Types of Catfish

Financial

-Romance fraud. The most common tactic of financial scammers. Creating an online romance for the purpose of extorting money.

-Sextortion. Creating an online romance to extort intimate images or videos for the purpose of blackmailing the victim. These images can also be used to trick other victims into sharing their own.

-Marriage fraud. Initiated online through social media and/or dating platforms. These scammers look for the biggest end game of marriage, visas, and every other benefit that comes with it.

Personal

-Some catfish have terrible self esteem issues and find it easier to communicate with others though a fake identity.

-Revenge by tricking an ex or someone they hold a grudge against into a relationship to cause hurt and embarrassment.

-Jokes. This can seem like a good joke but can have dire consequences.

-Cybersex. Some men who would ordinarily be voyeurs in public places, choose to engage in collecting images from victims online by creating trust and the exploiting them. No money is involved here, just sexual gratification for the perpetrator and humiliation for the victim.

-Offline Personal Catfish initiate the relationship online, creating trust and then come offline to meet in person, continuing the deception through their fake identity.