by Jena Le ‘23

Catfishes are people who pretend to be someone they are not online. They are dangerous, but hard to detect at times. Sherwood recently had an issue with catfishing at the beginning of the school year. Someone under the alias “Jessica Masons” pretended to be a new Sherwood student on Instagram.
Masons messaged multiple sophomore girls and asked them personal questions like “What are you wearing on the first day of school?” or “What bus are you taking?” This person pretended that they were new to Sherwood and needed some friends. Many students felt sympathetic because they know that being a new student is hard. Masons took advantage of that kindness and used it to deflect suspicion away from them and their profile.

Catfishes are hard to detect because like Masons, they try to build a relationship with their victim. Their stories make sense to the victims. Masons asking what their victims were wearing for the first day of school wasn’t a red flag because Masons had never met anyone from Sherwood as a new student. Of course they would want to know what their new “friend” was wearing so that they could find them and not seem like a loner.

How can you avoid a catfish? First of all, if you don’t know the person in real life, it’s completely okay to be suspicious of them from the start. You can never be too careful. To make sure the person you are talking to is legitimate, ask the person to either video call or send a picture of them doing something specific like holding up a blue colored pencil. Most catfishes will not want to show their real face because they are impersonating someone else. Also, don’t let your guard down. They may try to ask you personal questions about where you live, your friends’ names, or even about your family members and their jobs. Catfishes will most likely try to make you feel sorry for them before asking these types of questions, just like how Masons used their “I’m a new student who needs friends” story to make their victims feel bad.

The final tip is to always trust your gut. If you feel like something is off or wrong with someone online, block them and avoid the emotional turmoil they may cause. Stay vigilant and try your best to be on the lookout for potential catfishes.