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Virginia ranks no. 7 for most ‘catfished’ victims, study says

Posted at 7:09 PM, Jun 03, 2019
and last updated 2019-06-03 19:10:04-04

VIRGINIA – According to a new study by SocialCatfish.com, Virginia ranks #7 for most catfished victims in a state.

Catfishing is when someone fakes an online identity to scam victims for money, romance or physical harm. These online relationships can last for months or even years!

Catfishing victims increased by 50% in 2018 compared to three years ago, despite the rise of internet awareness on the topic.

SocialCatfish, a leading resource to verify online identities, used data from the FBI for 2018 in order to put together the new ranking for most catfished. .

Virginia ranked  #7 in the country with 480 reported victims. Vermont reported the fewest victims of all 50 states with just 25 cases.

The 10 states with the most victims are: California (2,105), Texas (1,238), Florida (1,191), New York (782), Pennsylvania (577), Washington (493), Virginia (480), Michigan (461), Illinois (463), North Carolina (432).

The 10 states with the fewest victims are:: Vermont (25), South Dakota (31), Wyoming (33), North Dakota (35), D.C. (36), Montana (42), Delaware (48), Rhode Island (51), (Hawaii (59) and New Hampshire (68).

5 Signs You Are Being Catfished:

  • If they ask for money: This may sound so obvious, but if the online friend or romantic interest whom you have never met asks you to send money or provide your bank information, you are being catfished.
  • If they can’t meet in person: If the person strings you along without meeting in person. They may even eventually agree to a day or time but have an “emergency” that day such as a cancelled flight or a medical issue.
  • If they are stationed overseas: If they claim to be stationed overseas or working on an oil as an excuse for not meeting.
  • If they can’t video chat: If the person refuses to video chat ever.
  • If they seem to good to be true: Some people who catfish feel bad about themselves and take on the online persona of a model or successful businessperson and the like.