There are some really easy ways to see if some one is "catfishing" It's not rocket science.

If your talking for a while and you have seen there" picture" already . Tell them you have been lied to in the past with meeting people online.. ask them to send you a selfie (now) holding a random item next to there face, like a water bottle, cereal box, newspaper, ball of aluminum foil ,, anything silly, but you choose it ( There is no reason a person cant find a 1.00 bottle of water to prove they are real and truly like you, to take a pic with) .. If they disappear,you have your answer, If they drag there feet you will also have your answer. If someone doesn't look basically the same in each pic well then its really a LMAO kinda deal.

Just don't allow you to get emotionally invested so early on.. Its like here.. Do you become emotionally involved with everyone you have responded too ? I doubt it. It takes time to get to know someone and it should.

I'm glad your gut was letting you know something wasn't right early on. Now just learn to always follow it, Mine has yet to fail me.

I met my husband online , Back in the hayday of "chatrooms" the same stuff was going on , it just wasn't called "catfishing"