So, I wanted to share a bit about this whole “Arturo Catfish” thing I stumbled into recently. It wasn’t some big professional investigation, just me trying not to get duped, you know? It all started pretty innocently, I was poking around one of those online communities, the ones for niche hobbies. This time, it was about collecting old mechanical keyboards.
This fella, going by “Arturo,” pops up. Seemed knowledgeable at first. He was talking about owning some really rare vintage boards, stuff that collectors would drool over. Then he DMs me, says he’s looking to offload a particularly sought-after model, and because I seemed like a “genuine enthusiast,” he’d give me a “special price.” Right there, a little bell went off in my head. Too good to be true, usually is.
My Spidey-Senses Were Tingling
We chatted a bit more. I asked for some specific photos of the keyboard, you know, from certain angles, maybe with a current newspaper next to it – the usual proof-of-life stuff. He sent some pics, but they looked… generic. Almost too professional, like they were lifted from a catalogue. And he always had an excuse for why he couldn’t do a quick video call. “Bad internet connection,” “webcam broken,” “too busy right now.” Yeah, right.
So, I decided to do a little digging. It’s not like I’m a detective, but I’ve been around the internet long enough. Here’s basically what I did:
- I took those photos he sent and did a reverse image search. Bingo. They popped up on some old forum posts and a couple of auction sites from years ago. Different sellers, different countries. Definitely not his.
- I checked his profile on that community site. Account was brand new. Very few posts, all of them about selling high-value items or asking questions that made him sound like a newbie, not an experienced collector.
- He mentioned being in a specific city. I casually brought up a well-known local landmark or event in our chat, and his response was super vague, like he just quickly Googled it.
The “Big Reveal” (Spoiler: It Wasn’t That Big)
It became pretty clear “Arturo” was just some scammer trying his luck. The whole persona was fabricated. The rare keyboards? Probably never even touched one in his life. He was just fishing for someone gullible enough to send him money for nothing.
I didn’t even bother confronting him directly. What’s the point? Guys like that just disappear and pop up with a new name. I reported his account to the forum moderators with my findings. Sent them the proof about the images and all that. They took his profile down pretty quick, thankfully.
It’s just frustrating, isn’t it? You try to engage in a hobby, connect with people, and there’s always someone looking to exploit that. Wastes your time, and if you’re not careful, your money too. I guess the “practice” here was just applying a bit of common sense and using the tools we all have. If something feels off, it probably is. Trust your gut, and do a little checking. Doesn’t take much effort to save yourself a headache. Just another day on the internet, I suppose. You gotta keep your eyes open.
