Let’s Stop Treating Catfishing Like a Joke. It’s Time the Law Took It Seriously.
By Senator Fiona O’Loughlin
We call it catfishing. A quirky, almost comical word that hides just how sinister the act behind it can be.
In recent months, the term has been sensationalised through podcasts and social media, often told through outrageous dating anecdotes that grab attention but miss the deeper point. And while some of these stories are undeniably fascinating, the way they’re shared, as gossip, as entertainment, creates a dangerous misconception, especially among younger generations.
There’s a growing risk that our children and teenagers are not being armed with the seriousness or awareness needed to protect themselves. What should be treated as emotional manipulation, grooming or fraud is instead becoming playground chatter. The light-hearted tone we often use when discussing catfishing online risks numbing us to the very real harm it causes.
Catfishing, at its core, is the act of using fake photos and information, often stolen from real people, to create a false identity online. It’s used to deceive, lure, and manipulate. For some, that means being tricked into a romantic connection that never existed. For others, it leads to blackmail, financial exploitation, or worse.
While younger people might be most familiar with the term, thanks to the online spaces they live in, people of all ages are affected. From teenagers misled by fake dating profiles, to adults manipulated out of money or intimate photos, to older people drawn into false online relationships by fraudsters who prey on loneliness, the consequences are serious and wide-reaching.
In Ireland, the term “catfishing” became part of the national conversation after The 2 Johnnies podcast covered a now-infamous case involving GAA players being deceived online. Their series brought attention to the issue, but it also created a pop culture moment where the darker side of catfishing risks being overshadowed by sensational headlines and viral content.
I’ll be honest, I’ve listened to some of those episodes myself. They’re gripping. But the tone in which catfishing is now often discussed, on TikTok, YouTube, podcasts and social media, has started to resemble an old-school gossip column. Search the term online and you’ll find comedy songs, viral dances, memes, and people casually sharing shocking stories as if they were harmless pranks. That’s not the conversation we should be having about something that can leave people emotionally devastated, financially ruined, or worse.
One case that demands more attention is that of Alexander McCartney, just across the border in Northern Ireland. McCartney posed as a teenage girl on Snapchat and used this false identity to manipulate young girls into sending explicit images, which he then used to blackmail them. He pleaded guilty to 185 offences involving at least 70 children. Tragically, one of his victims, a 12-year-old girl in the US, died by suicide. Her father, overcome with grief, died by suicide 18 months later. This is the true face of catfishing when used by predators.
It’s against this backdrop that I’m reintroducing the Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person (Amendment) Bill 2025 in the Seanad this week. This Bill would make catfishing a specific criminal offence, empowering An Garda Síochána to investigate and take action when people are harmed by online deception.
It would also give legal recourse to people whose identities have been stolen. Allowing them to access data from dating apps or social media platforms that are currently uncooperative unless compelled by court order. Right now, victims are often left with no way to remove stolen images or find out what’s been done in their name. That must change.
We have criminalised identity theft in the offline world, why are we lagging behind the online where the harm can be even more intimate?
This Bill is about more than enforcement, it’s about sending a message. Catfishing is not a joke. It is not just awkward online dating gone wrong. It is deception, often deliberate and manipulative, and in many cases, deeply damaging. Whether it’s a teenager targeted for exploitation, a grandparent conned out of their savings, or a young woman whose face is used to lure others—it’s always a violation.
This legislation is not just for the young, or just for the tech-savvy. It’s for everyone. It’s about making our legal system fit for the online age and protecting people from abuse that’s just as harmful, if not more so, than abuse that happens offline.
We need to move the conversation on from gossip to accountability. This is a serious issue that needs the implementation of strong and modern laws that keep pace with the evolving threats we face online.
Laws shape norms. By recognising catfishing as a crime, we start treating it with the seriousness it deserves.
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