If you see one or more of these red flags in a post, consider that they could be a catfish.

1) History of suspicious cross posts. If they post in: dirtypenpals, dirtykikpals, and similar roleplay and writing subreddits. Posts in subs like stupidslutsclub, sluttyconfessions, or rapekink are also suspicious. If their ad is plastered on a dozen different dirtyr4r type subs, be wary.

2) Too good to be true photos. Weirdly cropped or filtered selfies in posting history. Pictures that appear stolen from myspace or Tumblr. Pro Tip: do a reverse image search. Copy the imgur link and paste it into Google. It'll bring up search results; click on "search by image". This won't catch them all, but it'll catch some. You can also use TinEye.

3) Over the top dirty talk. Means it's probably a gay man catfish. Guzzling cum, alpha/jock, fuckmeat, blow and go, stuff my throat, etc.

4) Urgency to meet. Not necessarily a reason to be suspicious all on its own, but it's common for catfishers to say "can only meet tonight" to get as many messages as fast as possible.

5) Ages don't match up from past posts. Now sometimes people fudge the details a little (a year or two off), so that one isn't always suspicious unless paired with another thing on this list. But big age jumps are obviously sus. Use the link on the Automod comment that gets put on every post; it lets you hop back through their posting history on our subreddit. If they deleted their post, there are sites to see the post anyways.

6) Stereotypically girly username. Bunny, kitty, blonde, brunette, princess, babygirl, xoxo, etc.

7) Large karma scores but empty posting history. This indicates that they delete often, perhaps to not get caught using fake photos.

I could wax and wane infinitely about warning signs for catfishers (as I've encountered dozens and dozens as a mod), but I hope this quick and dirty checklist helps you avoid sending your pictures to a scammer or blackmailer.

Use the report function if you are reasonably suspicious it's a catfish.