Catfish: The TV Show (2012–…): Season 4, Episode 14 - Falesha & Jacqueline - full transcript
After her name and pictures were stolen, nearly ruining her life, a young woman is haunted.
>> If she tries to fight me,
are you guys gonna hold
her back?
>> The most important thing
is to just keep your cool.
Even if she comes out and--
>> Tries to start a fight.
Moment of truth.
>> Aah! Freaking out right now.
>> She is a menace to society.
I just feel like we need
something to make everything
look a little bit more official.
That'll be your--
>> That's what I do?
I'm the receptionist?
>> [laughs]
>> Catfish.
>> Who was it?
>> I don't know.
>> Hello?
Yeah?
We're ready.
[clattering]
Wait.
All right.
Oh, we got an email.
"Please help.
My past, aka Jacqueline,
is back.
Dear Nev and Max,
My name is Falesha, and I'm a
19-year-old girl from a small
town just outside of Pittsburgh.
About five years ago, I ran into
an unfortunate situation,
with a fake profile and a girl
named Jacqueline,
but all the pictures were of me.
This girl was really rude and
insulting to others.
Then she took it to the whole
next level.
She changed her name from
Jacqueline to my real name,
and started adding people from
my local high school.
The profile began to harass
people, telling my classmates
that they should kill
themselves."
[bleak electronic music]
*
Yeesh.
>> It's like a cyberbully,
just assumed her identity.
That's a weird mind.
>> Jeez.
>> [bleep].
>> "2010 and 2011
were rough years for me.
Being a girl in high school is
difficult enough.
Dealing with harassment
over the internet's just the
icing on the cake.
In the fall of 2011, Jacqueline
disappeared, and I thought
I'd finally gotten rid of her
for good, until a few weeks ago.
I'd received a message reading,
'Member me!'
She's back, and I have no idea
why and what she's capable of.
I am so mad but also scared.
I've tried ignoring it.
I've tried confronting the fake
profile and nothing's
worked out.
I feel like you two are the
only people that could get to
the bottom of this."
>> Someone's haunting her.
>> Well, and not just that.
This is a girl who is trying to
start her life, so if Falesha's
now out in the world and
looking for jobs and like,
there's this other profile of
her that someone finds when they
search her name, that could have
a terrible impact on her life.
>> Let's get her on the horn.
[call dialing]
>> all: Hey!
>> How you doing?
>> I'm okay, how are you today?
>> Well, we're doing great.
Thank you for asking.
>> No one ever asks us
how we are.
>> [laughs]
>> So how far outside of
Pittsburgh do you live?
>> About an hour.
I actually work in the city.
I'm a hostess at one of the
sports bar restaurants.
>> We read the email, but start
from the beginning and just kind
of tell us how it happened.
>> I remember seeing that
I had--someone had made a fake
profile of myself.
Jacqueline Linkwood was the name
on the account.
>> How old were you when it
started?
>> 14 or 15.
I started noticing that she was
posting very vulgar posts.
Disgusting, sexual things.
Eventually she ended up changing
her name from Jacqueline
Linkwood to Falesha.
She started adding people from
my local high school.
She was adding parents.
She would tell people they
should kill themselves,
or call them fat and ugly.
>> She was using the account
to go on other people's pages
and write really nasty things.
>> Yes, just destroying my
reputation.
I lost a lot of friends
at school, and I couldn't even
get people that I knew
personally to believe that it
was a fake account, or that I
was being victimized.
>> How long of a period of time
was this going on?
>> It was probably close
to two years.
>> Wow.
>> I used to come home
and I'd cry to my mom.
I never understood why.
>> Has it ever crossed your mind
as to who this could be?
>> My friends and I noticed that
her friend group were from,
like, all over the country, so
we didn't think that it was
really anybody that we knew
personally.
The only reason I know it's a
girl is because she used to
call me.
>> Whoa, wait?
>> What?
>> She would call friends of
mine--used to use a really
high-pitched fake voice,
and kind of like cuss us out,
and tell me that I was fake,
and that she was the real
person, and then she would
hang up.
My mom actually ended up
tracking the number,
and it tracked to [bleep],
Maryland.
Eventually I took a proof photo.
I posted that.
I'm like, "This is proof.
Like, I'm the real person."
I'm thinking this is going
to end it all.
Well, then she started editing
my pictures, so then people
were thinking that she was
the real person.
>> Eventually it went away.
