The internet has brought us many wonderful things: online shopping, the ability to order a pizza at the click of the mouse, cat memes – however, the anonymity of the web has also made it incredibly easy for people to pretend to be (and deceive) whoever they want. Hence, the term “Catfishing.”

To be Catfished means you’ve been deceived online by an imposter that professes their romantic feelings to his/her victim, but isn’t who they actually say they are. The term was coined by filmmaker Nev Schulman after he was duped by a beautiful girl he met online while filming a documentary on the same topic. It’s since spawned a popular MTV reality show and has led to numerous celebrities coming out about their own catfishing experiences – proving that no one is immune.

Whether you’re hoping to meet your soulmate or are just trying to figure out whether that guy selling you that Ikea coffee table is indeed a serial killer, it pays to be cautious these days. Here’s a few signs that you might be getting catfished.

1. Every single one of their photos is model quality – If all of their photos have the glossy, professional look of a modelling portfolio, take this as a warning sign – especially if these are the only kinds of photos featured on their social media account(s). Even real models don’t do this! It might be easy to brush off the fact that they have abs like Tyson Beckford or the lips of Adriana Lima since it fits with the backstory they told you (“But, they told me they are a model!”) However, if you look at someone like Kate Upton’s Instagram you’ll find amongst all the gorgeousness, the usual collection of charmingly awkward family photos and the occasional food shot (“Mmm, brunch!”) to add human interest. That’s because real people like real photos (even if it’s just to convince us – their mere mortal fans, that yes, they are just like us.)

2. You’ve never spoken on the phone – Although not everyone likes using the phone, if your love interest blatantly refuses to speak on the phone or they have a litany of excuses as to why they can’t, this is a very good sign that they’re hiding something – specifically that their voice doesn’t match the online persona that they’ve created for themselves. It’s next to impossible to function in this world without a telephone of some kind. So, if they claim “my phone is broken” or “I don’t have a phone,” approach with extreme caution.

3. You’ve never video-chatted – Like above, if they dodge the topic of chatting on video it could mean that they are trying to hide their true appearance. Everyone is a bit camera shy, however if they’re as into you as they say they are, they should want to chat with you face to face. Another warning sign that you might be getting catfished: they “can’t seem to download that tricky skype thing”, yet they send you links to a bunch of YouTube videos that feature them performing soulful renditions of all your favourite songs on an acoustic guitar.

4. Your online lover is always travelling but can never come visit you– “But he/she can’t meet up with me because they’re travelling around the world modelling/fighting danger/teaching people to talk to manatees.” If this sounds familiar, you might be getting catfished. Unless you’re living in a remote village that’s only accessible by scaling the icy face of the Himalayas; coming to visit you shouldn’t be a problem – especially if your online lover has more passport stamps than Carmen Sandiego like they claim they do.

5. You live in the same area, but you’ve never met – With the exception of vast states like California, Texas and Florida, most people living in the same state shouldn’t be more than 6-8 hours from each other. Even more concerning: If you live in the same town or neighboring towns and you have yet to meet in person. There’s no excuse for this: if you’re dating someone, you should want to meet them. Period.

6. Their Facebook profile: You can tell a lot about someone by looking at their Facebook profile. If it looks like their profile has only been set up recently, with a limited number of photos, interactions and they have a very small friends list, this could be a sign that they are not who they say they are and that this is a secondary Facebook account set up to mask their true identity.

However, if they have absolutely no social media presence whatsoever and they have a very dramatic, convoluted excuse as to why, like “I can’t have a Facebook because then my ex-husband’s parole officer will hack into my account” you should also consider this a warning sign.

7. You Google them and find information that doesn’t add up –  If you suspect you’re being Catfished, do some online research. Search their email addresses, LinkedIn account, Twitter, instant message IDs, phone numbers, work information, vanity URLs — any piece of info they’ve offered you is fair game. If something pops up that leads you to believe that they are someone other than who they say they are or that they have been involved in criminal activity, consider this a major warning sign.

8.  When you come to their area to meet them they cancel on you at the last minute: A friend of a friend fell in love with a gorgeous girl that he met while playing online poker. After maintaining an online relationship for over a year, he just happened to be in her state (on the other side of the country) for work. However, when it came time to meet up she cancelled at the last minute, citing “something came up.” Another time he flew down to see her specifically, and when he got to her house he received a text message saying that she’d had to leave town indefinitely. This happened another few times before he realized he was being catfished. Case and point.

9. They have asked you for money: One of the tell-tale signs that you’re being catfished is if your online lover asks you for money. It doesn’t matter if they claim they’re “having major money issues but they’re trying to save up to come see you” or they need money for a flight home from that modelling gig in Turkmenistan, there’s absolutely no reason why you should be sending money to someone you’ve never met, even if they claim they love you.

10. You’ve done a reverse image search on Google: With the reverse image search function you can upload a photo of your love and Google will comb the internet looking for similar images. This is the easiest way to tell if they have used stolen photos of someone else. If you upload photos of that hot, crime-fighting marine biologist you’ve been lusting after and it turns out you’ve actually been looking at photos of Irina Shayk, congrats you’ve been catfished.

11. They seem too good to be true – Hope is a powerful thing. All of us want to find that happy ending, so often we believe what we want to believe. If your online love has an amazing job that seems unlikely or unattainable for someone their age, or you have an almost instant, emotional intimacy (I.e, they say they’re falling in love with you despite having never met), it could be that this person isn’t for real. If they seem too good to be true….well, you know the rest.