From time to time, problems do occur at every workplace. Sometimes, it’s your coworker who subtly tries to sabotage your happiness. Perhaps it’s the overwhelming workload that makes you feel like you can never catch up. More often than not, however, it’s your boss. While some of them are known to be unreasonable and irrational, others go to great lengths to deceive their employees and even lure them into fake relationships.

Olivia Fenton, an actor and singer from NYC, experienced it firsthand. Recently, she posted a TikTok video sharing how her manager insisted on setting her up with her “best guy friend.” Yet, when he was a no-show for four dates straight, Olivia started putting the pieces together.

“Catfished by my own boss,” she captioned her video, which collected more than 3.4M views in just a few days. In case you’re not familiar with the term, a catfish is someone who creates a fake online persona to trick other people. Read on to find out how the TikToker exposed her manager.

Olivia Fenton, an actor and singer from NYC, explained on TikTok how she got catfished by her own boss

Image credits: liv_fenton

Watch the full video, which received over 3.4M views, right over here

@oliviafenton4 catfished by my own boss! has this also happened to any of you nyc girlies out there I must know #fyp #catfished #nyc #live #laugh #love ♬ original sound – Olivia Fenton

A few days later, the creator posted another clip with an update

@oliviafenton4 Reply to @elysemyers updates on being catfished by my manager #fyp #catfish ♬ original sound – Olivia Fenton

The clip gained quite the attention with many of Olivia’s followers wanting to know how the situation unfolded. A few days ago, she created another video with an update, saying that she ultimately decided to go to HR, which resulted in her manager being fired. “It’s speculated she is deeply in the closet,” the TikToker explained. “So I think she might have had a crush on me and just took it way too far.”

We reached out to Samantha Cooper, founder of Rogue Daters Ltd., a private investigation company in the UK specializing in romance fraud and saving people from financial loss and heartbreak. She was kind enough to have a little chat with us about catfishing and how to react when you suspect your conversation partner is not exactly who you think they are.

When asked about the reasons why people decide to deceive others on dating apps, Cooper told Bored Panda that it’s normally a lack of confidence that leads somebody to create a false account. They wish “to gain trust or romantic feelings they believe they would not receive if they tried to connect as their true self,” the expert explained.

“Some people also catfish with fraudulent intentions such as a way of control over another person’s feelings or a way to get another person to part with money.”

She wants to remind you that there are plenty of honest people out there looking for love. However, people still should not let their guard down since there will always be some who are set on deception.

If you suspect someone is catfishing you, Cooper, who is a full member of The Association of British Investigators, shared a couple of important tips on how to react. “Run some basic online checks on the person you have connected with such as their name, place of work,” she suggested. “Can you find them on social media sites? Do you know people in common?”

Samantha Cooper mentioned it’s important to understand the dangers you might face and not be afraid to ask questions. “If something seems a bit off and not quite right—listen to your gut instinct,” she added. “Make sure you really know who is behind the profile you have connected with.”

Many followers felt surprised about the turn of events, here’s what they had to say

Games

View all games

Anyone can write on Bored Panda. Start writing!

Follow Bored Panda on Google News!

Follow us on Flipboard.com/@boredpanda!