Was there something that
happened?
>> It actually--it just
kind of stopped.
>> Until a couple weeks ago,
when all of a sudden out of
nowhere...
>> I had a message from a
Jacqueline Linkwood account,
and she was like, "Hey, hey,
bitch, 'member me?"
>> This is insane.
>> I thought it was done and
over with, and here it is
all over again.
>> Sit tight.
We're gonna make our way
to Pittsburgh, and we'll see if
we can't catch this imposter.
>> All right, thank you.
>> both: Bye.
>> Bye.
>> Who knows how many other
fake accounts they may have made
for other people?
This could just be the tip
of the iceberg.
What if someone she
cyberbullied killed themselves?
>> Right.
We gotta move.
>> * Is there anybody
* Out there?
>> You're really showing off
the chest hair today.
>> Well, this is a hairy
situation.
>> [laughs]
>> * Anybody out there
*
* Anybody out there
*
>> Hi!
>> Hey!
>> Oh, this is my mom.
Her name's Deanna.
>> Hi, Mom.
>> Do people mistake you
for sisters?
>> both: Yes.
[both laugh]
>> We're a lot alike.
But then again,
we're a lot different.
>> Yeah, we are.
>> So this is not our usual
type of story.
Basically, someone has
impersonated you.
>> Yeah.
>> For a long time.
>> Yeah.
>> We call them copycat fish.
>> Copycat fish.
>> It's like an evil
doppelganger.
>> She started stealing pictures
of me,
and that was when the profile
was Jacqueline Linkwood.
She posted very vulgar,
rude things.
>> Like what kind of stuff?
>> "Oh, I had sex with
three guys today."
And she would post that she
had STDs and everything.
She would comment on a lot of
guys' photos, like, "Come over
and [bleep] me."
And then I noticed, like,
a few people from my high
school I was getting the cold
shoulder from, and I actually
asked one of the kids one day,
like, "What's wrong?"
Like, "Why have you been so
weird with me lately?"
And he's like, "Well, I mean,
you sent me that rude message
last week.
You pretty much cussed me out
and told me that I was ugly
and that I was fat."
I'm like, "I would never say
anything like that," and that's
when I learned she'd changed her
name to my name.
She started friending people
that were from my high school,
and then telling everybody that
it was my new profile.
People started calling me, like,
"The attention whore."
A lot of people did start
turning on me.
That was really hard for me
to accept.
I didn't want to go to school
anymore.
I felt like I was alone and
I had no one there to stand by
my side.
I just wanted to give up.
I used to come home crying
to my mom, like, "Please, can we
just move out of state?
Like, I don't even want to be
in the same state anymore."
>> Got to the point where she
didn't want to get out of bed.
She didn't want to do anything,
and it scared me.
I was really worried for her,
and for her life.
>> It was to a point where I had
thoughts like, "Wow, like, it
might just be easier
if I wasn't here."
>> If I wasn't supportive,
and there for her,
what if she would've killed
herself?
You know what I mean?
My heart was breaking.
What is happening to my child,
who is the nicest person
in the world.
I don't want to see any other
child have to go through that.
>> But eventually the profile
went away.
>> It did.
I didn't know really what
happened.
And then a few weeks ago,
I got a message.
>> It was Jacqueline again?
>> Yeah, I reported her profile
this time, and I got it taken
down very quickly, thankfully.
>> To come back and message you
the way she did, that suggests
that this person's still
very volatile.
>> That really scares me.
Like, I don't know how far this
person is willing to push this.
>> If we find this girl,
and we bring you two together,
what do you want to say to her?
>> I think more than anything
I want to ask her why.
Like, why me?
>> She's just ruining
people's lives.
It just needs to stop.
>> I don't think people get
that cyberbullying is something
that can have a very real,
harmful effect on people,
and cause them to do terrible
things.
You might be the only way we can
kind of get to her to stop her
before something really terrible
happens.
Just walk us through what you've
got here.
>> That's the fake profile.
>> "Hey, hey, bitch.
'Member me?"
So this was a screengrab
from your phone?
>> Yes.
When I posted that Jacqueline
was back, people started writing
in, like, "This is what she did
to me."
I don't even know these people.
I know that they're all from
different states.
>> This is from someone named
Sandra.
"She told me how I looked like
a troll and was a whore."
>> Look at this person.
"Girl, you're so nasty, talking
about your poopy vagina."
