Follow
Share

Does anyone know what a "catfish"is? I was watching a show about this. It is about people who make up personas for forums. Mostly it is on dating sites and the catfish uses fake names, profile pictures and start relationships with people under false pretences. Usually the fakers are just lonely people with low self esteem who do not think people will really like the real them so they make themselves prettier, more educated, with better jobs and more lofty hobbies and talents. But it got me thinking. Do we have any catfish here? And if we do should we care?
What if , hypothetically, I found out we did. Hypothetically what if I was bored with a bad cold and googled some posters on here and found out that we have our very own catfish? HYPOTHETICALLY. Would you want to know? Would it matter? What of I did , hypothetically, out the catfish and the poor people were so distraught that it caused them much emotional pain? Maybe these people are just really lonely. Who cares if they really are not caregivers. Right? But what if these same catfish sometimes wrote hurtful things on here. Would that change the situation any? Or is it still not anyone's place to out them. HYPOTHETICALLY. I mean we all embellish some, right? Maybe I am not such a good person with my Mom as I write. Should I be outted?

This was a by interesting show and there is also a documentary of anyone is interested. It is called-Catfish.

I would really like to know what one would do if they, hypothetically, discovered a catfish. Please.

This question has been closed for answers. Ask a New Question.
Nah, I don't worry about it. I assume some people on here lie. If not, it must the only board in cyber space where there are no liars. But we are not sending them money or setting up dates with them or giving them our social security number. So where is the harm? Someone desperate enough to be a catfish on a caregivers support form probably needs attention as much as a real caregiver.

If someone is saying hurtful things to others, we pretty well police that ourselves and also have the option of reporting the hurtful post with a single click. It doesn't really matter whether the hurtful poster is a genuine caregiver or an imposter. Nasty comments get lots of feedback and can eventually get the poster kicked off.

If I knew for sure that someone claiming to take care of both parents and making nasty comments to other was really a college student who doesn't even call her parents except for money I would be inclined to report that to the site administrator, but I wouldn't go out of my way to track that down.

It is an interesting topic. Not one I'd lose any sleep over on this particular board, though.
Helpful Answer (18)
Report

oh hell yea. my avatar of kaiser wilhelm 11 is so pretty it gives ME an erection. im kiddin with ya mishka. i dont really care what motive one has for visiting these sites. some people just like to be controversial but controversy still provokes discussion and the various views are infinately educational. im a guy who already gets some pretty skeptical looks from hospice and docs so i want to do an exceptionally good job of caregiving just to teach em a lesson about judging people based on their appearance. its as ignorant as racism and just as damaging..
Helpful Answer (7)
Report

its been fun bein the capn for 13 years but im going to change my truck signs to " criminal mischief " masonry pretty soon. long story. if ya cheat me outta money when im already really treating you well im probably going to run over your lawn hydrant , enjoy the geiser in my rear view mirror and tell the judge i shoulda ran over your throat instead.
wait, this isnt the anger management group. never mind..
Helpful Answer (6)
Report

This was fun, Mishka! You are a darling girl! Even when we are not sure exactly what to do in certain situations, it helps to have support and different opinions. Everyone does care here. Enjoy the Present--it is gone so quickly. We don't know what tomorrow will bring. Maybe not what we expect or hope for, but what we must embrace, as it becomes the present. I'm all philosophized out for the day:) xoxo
Helpful Answer (6)
Report

I worry a little about people maybe holding back a lot of important details about their situation and fishing for encouragement to do something they really know is wrong, and getting it from us if they fish the right way! But worrying makes a bad hobby :-) and I think you just have to keep both heart and brain in gear. But if cap'n hardass turned out to be a real catfish - let's say he is actually a sweet young lady who never kicks anyone's butt in real life - I would be so disillusioned and heartbroken I don't know how I would stand it.
Helpful Answer (5)
Report

I think we have catfishers here as well as internet trolls. Some of the discussions become way too confrontational and others completely unbelievable.these are the discussions I will usually leave alone. Stress level for caregivers is too high to get all riled up and involved in something that may or may not be true. When a user name is changed or someone is new to the site I tend to be more cautious as well.
Helpful Answer (5)
Report

I do think some stories are embellished and some opinions just plain wrong and often hurtful. However tempted as I am I don't engage. Why start a fight. You soon get to know the "real" people.
By the way I don't think the Capt is a 13 year old girl in a mini skirt tapping away on her princess bed - but I could be wrong?
Helpful Answer (5)
Report

Hi Eddie,
Wow, what an angry post. That doesn't really sound like you. Are you OK? I am so sorry for what you have been through but I do not believe we all have a hustle. I refuse to believe that. It is too depressing.
That said, I started this post , not to talk about someone, but to see if it would bother anyone that I found out a very hostile poster on here has, in fact, created an incredible web of lies and is not a caregiver. Again, very very easy to find on the world wide web. As vulnerable as we sometimes ( often) get I found it very disturbing that said poster would take someone's pain and life story and twist it to benefit their own warped need for attention-- but not even the need for attention as much as the need to make others feel bad and build up their own false achievements.

I dropped it awhile back but this thread has a way of resurfacing and I again feel the need to explain. I was not asking if anyone thinks there are posters on here pretending to be skinny when they are indeed overweight to get a date :/ I was concerned about the vitriol this one poster had and her lies. Most don't seem to care --so be it. I find it terrible but I also read many other posts by same poster on different forums that were just horribly mean and self righteous. I know I should not let it bother me but , you know what, I am human, and I am struggling and sometimes being able to be mad at a mean, lying poster is a vice I indulge in. Call it displaced anger.

Still crabby. Sorry.
Helpful Answer (4)
Report

There is a poster here that is nasty, confrontational, condescending, rude, and thinks she knows more than anyone else. Many have called her out on her attitude, including me. There is another one, male, who is similar, not as bad, but I think he is an asshole and I ignore him as much as I can. Two out of all you wonderful people, isn't a bad average.
I did post, a week or so ago, That lately there are MANY new posts, from people with no activity on their wall, that tell these elaborate stories. We, as caring people give them advise and sympathy and spend time to help them, and they NEVER post again. AC deleted that post. I check profiles now, before wasting my time on these trolls.
BTW...the male is NOT capt!!!! This male has made it quite clear that he is jealous of all the attention the wonderful, loving, supportive capt gets here.
Sorry, had to speak my mind. I always do! Love to the TRUE caregivers and supporters here!
Helpful Answer (4)
Report

I wish AC had the option to edit or delete my own posts.
Helpful Answer (4)
Report

See All Answers
This question has been closed for answers. Ask a New Question.
Ask a Question
Subscribe to
Our Newsletter