Catfishing 1: Technology Tricks

Catfishing scams have reached new heights, particularly romance scams. But how do they get away with it? This first of a three-part series on catfishing explores the technology these scammers use to fool their victims. 

Resources

• The man who "sold" The Brooklyn Bridge, Statue of Liberty, and Ulysses Grant's tomb
• All About Ethel Kennedy's 34 Grandchildren
• Catfished YouTube Channel

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Chapters

• 16:48 [Ad] Everyday AI: Your daily guide to grown with Generative AI
• 17:38 (Cont.) Catfishing 1: Technology Tricks

Transcript

Catfishing 1: Technology Tricks

This episode is the first of a three-part series about catfishing, which is an online practice that has nothing to do with cats or fish. It’s when a person goes online and pretends to be someone else. And while that in itself isn’t a crime, catfishing is often done with the intention of committing a crime. That’s the dark side of catfishing, which we’ll start exploring in this episode.

People pretending to be someone else, is nothing new. When I was at the age when I went to clubs, my friends and I used to have a little fun by putting on fake accents and giving a fake life story. And it was all pretty harmless. I mean, maybe we broke a few hearts, when a guy found out that he hadn’t actually been dancing all night with Simone the French skydiver, or Natasha, daughter of Russian spy, but all in all, I don’t really think we did much damage.

And we’ve all heard the story of Anastasia Romanov, the daughter of the Russian tsar Nicholas II. The entire family was executed in 1918, during the Russian Revolution, when Anastasia was just 17 years old. But there were reports that Anastasia wasn’t killed the last time she was seen, just injured. And the revolutionaries hid the families’ bodies, so no one could confirm that they all actually  died. 

This gave rise to rumors that Anastasia might have escaped, and was living life like a regular person somewhere in Russia. It’s a compelling story–a member of Russian royalty living among us peasants, biding her time until things calmed down. And we all love a good story, don’t we!

In the decades after 1918, at least ten women came forward, claiming to be the real Anastasia. None of the accounts really held up, but Hollywood loves a good story, too, and they made movies about the real Anastasia showing up to claim her place in the palace. There was one with Ingrid Bergman in 1956, and then an animated film in 1997. 

But in 2007, the family’s bodies were found, and DNA testing proved that Anastasia did, indeed, die alongside the rest of her family. So, we probably won’t get any more movies about that .

Another famous pretender was George C. Parker, who sold the Brooklyn Bridge. Parker made his money as a con man in the late 1800s and early 1900s by repeatedly “selling” New York landmarks to unsuspecting people, usually immigrants. He sold them not only the Brooklyn  Bridge but also Madison Square Garden, and the Statue of Liberty, and Grant’s Tomb. In case this isn’t clear, Parker didn’t own any of these things,but he pretended to be the owner, sometimes producing very convincing-looking documents and papers and bills of sale. Parker was caught and convicted of fraud several times. Have you ever heard the expression, “And if you believe that, I have a bridge to sell you” to refer to someone being gullible? This phrase comes directly from the exploits of one Mr. George C. Parker. 

My point here is that pretenders have been around forever, and will continue to be around. But catfishing, that’s a whole new level of pretending, one that’s a lot harder to catch. In the pre-internet days, if someone was going to try and fool you or scam you , they’d be standing right in front of you, and there would be some accountability, some way to catch them. 

Even with fraud committed over the phone back then, where the person wasn’t standing in front of you, there was a phone number to trace them back to. And since international phone calls were really expensive before the days of the internet, any fraud over the phone would almost certainly originate from the same country you were in. Like when Jordan Belfort, the Wolf of Wall Street, would call people up and pretend to know secrets about the stock market, and used that pretend knowledge to sell people worthless stocks. But, it was easy enough for the law to track Jordan Belfort down, because he was right th his office, right where he said he’d be.

Now, imagine all this same kind of pretending going on, but with the shield of the internet. 

Let’s take George C. Parker as an example, the infamous Brooklyn Bridge salesman, and consider how he would have handled his cons, if he had had access to the internet.

Back in his day, Parker went by several names, one of them being “Warden Kennedy.” This was a particularly good one, because he could pretend to be a member of the famous Kennedy family. I’m talking like John F Kennedy, Robert Kennedy. The Kennedies had lots of kids over many decades, like Robert Kennedy’s family alone produced 34 grandchildren! Sometimes I think half the state of Massachusetts is related to the Kennedys. Hell, I’m from Massachusetts, and I’m related to at least one of them! Okay, it’s like my seventh cousin or something, and the relation is by marriage, but still. And Massachusetts isn’t that far from New York City–it’s just a three-hour train ride. 