>> Yeah, those are the things
she used to post on her profile.
>> Meant to hurt you.
>> And make strangers start
thinking this of me.
>> Yeah, not so funny.
Here's a message from Danielle.
She said, "A really long time
ago, this 'Jacqueline Linkwood'
claimed to date this kid I went
to school with.
>> She said that the Jacqueline
account just completely
harassed him.
He dropped out of school
and everything.
>> All right, let's get to work.
>> Thank you.
>> Stay positive.
>> I will, definitely.
>> I mean, the net that this
catfish has cast...
>> Yeah.
>> Is very wide.
>> This is a sophisticated
catfish who is causing a lot
of problems for a lot of people
all over the country,
which is what's so crazy
and scary.
We've got to stop this person
once and for all.
[electronic music]
*
>> We should stretch
a little bit.
[groans]
[makes swooshing noises]
>> Get away from me.
>> [laughs]
>> Ready?
>> Yes!
>> Whoo!
All right, so here's what
we've got: Falesha has had
someone impersonating her
for a while.
Whoever's doing this created a
profile using her pictures,
"Jacqueline Linkwood."
Then "Jacqueline" changed her
name to Falesha, started
friending all of Falesha's
friends and classmates,
harassing hundreds of other
people, being a real bully,
and then, couple weeks ago,
Falesha gets a message:
Jacqueline is back.
>> We need to find who the real
Jacqueline is.
Where do we start?
>> People from around the
country have been affected by
this girl.
Falesha sent us a bunch of
their messages.
I think we should just
check that out.
This is just so many people.
Wow, and it just goes on and on.
Here's a message from a girl,
Danielle.
She said, "A really long time
ago, this 'Jacqueline Linkwood'
claimed to date this kid I went
to school with."
Oh yeah, we saw this message
with Falesha.
>> Right.
>> Let's send her a message.
"Hey Danielle, this is Nev
from the TV show Catfish.
I was wondering if you might be
able to help me solve a case
we're working on that involves
the infamous Jacqueline Linkwood
profile."
>> One out.
>> Okay, so this girl Jennifer
says, "I remember I made a fake
male profile just to get
information from her, to get
into her profile."
She's had some pretty close...
>> Yeah, we gotta talk to
Jennifer.
>> Communication.
Let's send her a message.
Sent.
[cell phone rings]
>> Oh, you're getting a call.
>> It's a FaceTime.
Danielle.
Hello!
>> Hi!
>> Thanks for getting back to us
so fast.
What can you tell us
about your experience with
Jacqueline Linkwood?
>> I have this friend named
Koree.
And he started dating this girl,
Jacqueline Linkwood.
>> Online.
>> Yeah.
It was this really pretty girl,
who, like, to be quite honest,
like seemed out of his league.
We all knew it was fake,
besides him.
>> But he was pretty into her.
>> Yeah.
>> Everybody kind of started
calling her out on it, and
she would start crap with
a bunch of people, too,
and try to get in between
people's relationships,
and it was just so weird,
because it was like, she wasn't
from here, but she was like
using this Koree kid as like a
like to everybody where I'm
from, and just like, starting
[bleep] with a bunch of people.
Eventually, the profile just got
completely erased.
They were out of a relationship,
Koree, like, dropped out of
high school.
I don't know where he is now.
>> Koree left school because
he was getting harassed by
Jackie.
>> Yeah.
That's all I really remember
about it.
>> You've been very helpful.
>> Thanks, Danielle.
>> Bye.
>> So she dated this guy Koree.
Koree dropped off the face
of the earth.
>> She made some impression.
>> We're dealing with someone
who's making a big problem for
not just Falesha, but lots of
other people.
>> You're getting a call.
>> Oh, boy, here we go.
>> North Carolina.
This has gotta be Jennifer.
>> Oh, yeah.
Hello?
>> Hi.
>> Hi, is this Jennifer?
>> Yeah.
>> Thanks for getting back
to us.
What was your whole crazy
involvement with all this?
>> Smart.
>> Love.
>> Really?
>> Who?
>> Who was it?
>> Tracey [bleep].
>> Tracey?
And then what happened?
Wow, so you changed her
password, and took over the
account.
>> You're like a
cyber-vigilante.
You catfished the catfish.
>> Is there anything else that
you know about this girl?
>> We will let you know if we
have any more questions.
>> All right, thank you.
>> Bye.
>> Tracey [bleep].
