Small Ask First on Match
An initial request is modest and easy to justify (phone credit, a small transfer) and is used as a precedent for a larger ask soon after. On Match, where the dominant catfish pattern is older-skewing user base targeted with military-deployment and widower personas, this tactic is a common companion to that pattern. Match has no native video-call feature, so testing for this tactic usually means proposing a call on a separate app instead.
Counter-Move
Treat any financial request, however small, as the actual first data point rather than an exception to note and move past.
Check It
The tell — An initial request is modest and easy to justify (phone credit, a small transfer) and is used as a precedent for a larger ask soon after. — is carried in message text, which is what this tool compares against known script patterns.
ROMANCE SCRIPT INSPECTOR