How to pull off a catfish search like the MTV pros
Look, MTV’s “Catfish” is definitely a guilty pleasure, but like any good catfish search, the rabbit hole goes a lot deeper than surface-level drama. There’s a good reason the show’s been running since 2012—tea-sipping aside, legit experts uncover complex webs of scam artists’ deception. And that isn’t just good entertainment, it can be a valuable resource for avoiding and netting your own nasties.
So how does the team behind "Catfish" uncover the true identity of their digital deviants? Their pro-level catfish lookup often starts with a simple phone number search and goes from there. Spokeo describes how they do it—and how you can, too.
‘Catfish’ credentials
With a decade-plus (and still going) run on the books, there must be something to the credulity of MTV’s “Catfish.” Why do we still place so much trust in the show’s team as the de facto catfish search experts?
Turns out, the founding MTV team and show hosts are at least partially responsible for coining the very term "catfish" (which, in case you've been snoozing at the bottom of a lake, is the act of creating a fictitious online persona—usually romantic in nature—in order to dupe an unsuspecting victim, typically for purposes of financial fraud). The show is named after the 2010 documentary, "Catfish," which tells the true story of Nev Schulman's deception at the hands of an online romantic interest who isn't who she claims to be.
The doc was co-directed by Nev's brother, Ariel Schulman. Alongside fellow documentary director Max Joseph, Ariel and Nev then developed the MTV show in 2012, with Nev hosting. Since its debut, each episode seeks to crack a real-life catfishing case, relying on and expanding upon the tried-and-tested catfish lookup techniques the team has been using successfully for nearly 15 years. Of course, catfish goes best with a grain of salt; while the catfish search methods are legit, the show is reality TV, so it's ultimately presented to maximize the drama.
How the experts catch a catfish
Regardless of how much the show's producers already know or how the investigation is framed, the hosts begin their research from scratch, with no knowledge of what their investigations will uncover. As the hosts have explained more than a few times, many of the show's younger demographic have spent most of their lives making online connections via social media, which often makes them balk at the idea of checking a cell phone number, performing a reverse cellphone lookup, or even doing a quick Google search (for context, recall that as of 2021, TikTok surpassed Google as the world's most-visited domain).
Typically, the pro-catfish-catchers start with some basic online research tools to help victims uncover their catfishes’ obfuscated identities. These methods often include:
- Reverse phone lookup. This essential catfish phone number search allows users to enter a phone number into their browser. The tool then searches a robust database of public info like physical addresses, email addresses, and social profiles to produce matches. This helps investigators get an idea of whether or not potential catfishers really are who they claim to be.
- Reverse image search. While you can use a service for this, Google Images allows you to upload any image saved on your device (or copy the URL of images online) and search using that image for free, turning up image results that include the exact same pic, pics that contain said image, or similar images. It's a great way to see if a potential catfish has stolen their profile pic from an existing source.
- Background checks. Once online sleuths start to get a handle on the real identity of a catfish, good old-fashioned background checks—a paid service offered by many online services—scour criminal records, helping shed light on any potential past misdeeds.
How to do your own catfish people search
The typical catfish might kindle romance through a spicy profile, glaze their victims with flattery, and show an uncanny knack for sharing similar interests. Usually, that’s all to get their targets nice and buttered up so they can lay on a request for money—all while their physical location (and real identity) somehow remains a mystery.
However, as soon as you’ve got a phone number in hand, you can perform a reverse phone lookup or background check to help cut through that mystery and get to the truth.
This story was produced by Spokeo and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
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