>> Jennifer was behind enemy
lines, got into her Facebook
page, saw her info.
Let's just do a Google search
for her.
Tracey Barbie [bleep].
Oh, boy.
[bleep], Maryland!
>> Yeah, [bleep] was exactly
what the phone number said.
>> Not a lot on here.
She's got one cover photo,
three profile pictures.
One post--she said--
>> both: she's deleting her
account.
>> "Deleting, text me."
>> 240-[bleep].
>> Now we know, Tracey [bleep]'s
the name of the girl behind
Jacqueline Linkwood.
>> We have a phone number.
>> Let's reconnect with Falesha
in the morning, go from there.
>> We found her!
[phone ringing]
>> Morning, Falesha.
We have a lot of things we want
to go over with you,
so we wanted to know what your
plan is.
>> Wow, this place is beautiful.
Hi, guys.
>> Hey!
>> Hi, Randi.
>> Hi!
>> I'm Max.
How did you meet this group?
>> We, like, grew up together,
basically.
>> How close were you when all
this was going down?
>> Close.
>> I mean, yeah, we were
all close.
>> 'Cause it actually started,
like, at the end of
middle school.
>> Eighth grade.
>> Mm-hmm.
>> Yeah, high school definitely
wasn't easy for me.
I mean, I know it's not easy
for a lot of people.
Everybody goes through things
in high school, but the fake
profile of me made it a lot
harder.
My reputation went from, like,
"Wow, she's a really friendly,
outgoing person,"
to like, "Wow, she's nothing
but drama."
>> Was there like a moment where
you guys need to stand up for
Falesha because people didn't
believe her?
>> Yes.
When I saw her walk down the
hallway, the way people were
looking at her, it killed me,
'cause I love her, you know?
Just seeing a strong person
like that getting broke down,
it just killed me.
I saw her go into the bathroom,
so chased after her, and she was
sitting on the floor, just like
bawling her eyes out.
And I was like, "No, it's gonna
be okay.
Don't worry about this stuff.
Like, I'm gonna be next to you
the whole rest of the way,
the whole rest of the year."
And after that, I seriously was
with her like every single
moment in the hallway.
And nobody was going to say
anything to her.
We're almost 20 years old,
and this has been happening
since we were in eighth grade.
Like, it's time for it to stop.
>> We're going to try and walk
you through the process we went
through yesterday, see if we can
can make sense of all this.
So the first thing we did
was we went to your messages
that you sent us.
One of them was this girl
Danielle,
and we FaceTimed with her.
>> She said that there was a guy
in her school that started
dating Jacqueline...
>> Online.
>> And that is was weird,
because the girl whose picture
it was was kind of way out of
his league.
>> Was the girl--
>> It was you.
>> Okay, okay.
>> It was Falesha, right.
>> And then the guy left school
because he was getting harassed
by Jacqueline.
One of our big concerns here
was that you weren't the only
sort of target of this.
So that sort of raised the
stakes a little bit more.
>> Yeah, that's not okay.
>> So the next person we looked
at was this girl Jennifer,
and Jennifer really helped crack
the case.
She sort of back-doored
Jacqueline and created a fake
account as a guy that was
into her, to find out her
login information.
>> Oh, my God! [laughs]
This is crazy.
>> This is wild.
>> So Jennifer hacked in,
and she figured out who made
the Jacqueline page.
Tracey [bleep].
You don't know this girl, right?
>> Never seen her before
in my life.
>> She's 20 years old.
>> Oh, my God, [bleep],
Maryland.
>> That's where the phone number
where she called you had come
from.
There's not a lot on here.
She's got one post: "Deleting.
Text me."
And she listed a number.
She's got three profile
pictures.
>> There's Miley Cyrus.
That's Hannah Montana.
>> Wow.
>> Which the Jacqueline Linkwood
profile always used to--
would post stuff about them.
>> That's interesting.
So, the posters on her wall
are similar to the sort of
people she mentioned being a
fan of.
>> Yes.
I'm like speechless right now.
I feel like that's overwhelming.
There's so much to take in.
>> Yeah.
>> I think at this point,
we need to make contact.
>> It's worth the risk.
I want to see who it is.
>> I think we need
to make contact.
I'm going to try and call,
see if we can get her to agree
to meet up with us,
and take it from there.
>> I want answers.
>> You guys wait here.
>> I'm ready.
[phone ringing]
>> Hello.
Hi, this is Nev.
