What is catfishing and what can you do if you are catfished?

This is a good article on catfishing. With a few minor edits, the article begins like this:

Catfishing is when a person uses false information and images to create a fake identity online with the intention to trick, harass, or scam another person. It is often on social media or dating apps and websites as a common tactic used to form online relationships under false pretenses, sometimes to lure people into financial scams.

The person doing the pretending — the “catfish” — may also obtain intimate images from a victim and use them to extort or blackmail the person. This is known as sextortion, or they may use other personal information shared with them to commit identity theft.

The term is believed to originate from the 2010 documentary “Catfish,” in which a young Nev Schulman starts an online relationship with “teenager” Megan, who turns out to be an older woman.

In the final scene of the documentary, the woman’s husband shares an anecdote about how live cod used to be exported from Alaska alongside catfish, which kept the cod active and alert. He likened this to people in real life who keep others on their toes, like his wife.