Social Catfish

Short description: Californian online investigation service

Social Catfish

Type| Private
Founder| David McClellan
Headquarters| Murrieta, CA
Services| Background Search, Reverse Image Search, Social Search, and Criminal Records
Website| https://socialcatfish.com/

Social Catfish is an online investigation service based in Murrieta, California.[1] The company aims to help users avoid internet fraud like romance scams by providing online identity verification.[2] Their website and app allow users to run background checks, including social searches (names, emails, usernames, and phone numbers) and reverse image searches.[3] The service specializes in determining if a person has been caught on other websites catfishing people.[4][5] Its user interface is similar to other sites that promise personal information will be revealed, only disclosing the cost and payment information after a lengthy, staged series of screens, during which it purportedly searches the entire internet for the requested information..

## History

The company initially started as a blog to educate people about online scams and catfishing. Today, Social Catfish is a multifaceted investigation tool with the option to run criminal background checks.[6][3]

Social Catfish has been recognized in the media by publications such as Reuters,[7] USA Today,[8] and others, for its ability to detect catfish.[9][10][11]

They were nominated for the Inc. 5000 awards[12] and were named the 118th fastest-growing company in America.[13] The founder of Social Catfish, David McClellan, was a semi-finalist for the Spirit Awards[14] in both 2019 and 2021 for best service based entrepreneur within the inland empire.[15]

## Technology

One of the services that Social Catfish provides is a reverse image search engine.[16] The data delivered after conducting a search is aggregated based on public data and profiles from various platforms including social media profiles. Their website is controlled and operated from their offices and facilities within the United States.[4]

Social Catfish also employs a members-only group on Facebook. Within the page, people can post and inform others of scammer profiles they may have encountered online or scenarios they have experienced with scammers to make others aware of potential harm.[17]

They also have an alliance with the Responsible Data Alliance which enhances the privacy settings within the web-page to protect users.[18]

## References

1. ↑ Benwell, Max (2019-02-20). "How to catch a catfisher" (in en). http://www.theguardian.com/technology/ng-interactive/2019/feb/20/how-to-catch-a-catfisher.
2. ↑ "Christmas season is also catfishing season. Don't fall for a romance scam" (in en-US). 2021-12-16. https://www.latimes.com/business/technology/story/2021-12-16/how-to-avoid-online-dating-romance-scams.
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Owner of Social Catfish Breaks Down Online Dating Scams" (in english). https://www.aarp.org/money/scams-fraud/info-2021/david-mcclellan-online-dating.html.
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Zhang, Enya (2022-01-17). "Account Finder: How to Find Accounts Linked to Email (2022)" (in en-US). https://www.supereasy.com/find-accounts-linked-to-email/.
5. ↑ Brooks, Amber (2021-04-14). "Social Catfish Helps Assure Online Daters the Singles They Meet are Authentic - [Dating News"] (in en-US). https://www.datingnews.com/industry-trends/social-catfish-authenticates-details-of-online-daters/.
6. ↑ Briquelet, Kate; Shugerman, Emily (2022-08-21). "She was 69. He Was Young, Hunky—and a Fraud." (in en). The Daily Beast. https://www.thedailybeast.com/a-romance-scammer-took-her-life-savings-in-crypto-this-firm-is-trying-to-get-it-back.
7. ↑ "U.S. coronavirus fraud losses near $100 million as COVID scams double" (in en). Reuters. 2020-08-05. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-usa-fraud-idUSKCN251025.
8. ↑ Bridges, C. A.. "Are you pretty sure you're dating NASCAR driver Hailie Deegan? How to avoid getting catfished" (in en-US). https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/crime/2022/04/05/catfishing-how-avoid-getting-scammed-online-dating/9468933002/.
9. ↑ "I Was Catfished: This Is What I Decided to Do About It" (in en). 2015-09-02. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/i-was-catfished-and-this-_b_8038868.
10. ↑ Harper, Gary. "Arizona ranks as 14th most "catfished" state; average victim duped out of $28K" (in en). https://www.azfamily.com/2022/04/14/arizona-ranks-14th-most-catfished-state-average-victim-duped-out-28k/.
11. ↑ (in en-US) 'Dr. Phil's' Catfish Week, 2020-11-16, https://www.drphil.com/videos/dr-phils-catfish-week/, retrieved 2022-09-12
12. ↑ "Social Catfish is a 2021 Inc. 5000 honoree" (in en). https://www.inc.com/profile/social-catfish.
13. ↑ Harfosh, Billy (2022-06-27). "David McClellan President Social Catfish" (in en). https://kfyi.iheart.com/featured/show-up-arizona-with-billy-harfosh/content/2022-07-27-david-mcclellan-president-social-catfish/.
14. ↑ "Finalists announced for 2021 Spirit of the Entrepreneur Awards, celebrating a new era of innovation | CSUSB News | CSUSB". https://www.csusb.edu/inside/article/549511/finalists-announced-2021-spirit-entrepreneur-awards-celebrating-new-era.
15. ↑ Content, Partner (2019-09-25). "2019 Spirit of the Entrepreneur Semi-Finalists Announced" (in en-US). https://inlandempire.us/2019-spirit-of-the-entrepreneur-semi-finalists-announced/.
16. ↑ Joz, David (2022-03-03). "13 of the Best People Finder and Phone Number Lookup Websites" (in en-US). https://www.maketecheasier.com/people-finder-phone-number-lookup/.
17. ↑ Barron, Ann Marie (2021-09-30). "Study Outlines Top Scams on Popular Social Media Apps" (in en). https://www.govtech.com/news/study-outlines-top-scams-on-popular-social-media-apps.
18. ↑ Jordan (2022-02-08). "Responsible Data Alliance's Commitment to Service" (in en-US). https://socialcatfish.com/scamfish/responsible-data-alliances-commitment-to-service/.

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