ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Catfish

A catfish is a type of fish, but when people talk about "catfishing," they're actually talking about something completely different.

When someone "catfishes" another person, they create a fake online identity to trick them. It's like pretending to be someone else, but on the internet.

For example, let's say a person named Sally pretends to be a guy named Sam on a dating app. She uses fake photos and information to trick people into thinking she's Sam.

This is called catfishing because it's like a catfish swimming around in the water pretending to be something else to catch its prey.

It's not a nice thing to do because it's lying and can hurt people's feelings. That's why it's important to be honest about who you are online and not pretend to be someone else.