Fake Profiles, Catfishing and Social Engineering
How scammers pretend to be someone else and try to manipulate you.
Not everyone is who they claim to be
You get a friend request from someone with a nice profile picture, mutual friends and similar interests. Everything looks genuine. But is it?
What is a fake profile?
A fake profile is an account created by someone pretending to be another person. It happens on all platforms:
- Instagram: copied profile pictures, made-up identities
- Snapchat: accounts pretending to be classmates
- Discord: strangers building trust on gaming servers
- TikTok: comments from fake accounts luring you to other platforms
Catfishing: when someone fakes a whole identity
Catfishing means that someone builds up a false identity over a longer period, often with stolen photos, invented stories and a lot of patience. The goal:
- Getting personal information out of you (address, school, daily routine)
- Building trust: and then demanding money or pictures
- Manipulation: getting you to do things you'd never normally do
Catfishing is not a one-off. According to one study, one in three young people has already had to deal with fake profiles. The younger the target group, the more aggressive the offenders.
Social engineering: the art of manipulation
Social engineering is when someone uses psychological tricks to get you to do something or give something away. The most common levers:
| Trick | Example |
|---|---|
| Time pressure | "Quick, your account is about to be blocked!" |
| Helpfulness | "Can you give me your password for a sec? I'm testing something." |
| Authority | "I'm the admin of this server, I need your details." |
| Curiosity | "Look, is that you in this video?" + link |
| Fear | "I've got screenshots of you. Pay up or I'll post them." |
How to protect yourself
- No stranger needs your password. Nobody. No admin, no support, no friend
- Cross-check: do you really know the person? Ask via a different channel
- Check pictures: right-click → image search. Stolen profile pictures often turn up several times
- No private pictures to strangers: not even to "friends" you only know online
- Block instead of arguing: if something seems off to you, block straight away
A simple test: ask the person to write a specific word on a piece of paper during a video call and hold it up. Fake profiles reliably fail at this.
Quiz: Real or fake?
Someone writes to you on Instagram: "Hey, I'm new at your school and don't know anyone yet. Would you give me your number so we can meet up?"
What do you do?
- [ ] Send my number, sounds nice
- [ ] Ask back: "Which class are you in?" and cross-check with classmates
- [ ] Ignore it
- [ ] Check the profile: how long has it existed? How many posts and followers does it have?
How can you tell that a profile might be fake?
A new profile messages you. What makes you suspicious?
More than one answer may be correct.
Switching to another channel is the strongest signal: there, no reporting function applies any more.