When Candice Pridham’s dad told her about his relationship with a woman he’d never met in person, the Adelaide woman was immediately suspicious.
Thinking her dad might be about to become the victim of a catfish scam – where fraudsters convince people they are someone in love with them and then to send money – Candice stepped in.
Candice used a clever trick to catch out the scammer that she shared with Mamamia after reading about a man who almost fell victim to a similar act.
Listen: The Love Life team tackle a question from someone who has online-related love trouble.
“This almost happened to my dad, but I caught it just in time,” she said.
Knowing that the man or woman behind the scam was not the one featured in the pictures they had sent her father, Candice’s solution was simple.
“[Dad] didn’t want to believe me, but I told him if she was real, ask her to take a picture of herself holding a piece of paper with today’s date on it,” she said.
“Send one of you the same to her so she can see you’re real and if she won’t do it, you know she’s fake,” she reasoned.
What came next wasn’t much of a surprise “Sure enough, I was right.”
Candice said instead of a selfie with the day’s date, her father received an “outraged email”.
The “woman” claimed she “didn’t know what a selfie was” and asked him “how could he doubt her love?”.
That response was all the evidence Candice and her dad needed.
How have you caught out a catfish?
Top Comments
I'm pretty sure I was catfished once, he wouldn't meet up or even talk on the phone, he said he hated it, whatever, but with the money thing, he'd always try send ME money and presents, I gave him a PO box adress cos he 'wanted to send me something' and understood when I said I didn't want to give him my real adress, and he sent me money and gifts... his FB looked legit and I used to msg his sister and friends but he just wouldn't meet or talk in the phone... either an elaborate catfish that maybe was very self consious or just adress really shy guy with a funny voice.
Obviously I cut it off
"Obviously I cut it off."
Er, you mean "contact" here, right?
...maybe
Seriously, is this a sad indictment on how lonely people are in this society that they will have a 'relationship' with someone they've never met? Or have people always been this lonely and never had a way to address it and just lived in silent desperation? I can't comprehend telling somebody I've never even seen that I love them or vice versa. We have skype now - why not use that as a first port before you start talking relationship? Why are people so desperate for love and how do we address this in a modern day society?
Seriously I cant believe how thick some people can be.Sorry if that seems hard but I cannot believe that people can be taken in so easily