You may have heard of a show
called Catfish on MTV.
>> [laughs]
>> Who am I speaking with?
>> Oh, cool.
So, I got your number off of
a weird Facebook post, saying
that you were like deleting the
account and this is the number
people should reach you on?
>> Uh huh.
>> I was trying to see what your
connection is to
Jacqueline Linkwood.
>> [laughs]
>> So you seem okay
talking about it.
Is this--it's not something
that you're like hiding?
But you were very quick to
expose yourself just now.
I was hoping we could meet up.
Your Jacqueline Linkwood profile
has been around for a while,
and it's affected a bunch of--
Yeah, and a lot of people have
sort of been involved over
the years.
Okay, well, we would like to
meet you.
I don't--are you in Maryland?
Okay.
>> Well, it'll be--
It'll be me and Max,
and Falesha.
>> Oh!
[laughs]
>> Why would she do that?
>> I don't think that's going to
be the case.
That's not something I would
want to happen, either.
Okay, so I'll speak to you--
Tomorrow's your birthday.
Um, okay, well...
this will be one to remember.
>> [giggles]
>> Oh, my God.
I can't believe how cheerful
and, like, excited she is
to talk about her evil
alter ego.
>> Did you make contact?
>> Yeah.
Oh, yeah.
So, she picks up.
Very cheerful.
I said, "I'm calling about your
relationship to
Jacqueline Linkwood."
Right away, "Yeah, that's me!"
>> What?
>> And no, like, really laughing
and giggling.
>> That's scary.
>> That is making me mad.
I'm pissed.
>> Well, I mean, do you want
to go?
>> I'm definitely concerned.
Even meeting face-to-face
makes me a little nervous,
because she's quite repulsive
online, so I can only imagine
what she's like in person.
If she's the same person,
I mean, that's a little
frightening.
But I'll go.
No idea what I'm gonna say yet,
but I definitely want to see--
>> Well, we've got some time
to figure that out.
Road trip?
>> Road trip.
>> Let's get this show
on the road.
>> Picking up Falesha.
Got a long drive ahead of us,
all the way to [bleep] Maryland.
Hey!
What is in here?
>> All my clothes!
>> [laughs]
>> You need some help, buddy?
>> Think we need a bigger car.
[mellow music]
*
Maryland...here we come.
>> *Take these *
* Tired wings
* Home is calling you to sleep
A lot of people get bullied
in, you know, middle school
and high school, but your bully
was this mystery person,
that finally now, five years
later, we're gonna look
in the eyes.
>> * Falling through
*The cracks *
>> Are you the kind of person
that usually avoids
confrontation?
>> I mean, only because
drama was tied to my name
enough, so I was never the
type of person to really fight.
>> *I know what you need *
* Telling me you're free *
>> Starting to get a little more
nervous now.
>> * Take these
* Tired wings
>> We don't know what we're
dealing with here.
[knocking on door]
>> Hello.
>> Hey.
I got a text from Tracey.
She sent me her address.
>> So we're doing this now?
>> So we're doing this now.
>> Okay.
>> Oh, boy.
This could be the last time
you ever ride an elevator.
>> Think I'll ever make it out
alive?
>> She needs to understand that
this not only hurt you, but
everyone else.
You're kind of here on behalf
of everyone she's affected.
>> So if Tracey tries to
fight me, are you guys going to
hold her back?
>> The most important thing
is to just keep your cool.
Even if she comes out and--
>> Try to start a fight.
>> I'm ready.
>> Moment of truth.
Tracey time.
>> You guys wait here.
>> Aah!
Freaking out right now.
>> Hi.
Tracey, right?
>> Yeah.
>> How you doing?
>> Good.
>> Are you kidding me?
>> So, I'm here with someone
you might recognize.
>> Oh, my gosh.
[laughs]
She stole all of
Jacqueline Linkwood's friends.
>> She said you stole
Jacqueline Linkwood's friends.
>> So I heard that correctly.
>> I think it would be good if
we all came in to talk.
>> Okay, fine, she can come in.
>> Why don't you guys come in?
>> Whew.
>> Hello?
>> Hi.
>> Hi, I'm Max.
>> I'm Tracey.
>> Hey, Tracey.
>> [laughs]
Oh, my gosh.
>> Okay, so, you seem
relatively chipper.
>> Yeah, I'm always cheerful.
It's just my personality.
>> Are you putting on an act
right now, or is--
>> No, this is really me.
