opinion

Catfishing: Not All Imitation Is Flattery

Catfishing: Not All Imitation Is Flattery

Creating an image and reputation your fans and supporters trust takes time and a lot of work. When someone with ill intent decides to steal that image for sexual or financial gain, even with all of that work you personally put in gaining and building trust, you will inevitably have fans fall for their antics. This in turn negatively impacts that reputation you’ve worked so hard on.

As people who make most of their money online, this not only affects our image, but also our paychecks. Even if the person who fell for the scam got what they wanted, such as a video or a nude they paid for (leaving our images intact), we have now personally lost a sale.

Make sure you and your supporters are on top of these scam accounts and take back control of your image.

I’d like to tell you a true story about a guy named Lawrence. About a year ago, he saw me live for the first time on MFC and was so excited to finally talk to me, a person he felt so close to and was in love with… a person he’d supposedly been chatting with for three years on a texting app. It turns out he had been catfished and he felt heartbroken. Who knows what personal information or photos he sent to this stranger, only to find out it was all fake? You can watch the full story on my YouTube channel, “Secret Life of a Camgirl,” if you’re interested.

Let’s discuss the intentions of a catfish now. They actually may vary, because it’s not always about money. As you can see with the Lawrence situation, they have endless time on their hands to manipulate their victims. Because of social media, we live in a time period where the concept of being catfished goes much deeper than someone on a dating app using a picture of themselves from 10 years ago when they weighed 40 lbs. less. It’s incredibly easy for a scammer to steal content, watermarked or otherwise, and then use it for whatever they want.

Scammers know that social media does not give creators the tools needed to deal with these situations. They know that if they take from a marginalized group of people who already struggle keeping their accounts active and verified, they can create enough confusion to profit.

During 2020, most of the support teams on social media shut down due to the pandemic. This gave these scammers even more time, with less risk, to pursue whatever goal they were trying to achieve. Any time I or a fan of mine reported a fake account, we were given the message that they were “not reviewing cases such as these at this time.” The build-up for fake accounts of me personally was insane, reaching over 200 of them just floating out there, gaining thousands of followers. In a normal week, I discovered at least two fake accounts. Fortunately, between my awesome supporters reporting them and my use of BranditScan, which helps with DMCA take-downs, we got them removed pretty quickly.

All in all, this industry creates such conflicting feelings. On one side, sex work can make you feel such a sense of power and control. At the same time, it can also make you feel so helpless and unseen. Diversifying our platforms and having multiple accounts or backups can help us stay in a middle ground, but we all know that’s not always enough, especially when there are catfish out there using the same tactics to gain followers as well.

So how do we combat this? Is there a catch-all permanent solution? No. There will always be catfish and scam accounts unless all of these platforms implement a verification system which includes aliases and stage names, but we know they won’t. Still, there is hope! We can implement prevention measures such as fan awareness and listing our real accounts in our bios, link hubs and websites. We can also look into fiscally responsible DMCA/brand protection companies that also perform catfish removals. However, awareness is key. Make sure you and your supporters are on top of these scam accounts and take back control of your image.

Not all imitation is flattery, especially in the wild west that is the internet.

Noah Bensi is a content creator and brand ambassador for BranditScan, whose clips and content can be found on NoahBensiLinks.com.

Copyright © 2025 Adnet Media. All Rights Reserved. XBIZ is a trademark of Adnet Media.
Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission is prohibited.

More Articles

profile

WIA Profile: Leah Koons

If you’ve been to an industry event lately, odds are you’ve heard Leah Koons even before you’ve seen her. As Fansly’s director of marketing, Koons helps steer one of the fastest-growing creator platforms on the web.

Women in Adult ·
opinion

What France's New Law Means for Age Verification Worldwide

When France implemented its Security and Regulation of the Digital Space (SREN) law on April 11, it marked a pivotal moment in the ongoing global debate surrounding online safety and access to adult content.

Corey D. Silverstein ·
opinion

From Tariffs to Trends: Staying Resilient in a Shaky Online Adult Market

Whenever I check in with clients these days, I encounter the same concerns. For many, business has not quite bounced back after the typical post-holiday-season slowdown. Instead, consumers have been holding back due to the economic uncertainty around the Trump administration’s new tariffs and their impact on prices.

Cathy Beardsley ·
opinion

Optimizing Payment Strategies for High Ticket Sales

Payment processing for more expensive items, such as those exceeding $1,000 per order, can create unique challenges. For adult businesses, those challenges are magnified. Increased fraud risk, elevated chargeback ratios and heavier scrutiny from banks and processors are only the beginning.

Jonathan Corona ·
profile

WIA Profile: Lexi Morin

Lexi Morin’s journey into the adult industry began with a Craigslist ad and a leap of faith. In 2011, fresh-faced and ambitious, she was scrolling through job ads on Craigslist when she stumbled upon a listing for an assistant makeup artist.

Women In Adult ·
profile

Still Rocking: The Hun Celebrates 30 Years in the Game

In the ever-changing landscape of adult entertainment, The Hun’s Yellow Pages stands out for its endurance. As one of the internet’s original fixtures, literally nearly as old as the web itself, The Hun has functioned as a living archive for online adult content, quietly maintaining its relevance with an interface that feels more nostalgic than flashy.

Jackie Backman ·
opinion

Digital Desires: AI's Emerging Role in Adult Entertainment

The adult industry has always been ahead of the curve when it comes to embracing new technology. From the early days of dial-up internet and grainy video clips to today’s polished social media platforms and streaming services, our industry has never been afraid to innovate. But now, artificial intelligence (AI) is shaking things up in ways that are exciting but also daunting.

Steve Lightspeed ·
opinion

More Than Money: Why Donating Time Matters for Nonprofits

The adult industry faces constant legal battles, societal stigma and workplace challenges. Fortunately, a number of nonprofit organizations work tirelessly to protect the rights and well-being of adult performers, producers and industry workers. When folks in the industry think about supporting these groups, donating money is naturally the first solution that comes to mind.

Corey D. Silverstein ·
opinion

Consent Guardrails: How to Protect Your Content Platform

The adult industry takes a strong and definite stance against the creation or publication of nonconsensual materials. Adult industry creators, producers, processors, banks and hosts all share a vested interest in ensuring that the recording and publication of sexually explicit content is supported by informed consent.

Lawrence G. Walters ·
opinion

Payment Systems: Facilitator vs. Gateway Explained

Understanding and selecting the right payment platform can be confusing for anyone. Recently, Segpay launched its payment gateway. Since then, we’ve received numerous questions about the difference between a payment facilitator and a payment gateway. Most merchants want to know which type of platform best meets their business needs.

Cathy Beardsley ·
Show More