Anonymous wrote:What does "catfished" mean?

I am not saying you are old as shit but you are

http://www.mtv.com/shows/catfish/

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think the OP is saying her mom got catfished by someone after the younger guy broke it off?

yes, this is what I think the OP meant. OP, can you gently try to talk to your mom about the possibility that some people don't present themselves realistically online? Like, tell her that you had a friend who emailed with a supposedly young, single man only to discover that he was older and married? Internet dating protocol is usually to meet for coffee or something after a few emails for this reason. . .

+1. I thought OP was perfectly clear - the catfish showed up AFTER the end of the relationship with the younger guy. Read, people.

OP, that is sad and I agree with the PP above that you can gently but clearly warn her that this is a real possibility, and try to make sure she isn't revealing too much in her emails to this person. Time for that coffee date before she invests any more. What a world we live in.

The catfish may just be some lonely depressed person who uses the fake online persona to escape his/her depressing life.

It can also be more scary, trying to steal your identity by getting as much info about you as possible - your birthday, your address, your full name, etc.

Anonymous wrote:I think the OP is saying her mom got catfished by someone after the younger guy broke it off?

yes, this is what I think the OP meant. OP, can you gently try to talk to your mom about the possibility that some people don't present themselves realistically online? Like, tell her that you had a friend who emailed with a supposedly young, single man only to discover that he was older and married? Internet dating protocol is usually to meet for coffee or something after a few emails for this reason. . .

TOP DEFINITION Urban Dictionary
catfish
A catfish is someone who pretends to be someone they're not using Facebook or other social media to create false identities, particularly to pursue deceptive online romances.
Did you hear how Dave got totally catfished last month?! The fox he thought he was talking to turned out to be a pervy guy from San Diego!

or

I was really falling for that gorgeous gal on Facebook, but she turned out to be a catfish.
by sbacke

I think the OP is saying her mom got catfished by someone after the younger guy broke it off?

I'm not sure I understand. The movie "Catfish" was about a man who was deceived via the internet into believing in the existence of a woman who did not exist.

How is this like your mom's experience?

I'm sorry for what happened to your mom, but you said she dated this guy for years? What was the scam, the deception about his identity? This is not at all catfishing.

Teach her to protect herself online.

Oh please pp's, it means creating a fake online identity and duping people (and I'm not young or hip).

It means that someone on an online dating site is lying to her about his identity likely to try and trick her into sending him money.

I agree. Speak English like an adult.

What does "catfished" mean?

Looks like we've figured it out before there was any real harm done except to her very fragile ego. She was widowed years ago, and dated a much younger guy for years but he recently left her and is now with a woman his own age. She's been trying to bounce back by getting out there in the online dating market. I feel terrible for her. How do you support your parent through something like this (not just the catfishing part, also the getting dumped part)?