So for Parker’s fake online persona, we’re going to go with Warden Kennedy, a disgraced cousin of the real Kennedys, and Warden lives on Long Island, really close to New York City.

Next, Parker has to find a picture to use for this fake profile, one that’s sort of Kennedy-looking, which isn’t hard, because Kennedys are pretty much just your basic good-looking dark-haired dudes of Irish descent, and there’s tons of those around. Parker searches around and finds a profile with lots and lots of photos, a dude from Ireland named Sam Spikes, who’s a high school band teacher. 

Parker downloads a few of Sam Spike’s photos, then uploads them as part of this new profile for Warden Kennedy.

Now, for a backstory. Parker looks at Sam Spikes’ pictures for inspiration. Hmm.   Warden’s brother Joe was jealous of him in school, because Warden was really good at polo, and Joe was kind of a klutz. And because of this, Joe wanted Warden to be an outcast. The way he did that was, Joe stole some money from their Uncle Robert and made it look like Warden stole the money. So Warden was cancelled and banned, and now, at the age of 45, he lives on Long Island, all by himself, without access to all the wonderful Kennedy things, like their massive house on Cape Cod, or their massive amount of money. 

Warden was married for 15 years, very happily, but his lovely wife Miranda died tragically in an accident last year. Warden loved Miranda deeply, but now, sadly, he has no one to love, and he is so very lonely. 

We need a little more of a sob story, so let’s see. Warden would really like to enter politics and his purpose for that is to revive the arts in our schools, because budgets have been cut so much that schools don’t even have band class anymore. Warden can’t get into politics right now because of his tarnished name, but he raises money for the kids anyway, all quiet-like, and he donates it to schools so they can have music. What a guy. Yeah, that works, and it ties in really well with Sam Spike’s pictures, too. Pictures, music, all that stuff.

And for the final cherry on the sundae, Warden’s mother Caroline told him that when she passes away, she’s leaving Warden the bulk of her $83M estate to make up for how he was treated, because she never believed the whole thing about him stealing Uncle Robert’s money. And when Warden gets all that money, it will be enough to mount a huge election campaign and finally realize his dream of becoming a senator, and maybe even president! Just like his fourth cousin John F. Kennedy. 

With this fabulous backstory in hand, Parker now needs some fake papers. This being the 2020s, Parker has access to Photoshop, and he whips up a driver’s license for Warden Kennedy, using some templates he finds online. And he plays around with some other pictures too, pasting Sam Spike’s face on some stock photos. 

And now Parker, aka Warden Kennedy, is ready to make his move.

Parker pokes around Facebook, and finds some ladies of a certain age, like over 50 years old. Using Warden’s profile, Parker messages a hundred of them, saying things like Hi, You have a nice smile, just some really basic pickup line stuff. Most of them don’t respond, but about half a dozen of them do. And Warden strikes up friendships with them. He shares his own sad story, and listens to theirs. Some are widowed, some are divorced,  a couple of them are even married. 

Warden chats with his new friends every day, all through messaging, and sends them photos once in a while, showing how his day is going. Here he is grabbing a cup of coffee at his local coffee shop, and there he is at the park with his dog. And here’s a picture of his house on Long Island. And another of him working out in the gym. (Cuz Sam Spikes is kinda buff, ya know?) 

The ladies send him photos too, and Warden gushes over them. “How pretty you are! You’re 65? You don’t look a day over 40.”

Let’s focus in on one of these conversations: Mary. 

Unlike Warden, Mary is actually who she says she is, a retired schoolteacher living alone in the suburbs of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in the house she shared with her husband until he passed away from cancer two years earlier. Her two children are grown, and live miles and miles away. 

Mary bonds with Warden over the shared grief of losing a beloved spouse. He also tells her about the family shunning him, and the inheritance his mother will leave him one day to make up for it. And his devotion to school band classes. Mary sympathizes, even about the band class part, because she experienced the same budget cuts when she was a teacher. 

It’s a sad lot, Warden has. His family disowning him, him having to eke out a living in New York City, not being able to achieve his dream of becoming a politician so he can help the poor children get access to music in their public schools.

And about two weeks into their chatting, Warden types in that he’s kind of down today, because it’s his wedding anniversary. Mary does her best to offer some words of comfort, and Warden is grateful for this.

