Is your significant other not who they claim to be online? Getting into a catfish relationship can be an incredibly violating and traumatizing experience, but you don’t have to deal with this person’s deceitful ruse any longer. We’ve created an in-depth guide to help you cut ties with this toxic individual, so you can focus on healing and recovering from this hurtful relationship.

1

Confirm that your partner is a catfish.

  1. Leave no room for doubt or confusion before you end the relationship. Catfishers often use the same tricks and ruses to manipulate their victims, like using fake, too-good-to-be-true pictures on their dating profiles. An image search can tell you if these pics are originals or copies from somewhere across the web.[1] Here are a few other warning signs that your SO might be a catfish:
    • They want to take your relationship to the next level really quickly.[2]
    • Their profile seems a little too good to be true.[3]
    • They never want to video chat or meet up in person.[4]
    • They don’t seem to exist online when you look them up.[5]
    • They ask you to chat on a more private messaging platform, like email or WhatsApp.[6]
    • They ask you to loan them money.[7]
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2

Confront them to break things off directly.

  1. Give yourself and the catfisher an opportunity for closure. Let your catfisher know what you’ve discovered, and that your relationship is over. Explain that you’re hurt and confused by their behavior, and give them a chance to be honest and drop the facade. Even if they refuse to drop the ruse, let them know that they’re out of your life.[8] You might say:
    • “I reverse searched some of your profile pictures and saw that they all came from stock photo websites. I know that you’re catfishing me, and I’m breaking things off. Still, I’d appreciate an explanation as to why you lied to and deceived me for so long.”
    • “Cut the act, Jason—I know you’re catfishing me. This relationship is over, but I’ll give you one chance to come clean and explain yourself.”
    • Confronting your catfisher is a really personal decision, and you definitely don’t have to reach out if you don’t feel comfortable. Remember—they’ve already wasted enough of your time, and you don’t owe them anything!
3

Break the news to the catfisher’s other contacts.

  1. A quick conversation can save someone from a lot of hurt. Before blocking your catfisher on every possible platform, take a look at their friends lists and followers to see if you share any mutual contacts. It could be worth sending a quick warning message to these people to let them know that their “friend” isn’t who they say they are.[9]
    • “Hey Cassie! I saw that you were following the account “itzjamie123xoxo” on Instagram. I recently discovered that they’re a catfisher, and I just wanted to give you a heads up.”
    • “Hi John! Sorry for the random message—I saw that you follow @katie0157543 on Twitter. I just wanted to let you know that she’s a known catfisher, and that you might want to cut ties.”
    • Don’t bother messaging mutual friends that you met through your catfishers. Chances are, they’re in on the scheme already.
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6

Switch to a different email address.

10

Practice self-care.

About This Article

Lisa Shield
Co-authored by:
Dating Coach
This article was co-authored by Lisa Shield and by wikiHow staff writer, Janice Tieperman. Lisa Shield is a love and relationship expert based in Los Angeles. She has a Master's degree in Spiritual Psychology and is a certified life and relationship coach with over 17 years of experience. Lisa has been featured in The Huffington Post, Buzzfeed, LA Times, and Cosmopolitan. This article has been viewed 10,267 times.
10 votes - 100%
Co-authors: 4
Updated: March 31, 2022
Views: 10,267
Categories: Relationships
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