WICHITA, Kan. (KWCH) – A Harvey County man is bringing awareness to “catfishing” after his photos were posted on multiple dating apps. “Catfishing” refers to the process of luring someone into a relationship using a fictional online persona.
Matthew Juhnke said he was at work when a friend texted him about a profile on Match.com.
“‘She said, ‘Well, there’s a profile of you on Match.com and this guy is actually talking to me.’ And they were conversing back and forth as she was trying to verify it was not me because he was saying some very vulgar, interesting things,” said Juhke.
Juhnke said it was funny at first, but as time went on, he began to hear more stories about someone pretending to be him and luring in women.
“I heard about it the second time, then the third one,” said Juhnke. “She actually went to a restaurant. He actually got her to go to a restaurant, sit down, (and) order food.”
Kristi Porter is one of the women who saw the fake profile. Knowing Junke, she decided to reach out.
“I was lucky because I knew him. I was able to contact him privately,” she said. “A lot of girls don’t have that option.”
Catfishers often have hidden motives. They create fake relationships, exchange photos and romantic messages, and may even communicate through phone calls or video chats.
“Once trust is established, scammers create fictitious scenarios requiring financial help,” said Josh Planos with the Better Business Bureau.
If you think you are being catfished, Planos suggests ways to verify the person’s identity.
“Always probe for specific details in their story, use reverse image search on websites like or images.google.com to verify profile photos, (and) check the name, email, phone number online for any inconsistencies,” Planos said.
Juhnke said he filed a police report and has since deactivated his Facebook where the photos were taken. He wishes more can be done to stop the scammers.
“Whether it’s on the victim’s side where they’re being catfished, or my side, where I know that my pictures are out on 5 or 6 different sites, there’s got to be some kind of legality,” he said. “Somebody out there wants to find these people.”
Planos advises people to avoid sharing personal financial information and to limit the details they post on social media, as scammers or catfishers may use this information.
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