The very next day, Warden tells Mary that her kind words touched him so very deeply. In fact, he thinks he might be falling in love with her. 

Okay, let’s put on the brakes here, and see what Mary thinks of all this. Let’s start with how she got there. 

Mary joined Facebook at her daughter’s advice. It would be a good way to keep up with family, and maybe even make some new friends.

She’s gotten a few random friend requests, but they’re usually scams. One guy wanted her to invest in cryptocurrency, which Mary’s daughter warned her about, so she’s not falling for it. Another one was trying to get her to sell cosmetics in some kind of pyramid scheme. And yet another one said he was Johnny Depp. I mean, come on. Mary is far too smart to fall for that one.

But this guy, Warden, seems different. He hasn’t asked her for anything but conversation. And now he’s saying all this love stuff. Could it be for real? Mary has heard about couples meeting through online dating, and falling in love and getting married and having many wonderful years together. Could this be happening to her? 

Mary doesn’t have a lot of opportunities to meet dating partners. She goes to the local senior center once a week for bingo night, and she participates in her church’s bake sales and charity fundraisers, but these events aren’t exactly teeming with hot prospects. Mary still has her health, she gets around on her own just fine, and the few men she’s met in her age range have all kinds of health problems. Those guys need a nurse, not a wife. 

Warden is charming and handsome, and he seems to see past her wrinkles and into her soul. On one hand, him falling in love with her seems too good to be true, but if he’s not telling the truth, what could possibly be the reason? Could it be that true love has found her again? It would be a shame to blow, what might be her last chance at love, just because she can’t open her heart. 

Mary decides to keep messaging with Warden, and see how it goes.

Okay, back to the conversation.

After Warden says he might be falling for her, Mary considers her response. She decides to reply, “Haha. After two weeks of chatting?”

Warden replies with, “It’s just a feeling I have.”

Mary says, “How do I know you’re for real?”

Warden says, “I know you’re skeptical. Here, I’ll send you proof.”

This is when Warden sends over a photo of his driver’s license, showing his address on Long Island.

Mary is like, “Woh.” She does a Google street view of the address and yeah, there it is, the house he sent her a picture of. It’s crazy! This guy trusts her so much, he sent over his ID. 

And Mary recalls that it was like this with her husband. He knew they were meant to be together on the first date, but he kept it to himself for weeks so he wouldn’t scare her off. 

Mary and Warden keep chatting, and after a few weeks, Mary can’t help herself. She knows the feeling. She’s falling in love. 

First thing in the morning, there’s a message from Warden, asking her if she’s had her breakfast yet. All day long there are messages of love, photos of him going about his day, telling her how he’s always thinking of her.

And for Mary, it feels glorious.

But there’s still a little bit of skepticism left. Before Mary can really believe this is happening, she wants to video chat. She wants to see Warden in person, talking to her.

The two set a date for the chat, and finally, it’s time. They hop on a call, but something goes wrong. Warden’s face comes up for about three seconds, but then the call drops. Warden sends a message that his internet connection is really bad, and they can try again in a few minutes. They try again, and the same thing happens. And again. And again. 

Okay, this is a critical moment in Warden’s story. He needs to come up with the visual goods, one way or another. If Mary can’t see Warden, live on video chat, she won’t play anymore. She won’t believe he’s for real, and that will be the end of it. And Warden can’t let that happen. He needs this video chat to happen.

So what’s the big deal? The one behind the Warden profile, George C. Parker, he can just hop on the chat and pretend to be Warden, right? I mean, Parker was an American of Irish ancestry, and who knows, maybe he actually was a Kennedy relative! Hey, it could happen. But in any case, Parker has the look, and his New York accent wouldn’t be out of place, because Warden has supposedly lived there for 20 years.

Mm, no, that can’t happen. Because Parker couldn’t pass himself off as Warden, not in a million years. Here’s why.

I have to admit, I kind of lied earlier. Parker isn’t from New York, and he isn’t of Irish ancestry. He’s actually from Nigeria. Like, Nigeria, as in Africa. And Parker is black. And he’s 19 years old. 

Okay, you might be thinking, how did this whole situation get to this point? Some teenager from Africa pretending to be Warden, has fallen in love with Mary, the senior citizen from Pittsburgh? Like, what? This sounds like a plot from a Bollywood movie or something. And if it’s all a lie, and this kid isn’t in love with Mary, what the heck is he up to? Why does he need to keep Mary chatting?

