Social Catfish markets itself as an anti-catfishing service, reverse-search a photo, an email, or a username to verify that an online romance interest is real. Sympathetic mission, but the mechanics are ordinary data brokerage: it maintains searchable profiles of real people, built from public records and social media, and sells access to them.
That means you are in the catalog whether or not you've ever been near a dating app. Your name, photos, social accounts, and contact details can surface when anyone runs a search that matches you. The opt-out is free. The form needs only your state, name and email; listing URLs are optional but help Social Catfish find every record.
Checked against Social Catfish's live opt-out page on October 17, 2026. We read the page; we did not submit it.
What is Social Catfish?
Social Catfish offers reverse searches by name, email, phone, username, address, and image. A matching profile can pull together:
- Name, age range, and location
- Social media accounts and usernames
- Photos found on public pages
- Email addresses and phone numbers
- Address information
The image- and username-search angles make it unusually good at connecting your scattered online identities into one page, exactly what you don't want available to a stranger.
Before you start
- Have an email address ready; the form requires one.
- Finding your profile first is optional. Social Catfish's search walks through several filter screens before showing results, so skip it if you're short on time, but the URLs help it match your records.
- If you've used multiple names or usernames online, search each variation if you want to add their URLs; the form takes several, and they help it match every record.
How to remove yourself from Social Catfish, step by step
Step 1 (optional): Search for yourself
At socialcatfish.com, enter your first and last name and your country, then click search. Work through the popups: choose your state, then your city, then your age range, clicking continue at each step.
Step 2 (optional): Copy your profile URL
When your listing appears, right-click "See Complete Results" and copy the link address. That URL identifies your record. Repeat your search with name variants and note every URL that's yours.
Step 3: Open the opt-out page
Go to socialcatfish.com/opt-out. It has four tabs: Opt-Out, Access, Deletion and Correct Info. The Opt-Out tab is the default; the Deletion tab is there if you want your data deleted outright.
Step 4: Submit the removal form
First pick the state you live in. Then enter your first name, last name and email (all three are required) and paste any profile URLs you collected; the form accepts several. Optional fields help it find more of your records: middle initial, age range, other emails, phone numbers, and up to 8 photos you want kept out of its image search. Complete the CAPTCHA and click Submit Now. Social Catfish says it may ask you to verify your identity if it suspects a request is fraudulent, and you can call it with questions at 844-422-8347.
Step 5: Watch your inbox
If Social Catfish emails you to confirm the request, click the link in it.
How long does removal take?
Social Catfish says your information will not be available for sale on the site within 15 days of your request, and that it honors requests from residents of every U.S. state.
Verify the removal
After a week, re-run the search flow from Step 1 in a private browsing window, name first, then any usernames or emails you're concerned about. If a listing survives, submit its URL in a fresh opt-out.
Why your listing can come back
Social Catfish draws on both public records and live social media. New public activity (a new public account, new photos on indexable pages) can seed a new profile that your old opt-out doesn't cover. If you maintain public profiles, assume periodic reappearance.
Two mitigations: tighten your social media privacy settings (less public material to index), and re-check every few months. Defynta's free scan includes a link to Social Catfish so you can check it yourself, but we do not read Social Catfish automatically yet, so Web Watcher monitoring cannot alert you about this site.
Related sites to check next
Complete coverage in the master opt-out list.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Social Catfish opt-out free?
Yes. You don't need an account or a subscription to be removed.
Does removal take my photos off the internet?
No, it removes Social Catfish's index of them. The photos remain wherever they're actually hosted. If a photo is on a page you control, making it private removes the source material everywhere.
I found several listings under different usernames. Do I need separate requests?
URLs are optional, but including every one you found helps Social Catfish match all of your records. The form accepts several, so collect them first, then submit together.
Can someone file the request for me?
Yes. The form has a box for a request submitted by an authorized agent of a third-party organization. Defynta does not file Social Catfish today: we don't read the site automatically, so our free scan links to it for you to check.
Can I get someone else's fake profile of me removed?
If a listing misattributes someone else's details to your name (or vice versa), include that context when you submit, and for outright impersonation, contact their support directly in addition to the opt-out form.
*Social Catfish connects your usernames, photos, and accounts into one searchable page. See which sites are exposing your online identity with a free Defynta scan.*
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See which people-search sites list you.
Web Watcher checks the people-search sites we track for your name and links you to the ones it cannot read itself. You see the results before you create an account.