catfish

A fake or stolen online identity created or used for the purposes of beginning a deceptive relationship.

an individual (real or fake) who uses the Internet, and in particular, online dating websites to lure people into a scam romance. The general goal of a catfisher is financial gain by developing an online relationship with another person and ultimately asking for money. Besides financial gain, catfishers are sometimes people who prey on others and gain pleasure from online communications and manipulation. You also might hear the terms catfish or catfishing. Catfishing targets both men and women.

Catfish is someone who makes a fake account of someone on social media (Instagram, Facebook, tinder) to lure into a relationship with a false identity.

Someone who pretends to be someone else, especially on the internet. Found on anywhere from instagram to twitter to chat sites, these people use fake pictures to disguise who they are. A synonym for this in some situations may be "troll" because the majority of catfish out there are simply out to troll others, while others have their own reasons for this approach. Often catfish, once discovered, are faced with people full of annoyance and frustration at being "catfishes"

The phenomenon of internet predators that fabricate online identities and entire social circles to trick people into emotional/romantic relationships (over a long period of time).

Possible motivations: revenge, loneliness, curiosity, boredom

The term catfishing was inspired by the 2010 documentary "Catfish."

A catfisher is the name coined to a bottom dwelling human, who spends a great deal of time on the net in various locations, luring people into a falsely based romance. A catfisher uses fake pictures and bogus information. Often has low self esteem and simply is not happy enough with their image to present it to people that they deem out of their league, and turns to faking other people instead. Other reasons for fraudulently representing people include doing it to boosting one's self esteem and playing people they would otherwise not even get to speak to. In short a catfisher is someone who performs the act of catfishing.

you think you're talking to a fit bird and your actually talking to a 40-year-old obese plumber called Steve from Dorset who is wanking into a half-full bag of wotsits.