Catching catfish: The online groups exposing fake love in Prague

With Valentine’s Day upon us, the grand pursuit of love may feel increasingly smothered for many women tangled in the growing web of plotting posers online that are stealing hearts for a quick cash-grab. 

Love-bombing their way to bitcoin investments, sleazing through apps to dodge their unassuming partners—these are some of the stories cited by users on TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook groups who are sharing their online dating experiences.

In virtually all major cities across the globe, secret forums are cropping up where disenfranchised women are taking matters into their own hands to help each other—and Prague is no exception.

According to a report from antivirus firm Gen provided to the Czech News Agency last year, the Czech Republic ranks as the sixth most vulnerable country for romance scams and other fraudulent activity on online dating sites. We spoke to an admin of a growing private Facebook group aimed at catching these catfishers and dishonest, cheating men online.

“This group exists in many big cities—the idea is to prevent fraud and to protect women,” says Tanya, who manages incoming requests to a Facebook group based in Prague. Scrolling through posts in the group reveals a cluster of stories about serial cheaters, ghosters, scammers, and men who are not who they say they are.

“Some of the stories are about men that are scammers or catfishers, using fake photos and presenting as someone else,” says Tanya.

While stories shared in the group must remain anonymous to protect members and prevent scammers from infiltrating them, Tanya shares an example from one of her friends, who was thankfully able to intercept the scam before it happened.

“She was talking to a guy claiming to be from London but was visiting Prague frequently. He was really romantic and rich, looking for a woman to get married, and then started asking immediately for her details.”

“All of a sudden he started to say, ‘today is my lucky day because I got a message that Bitcoin rose.’ My friend and I decided to run his picture with a reverse image search, and he was a fraud.” 

Being aware of red flags such as love-bombing, excessive boasting, unrealistic modelling photos, and probing questions can help to identify similar scams. Tanya gave us her top tips.

While catfishers and scammers are stealing hearts with increasing frequency as online dating grows, with the help of online groups, you don’t have to call it quits on the quest for love.

“I know it can discourage some people from searching for love online. But it doesn't mean that people online are only scammers,” says Tanya. “You need to be cautious, but it doesn't mean that you should give up.”