Catfishing is the act of one person using a false identity online to mislead or trick others. Sometimes it’s just a prank, but in other situations it can cause real harm. If someone uses a fake profile to commit a crime, such as stealing money or threatening another person, the act may then be considered a crime in Arizona.
There isn’t one state law that directly bans catfishing. Instead, prosecutors use other criminal laws (like fraud, identity theft, and harassment) depending on what happened. The main question is intent: what did the person intend to do, and was anyone