The Nightmare of Online Dating Most People Aren’t Aware Of
The other day a friend of mine at work told me she got catfished by some random guy from a dating app. The guy she’d been talking to for over two months wasn’t as portrayed on his bio picture. He’s an old man in his 60s but claimed as 28 years old so he could match her age.
Obviously, she was pissed but what’s upsetting to see is that now she has become cold-hearted to all men. That one experience left some trauma in her, and I don’t blame her — I’d probably feel the same if I were her.
The thing is, getting catfished is just one of the bad things that can happen to you when you try online dating apps such as Tinder or Bumble. There are many more horror stories that people share on social media related to this.
And you’re more prone to it when you’re in a hopeless romantic mode. Meaning you crave so much attention or want to jump in a relationship right away without considering if this new person you’re talking to is trustable enough or not.
So if you have seen some red flags earlier, don’t ignore them. There’s a chance you’re getting catfished.
Signs of You’re Being Catfished
Here are some signs you need to take seriously:
They Don’t Want To Meet You in Person
There’s always a reason every time you ask them to meet in person; they’re busy, work is overloaded, they say they’re introverted, or just need “time” to get to know you first.
So you spend hours every day chatting with them, and it’s not even video calls. When you meet a pro catfisher, they’ll give you fake photos and fake personal information about them. They can convince you that they’re a real person as portrayed in the photos, so you can engage with them for a longer time.
But after some time, when you think it’s the best time to meet, they just never proceed further. Usually, it’s the time where you already develop a little feeling for them too, so letting this “almost” relationship isn’t easy.
They Demand You Do Something You Aren’t Comfortable With
There’s no way they catfish you without wanting anything from you. A brutal one might be asking for some money from you for some “urgent” life problems they have. And since you already feel close with them emotionally, you’ll find it hard to say “no.”
Another thing that might happen is they ask for nudes. This usually happens when you’re the girl. A friend of mine was asked to send nudes every day, and when she said no, he ghosted her and refused to talk for days.
From the outside, we can see how easy it is actually to just leave the guy with that attitude, but it’s also important to note that those who catfish people are good at making their victim feel so comfortable and emotionally connected. That’s why it’s not always easy to see this red flag in the beginning.
They Don’t Disclose Their Social Media/Any Other Personal Information
This is another warning sign you need to be aware of.
In the early stages of getting to know each other, it should be expected for you to know their life too; their background, social media, and other personal information. But if you’re being catfished, you won’t get any of this.
This is because the whole conversation you have day to day revolves around you and your life only. Not because you want to make it that way, but they somehow don’t want to open up to you.
The reasons from their end might vary; they are shy and have trust issues, or they can share one or two stories about them, but that’ll be it. And those stories are shared so they can relate to you.
Aside from all that, you also can’t access their social media. In today’s world, where everyone’s on social media, you can at least know their LinkedIn profile. So watch out if you can’t even find their names on Google.
Your Gut Is Telling You Something Just Feels Off
My mom’s best advice when it comes to relationships is to never ignore your gut. If you can just stop for a while and listen to it carefully, you’ll get all the answers you need.
I’ve heard many people regret it for not following through with what their gut’s saying, and they end up with the wrong person for the rest of their lives. Don’t let this be you. If you feel something’s just off, but you can’t pinpoint it, it’s better for you to put a pause and analyze your current situation carefully.
Does this person get mad when you push them to tell their personal stories? Do they become more aggressive than before when you don’t reply to their text fast enough? Do they “disappear” when you don’t want to do what they want?
Their actions will tell you if their intention is actually good or not towards you.
Parting Words
Putting yourself out there in the dating app is a very risky thing to do. Unless you just want to do the casual dating and get wasted. But if you are looking for something more real with less drama and avoid unnecessary heartbreaks, you might want to try out the new, more effective way of dating from Capital City Exclusive.
Here, we help single people who’re ready to mingle like you find your right person. We’ve got many people who successfully built a new healthy relationship together. Contact Capital City Exclusive now at (916) 949–5133 or send an email to us at info@capitalcityexclusive.com to meet quality singles in Sacramento.