Skip to main content

More Than Just a “Bad” Online Experience: Risk Factors and Characteristics of Catfishing Fraud Victimization

Snyder, Jamie A. ; Golladay, Katelyn (2024) — Deviant Behavior

View Original Source (opens in a new tab)

DOI: 10.1080/01639625.2024.2416071 (opens in a new tab)

Type:   Journal Article
Country:   United States
Tags:   Catfishing Fraud, Fraud Reporting, Identity Verification, Online Dating, Repeat Victimization, Routine Activities, Social Media, Victimization Risk
Citation tools
Download RIS Download BibTeX 


              
              

            

          

        


      

      

    

        
Transparency

        
Evidence and review status

        
This page contains AI-generated content. No human content review or subject-matter-expert review is recorded.

    


    

                    

                
Source basis

                

                    Downloaded PDF
                

            

                    

                
AI-generated page content

                

                    Yes
                

            

                    

                
Automated checks

                

                    Passed
                

            

                    

                
Administrative approval

                

                    Yes
                

            

                    

                
Human content review

                

                    Not recorded
                

            

                    

                
Subject-matter-expert review

                

                    Not recorded
                

            

            


    

        
            How this was prepared
        
        

                            

                    
Source basis

                    

                    
RSRC downloaded and privately stored a copy of the paper for internal analysis. The PDF is not offered to viewers from this page.


                                            
    
                                                            
  • 
                                    PDF added to RSRC:
                                    
                                
    • 
                                                    

                    
                                        

                

                            

                    
AI-generated page content

                    

                    
AI-generated research notes displayed on this page: Synopsis, Identified gaps, Methods, Limitations, Future work. The paper itself is not described as AI-generated.


                                            
    
                                                            
  • 
                                    Document analysis recorded:
                                    
                                
    • 
                                                            
  • 
                                    Page record updated:
                                    
                                
    • 
                                                    

                    
                                        

                

                            

                    
Automated checks

                    

                    
The current, source-bound synopsis passed the recorded versioned publication checks.


                                            
    
                                                            
  • 
                                    Checks completed:
                                    
                                
    • 
                                                    

                    
                                            

                            
                                View passed checks (3)
                            
                            
    
                                                                    
  • Length, completeness, repetition, refusal, boilerplate, and active-markup screening
    • 
                                                                    
  • Numerical claims checked against the available source text
    • 
                                                                    
  • English-source lexical grounding check
    • 
                                                            

                        

                                        

                

                            

                    
Administrative approval

                    

                    
The record is approved for public display, but a complete historical administrator action is not recorded.


                    
                                        

                

                            

                    
Human content review

                    

                    
No human review is recorded for the AI-generated content displayed on this page.


                    
                                        

                

                            

                    
Subject-matter-expert review

                    

                    
RSRC has not recorded review of this content by a subject-matter or methods expert.


                    
                                        

                

                    

    


    

        Review-state definitions

        Found a possible error?
        Request a correction.
    



    



              

        
                  

            
Synopsis

            
This study examines the relatively underexplored area of catfishing victimization—cases where individuals are deceived online but not necessarily defrauded financially. Using survey data from 1,511 social media and dating app users, the research analyzes patterns of deception and risk factors that increase susceptibility to catfishing. Findings show that 44% of respondents had been catfished in the past five years, highlighting the prevalence of this form of online deception. Common characteristics of catfishing cases included: The catfish initiating first contact. A short communication duration before deception became apparent. Requests for money, even if not always successful. The study applies the lifestyles/routine activities theory (LRAT) and self-control theory to assess risk factors. Both online behaviors (such as app usage habits and engagement with strangers) and offline behaviors (including social routines and personal choices) were found to shape vulnerability. These results suggest that LRAT, traditionally applied to offline victimization, is also effective for explaining catfishing risk in digital contexts. The article concludes with policy and prevention implications, recommending awareness campaigns and risk-mitigation strategies tailored to online dating and social media users. By identifying behavioral risk markers and highlighting the role of self-control, the study provides insights for both individuals and platforms to reduce catfishing victimization.

          

        
                  

            
Identified Gaps

            
Research specifically examining catfishing victims, including non-monetary and platonic deception, is scarce. Before this study, no published research was located on online activities or self-control in relation to catfishing risk. The study also identifies limited understanding of victim self-identification, reporting barriers, consequences, and repeat catfishing.

          

        
                  

            
Methods

            
The authors conducted a cross-sectional self-report Qualtrics survey recruited through CloudResearch Connect. The final sample comprised 1,511 English-speaking US citizens aged 18 or older who had social-media accounts, used dating applications, and had an online relationship within five years. Behavioral wording measured catfishing. Bivariate correlations, logistic regression, OLS regression, and mediation tests assessed online/offline routines, self-control, demographics, prior victimization, and catfishing.

          

        
                  

            
Limitations

            
Cross-sectional data cannot establish causal ordering, including whether hacking preceded catfishing. The sample was limited to recent online-relationship participants who had used dating applications, limiting generalizability to all social-media users. A five-year reference period may produce recall bias. People with negative online experiences may have self-selected into the survey, potentially inflating prevalence estimates. Other relevant risk factors were not measured.

          

        
                  

            
Future Work

            
Use longitudinal designs to establish whether risk behaviors occur before or after catfishing. Study broader online-platform users, additional risk factors, alternative recall periods, victim self-identification and reporting, consequences of catfishing, and repeat victimization.

          

              

    
    

        
Related Research Insights

        

            See how this publication connects to RSRC's living evidence syntheses through current citations and research-topic mapping.