Catfishing; The Other Type of Phishing: Leverage OSINT to Protect Yourself, with an Online Dating Twist
I love my friends so much that when they go on a first date, I research to provide them with the most up-to-date information on their match.
Disclaimer: The research is conducted with ethical consideration, and I research only as much as I need to confirm this person is who they say they are. It’s sad, but catfishing and lying do happen.
Here are the top five real-world examples I found and saved my friend from going on what could have been a catastrophic experience through my research.
My Top 5 Favorite:
- “Happily married” with two kids
- He used an alias (his father’s name) on all his accounts, had over 100K worth of debt, and did not have a steady job.
- He is 15 years older than his profile and photos say.
- Found guilty of strangulation of a woman six months prior (seriously)
- He was released from a 15-year prison sentence where he was falsely accused (I would rather not stick around to find out)
As most things have turned remote/virtual so has online dating. I believe this is a positive because women are safer when going on “first dates.” However, as things start to slow down and go back to normal, whenever that is, we will begin having first dates and meeting those strangers in person. So what can you do to keep yourself safe?
Thankfully there are a lot of free OSINT tools you can use to help you research your dates to ensure you are not walking into a date with a man who just strangled a woman.
Here are three tips and tricks that will keep you safe on that next in-person first date.
1: Reverse number lookups like SpyDialer or True People Search: Search their number; typically, it will provide their full name. If it doesn’t, it might be because they gave you a Google number or VoIP number. This is not a red flag because I use a Google number.
Note: I never give my actual number out till a few dates in.
2: Google Dorking searches are fantastic if you want to narrow down your search criteria.
Example of Google Dorking: Site:facebook.com John Doe < This search will provide you data on Joe Doe from FaceBook.com. You can replace facebook.com with any website and search a website such as linkedin.com.
Note: I have provided links before on how to do Google Dorking.
3: Google Search: Simply type in their name. If they have a name like Michael, they may go by Mike or another nickname, so start searching all the versions if you can’t find them right away.
Note: I have noticed that people under 40 have a larger social footprint and are easier to find online than those over 40. Depending on the situation, I might consider it a red flag if they are under 40 and do not have a social media footprint. It might be because of their job, but I would be interested in understanding without coming right out and asking, “Why don’t you have a social media footprint? Are you a spy?” Although a technique, it might not be best if you want a second or third date.
I want to be clear, someone not having a social presence is not a tell-tell sign that someone is hiding something. There have been times where they do have a social footprint and hide in plain sight. Be careful and pay attention, and if your gut is telling you something is off, it probably is off.
Some questions you should ask your prospect date to help guide you on your research:
- Where are they from/born?
- What city or area do they currently live?
- Do they have siblings?
- Do they have kids?
- Have they been married?
- Current place of employment?
- Hobbies?
Be careful when first connecting with people online. Do your best not to provide too much information right out of the gate. I find it better to share together. If you noticed that the conversation is one-sided, although it may seem nice, really look at the whole picture. Is it he/she being nice, or could something else be happening? Especially if communication is through text and you have not had a call, facetime, or met in person.
Dating crime is on the rise, and dating apps are becoming prime real estate for catfishing predators. Women are more likely to be targeted than men, but that does not mean men are out of the question.
Taking your cyber protection and security serious is critical. That is why I will be teaching a workshop at VetSecCon 2021 on October 28th on OSINT and how to leverage OSINT tools to protect yourself while online dating. Want to learn more? Go to VetSecCon.com and sign up today for FREE.
Also, I will be giving away one free voucher for Heath Adams OSINT course, donated to me through Cyber Supply Drop.
Resources:
Heath Adams OSINT Course: https://academy.tcm-sec.com/
SpyDialer: https://www.spydialer.com/
TruePeopleSearch: https://www.truepeoplesearch.com/
Google Dorking: https://exposingtheinvisible.org/en/guides/google-dorking/
