Is internet catfishing illegal?

Currently internet catfishing is not illegal but there are now calls to outlaw the practice of online catfishing. Catfishing happens when someone uses false identity to lure you into loving them. They pretend they are the person they believe you want them to be. They make you believe that they are that loving, caring, complementing, appreciating individual you have been waiting to meet all your life. They make you believe they are that prince or princess you always craved for. They often borrow images of somebody else and pretend they are them.  They will send you authentic pictures of their brothers and sisters just to make you believe they are real. They will tell you daily about the daily hardships they experience at work just that you believe they are real authentic.

They will make their cover story sound and look so believable that even a very smart person will fall for it. They will make you fall in love with them, online, in the virtual world, believing that one day soon you are both going to meet and live happy ever after.

Then they disappear from your life. Just like that. Leaving you feel sad, lonely, disappointed and even a bit stupid. For them it’s just a game, for you on the other hand it’s a harsh reality.
People say that catfishing should be made illegal and that people shouldn’t be allowed to go online pretending they are somebody else and then break someone’s heart just because they think its fun. There have been cases where victims of catfishing went to meet their ideal online match, who then went on to rape them and in some cases the meeting even ended up with murder.

Tonight, at 20:00 tune in to Sky channel 212 / Freeview channel 161 where I will be interviewed by TV host Vanessa Cruickshank about catfishing and whether catfishing could or should be made illegal. You must watch tonight’s episode if you have young children who use the internet or if you use the internet for dating. It’s a light, cool and informative TV show with great interviews and live music.