The others are more shocked that he's a dog.

[[caption-width-right:350:[[TechnologyMarchesOn What's a]] Website/MySpace?]]

* In ''LightNovel/WelcomeToTheNHK'', the {{Hikkikomori}} protagonist Sato meets a girl online and falls for her, before discovering that [[ThereAreNoGirlsOnTheInternet "she" was actually a sockpuppet]] [[{{GIRL}} made by his (male) neighbor]], in order to teach him a harsh life lesson against wasting all his time in front of a screen.

* ''WesternAnimation/RobotChicken'' did a sketch based on ''Series/CatfishTheTvShow'' where Nev went around introducing characters who don't physically interact in their home series, like WesternAnimation/InspectorGadget and Dr. Claw (Claw is in love with Gadget but too shy to interact with him any other way), Series/CharliesAngels and Charlie (Charlie is a teenage boy who gets off on directing them to seduce men and report back to him), and Moses and God (God is just a guy with a megaphone who wanted a boat).

[[folder: Radio]]

This scheme may turn out to be a DeadlyPrank. Comedic examples may involve a FawltyTowersPlot as the catfisher struggles to maintain the persona.

Frequently overlaps with DatingServiceDisaster, {{GIRL}}, UnsettlingGenderReveal, and DateMyAvatar, though the concept can exist outside of the internet. Also compare FourOneNineScam, another type of [[TheCon con]] based on a fake identity. Can cross over with {{Cyberbullying}} or DeadlyPrank. [[JustForFun/IThoughtItMeant And this is not to be confused with]] TheCatfish. It is named after fishermen disguising their fingers as worms to catch the catfish.

Frequently overlaps with DatingServiceDisaster, {{GIRL}}, UnsettlingGenderReveal, and DateMyAvatar, though the concept can exist outside of the internet. Also compare FourOneNineScam, another type of [[TheCon con]] based on a fake identity. Can cross over with [[Cyberbullying]] or DeadlyPrank. [[JustForFun/IThoughtItMeant And this is not to be confused with]] TheCatfish. It is named after fishermen disguising their fingers as worms to catch the catfish.

The internet has shaped the way of life over the years, and that includes romance. People have been getting into relationships thanks to online dating. But there is a darker and tragic side to online dating, one of which is catfishing, the act of deceiving someone online into a relationship using a fictional profile, photo and name, either into romantic or business relationships.

* The catfish was feeling insecure with themselves and used another profile.
* Was using the profile to distract the intended person from another love interest.
* Catfish wants to use the intended person for something illegal (a romance scam in which they feign interest and ask for money, or to steal money in a con artist scheme, etc.).

Frequently overlaps with DatingServiceDisaster, {{GIRL}}, UnsettlingGenderReveal, and DateMyAvatar, though the concept can exist outside of the internet. Also compare FourOneNineScam, another type of [[TheCon con]] based on a fake identity. Can cross over with DeadlyPrank. [[JustForFun/IThoughtItMeant And this is not to be confused with]] TheCatfish. It is named after fishermen disguising their fingers as worms to catch the catfish.

* Catfish wants to use the intended person for something illegal.

The internet has shaped the way of life over the years, and that includes romance. People have been getting into relationships thanks to online dating. But there is a darker and tragic side to online dating, one of which is catfishing, the act of deceiving someone online into a relationship, either romantic or business relationships.

* In ''The Train Now Arriving at Platform Four'', Dev insists he was totally honest in his dating profile, which says he "runs a fast-moving catering business across four counties". He mans the buffet car on the London to York train.

* ''Series/CatfishTheTVShow'', is the trope namer, as the show explores the different reasons why people catfish.

** ''Series/DegrassiTheNextGeneration'': in the very first episode, Emma is lured to a hotel by a child predator posing as a 16-year-old high school student