These are all excellent questions, which I will get to in a moment. But first, let’s break down Parker’s problem. Mary needs to see Warden on the video chat, as the person in the photos. And Parker doesn’t have any easy way to do this, because Warden doesn’t exist. Well, he does exist, kind of, as Sam Spike, the guy from Ireland with all the pictures on Instagram, but Sam Spike has no idea any of this has been going on. And Parker isn’t about to message Sam and say, "Hey, can you come on a video chat and say some lovey-dovey stuff to this woman Mary?” That ain’t gonna happen.

Parker has to come up with something. So there’s a couple of ways this could work out.

One is for Parker to go find a video of Sam Spike talking directly to the camera. Parker can download the video, and remove the audio from it. During the video chat, Parker can play this video for Mary, so it looks like Warden is talking right to her. But Parker will be the one talking live during the chat, making it look like Warden is telling Mary things like “I love you” and “I fell in love with your picture” and “I can’t wait to meet you in person.” Maybe the lip movements in the video won’t match up exactly with the audio, but we’ve all experienced delays like this in Zoom calls and live chats, so Mary might not think anything of it. Hopefully, she’ll just be thrilled to see Warden talking to her and saying such beautiful words, and won’t question anything.

But here’s another problem. Parker, being from Nigeria, has a heavy Nigerian accent. There’s no way he can realistically fake a New York accent or a Boston accent, or any American accent at all. But Parker has a solution for that. He gets some software that changes your accent as you speak. Yes, this software exists. So Parker sets the software to a New York accent, and off he goes. Now, this software isn’t perfect, and you can hear shades of Nigerian accent creeping in whenever Parker speaks, but there’s enough New York in there to play it off to someone who’s excited to see a video and feels like they’re falling in love. 

(And maybe fool someone who hasn’t spent their youth in nightclubs, faking accents to fool guys into buying drinks for them. Okay, I’m not proud of this part of my life, but my time spent studying accents so I could fake them, does seem to have come in handy when spotting scammers. Did I say scammers? Oh dear, I haven’t even gotten to that part. Okay, back to the story.)

So there’s Parker’s solution to the video chat problem. His alter ego, Warden, hops on a video chat with Mary, and Parker plays the silent video of Sam Spike talking to the camera. While the video is playing Parker says blah blah blah I love you with the accent changing software, making it look and sound like Warden is saying these things. But the video of Sam Spike is only 30 seconds long, so Parker has to keep the call short. After a couple of minutes he claims he can’t hear anything, and he drops the call before Mary can notice that the video is on a loop.

As for Mary, she’s pretty ecstatic. Warden is real, she’s sure of it. She just saw him, talking right to her. And she’s more convinced than ever that this is the next chapter of her life, a life filled with love with Warden, this handsome younger man who thinks the world of her. No more loneliness. This is it. It’s for real.

After the video chat drops, Warden apologizes, and says he’ll send a video. And here is where the magic of artificial intelligence comes in.

Artificial intelligence, or AI, has been in the news a lot lately. It’s good for a lot of things, like big number-crunching tasks. It’s also reasonably good at creating art, and writing things.

Another thing it’s becoming good at is taking a still image and making it into a video. There’s software that can take a photo of a person, and some recorded audio, and turn it into a video making it look like the person is speaking the audio. Yes, this software exists, and it’s not expensive. For a few bucks, you can make your Dad say he’s proud of you, or make your worst enemy say they’re an idiot and they’re sorry for how they treated you. And you can also take a photo of Sam Spike, pretending to be Warden, and make this photo speak. The resulting video will show Warden saying that Mary is the woman of his dreams, and he can’t wait to buy a house in the country for the two of them and spend the rest of their lives together. A video that Parker can then send to Mary as proof of his love, as proof that he is the man in the photos.

Yep, it’s all possible now. The video might look a little stilted or stiff, but again, if you’re falling in love and you finally see the man you love, talking to you, speaking your name, saying all the kinds of loving words you haven’t heard in forever, a little stiffness isn’t going to bother you.

And now, the catfishing has reached a certain level. A plateau, as it were. In case it’s not clear here, Parker is the catfish, and Mary is his prey. But what is he after? Why is Parker doing all this?

We’ve gone long enough for now. In part two, we’ll talk about what Parker’s after, how he gets it, and the dire consequences for Mary and even Sam Spike.

This is Michele Bousquet from How Hacks Happen, hoping this has helped you spot the signs that George C. Parker is about to sell you the Brooklyn Bridge.