I’ve pulled in some backup on this one and had a kōrero with the team at Netsafe about whether they’ve had reports of Grindr catfishing and for advice. Turns out they've had 10 official reports since 2019 and probably more, as many catfishing complaints don’t list the app they were targeted on.
Check out the resources and support available over at Netsafe
“I’m a little older than my photos.”
Why do people even do this?
I don’t want to presume to know why those who aren’t scammers do this. They could be downlow, unwell, have severe body dysphoria that makes them want to impersonate someone else, or blatantly get a kick out of causing harm. None of these excuse the behaviour. In fact, it’s illegal and it’s assault.
Scammers? Well, they just be scamming, it’s gross and only going to get more common as information becomes more and more valuable. Look after your data folks.
If you need help:
You can contact Netsafe for advice or to report catfishing or any other kind of online harm.
The law states that a person does not consent to sexual activity with another person if they allow it because they are mistaken or misled about who the other person is. If you have been catfished into engaging in any sexual activity, there are peopleyou can talk to who will support you and help you contact authorities if necessary.
- Talk to someone at your closestSexual Health Service– they will have support pathways to help you, these differ from region to region
- Safetotalk.nz– is Aotearoa’s 24/7 helpline for any kind of sexual harm. You can contact them in whatever way feels most comfortable – text, email, phone-call and more.Trained counsellors will be able to speak with youand help support you
- If you feel comfortable speaking to thePolice– there isa sexual assault unitthat will be able to help you bring a complaint against someone who has harmed you. We understand that this is a big deal though, so we recommend talking to an organisation that can support you in contacting Police and help you through the process.