>> This is really you?
>> This is really me,
when I'm me.
I'm just...[giggles] really
energe--I work with kids, so...
>> Like in a day care?
>> Yeah.
>> Okay.
>> They're like my best friends.
They're like my little puppies,
they're so cute.
>> Obviously, you understand
why we're here.
You admitted that you created
this profile, so we were hoping
to hear a little bit more
about that.
>> I was bored with my life,
so I wanted to be someone else.
>> Right.
>> Like the whole
Jacqueline Linkwood thing was
like Miley/Hannah, you know.
Tracey by day,
on the internet, I was
Jacqueline by night.
>> Is that Hannah Montana?
Is that how it works?
>> [laughs] Yeah!
That's how, like, I, like,
did everything.
Like I come home from school,
bang! I'm Jacqueline,
not Tracey anymore.
>> How old were you when you
started doing this?
>> I was 14, in middle school.
>> So now you're about 20?
>> 20, today.
>> 20 today, that's right.
That's right, your birthday.
>> What could you do as
Jacqueline that you couldn't do
as Tracey?
>> Oh, my gosh!
I don't know, as Jacqueline
I could talk to anyone I wanted,
and like bully people and stuff.
It all comes back to when people
bullied me, so like, I have to
bully other people too,
to get revenge.
>> But why take out what people
do to you on other people
who didn't do anything to you?
>> Because they bullied me, too.
Like people--they're like,
"You're fake, you're fake."
>> both: But you were fake.
>> But they didn't know that.
>> A lot of people don't like
Falesha because they associate
her with your [bleep] up
profile.
>> I really don't like Falesha.
I think she deserves it.
She thinks she's a model
and she thinks she's all that.
I'm still mad at her.
Jacqueline was popular.
She had all that popularity
and Falesha ruined it.
That's why I don't really
like her.
>> Should I apologize for
ruining that?
Because I am sincerely sorry.
>> Jacqueline was like
a real person.
Well, she wasn't a real person.
I was the real person.
[laughing]
>> Do you take drugs?
>> I am not on drugs!
I never took a drug in my life.
I'm just naturally happy
and hyper.
>> Just out of curiosity,
I was wondering why you seem
so...proud of this.
>> Because, like, I created
Jacqueline Linkwood and I'm
proud of creating her.
I'm proud of it.
It really helped me.
When I got to bully people
online, I felt so tough.
>> And what if someone you
cyberbullied killed themselves?
>> Really? [laughs]
>> Yeah, really.
>> I wouldn't cry!
Like, would you want me to cry?
It's not my fault they killed
themselves.
They made that choice
themselves, so it's their fault,
not mine.
>> Maybe people really did that
because you told them to.
That could've been the trigger.
That doesn't bother you?
>> It--it does not bother me.
It's not my fault.
I did not hold a gun to their
heads, saying, "Go kill
yourself."
>> Yeah, but with some people
that have really low
self-esteem--
>> Well, I have high
self-esteem.
>> Look, this--this is...
relatively pointless,
what's going on right here.
>> Am I done with her?
>> Yeah, I mean, we're done
for now--we're all done for now.
>> Good.
Falesha, are you gonna say
happy birthday?
[laughs]
That was so much fun!
[laughs]
>> * The way I see
* You are lonely
*
*Turns into reality *
>> Do I just stand here?
>> I really was almost crying
because I feel like that was
the saddest thing I've ever
experienced in my life.
I feel like I'm at a loss
for words.
>> And I think she's just
mirroring what she sees.
She loves Hannah Montana,
Miley Cyrus, this extreme
representation of, like,
goody-good girl, and like crazy
out there, like, extreme girl.
>> * The way I see
* You are lonely
>> She's just decided to be
this character.
>> It was really cool filming
MTV's Catfish on my birthday.
It was so much fun.
It had so much fun, and I wish
I can do it again.
It was like the best birthday
present ever.
O-kayz!
>> She doesn't even know what
she's doing is wrong.
She doesn't even have the
capability of feeling guilt.
>> There has to be a more real
version of her that we're not
yet seeing.
We need to get through to
this girl.
>> Tracey texted me this
morning, and said she's home
with her mom.
We can come over.
>> But what are we supposed
to do now?
We've had a lot of intense
people on the show...
>> Right.
>> But no one, I think,
this far gone.
>> She has turned off
all of her real emotions,
and completely buried them.
We just have to help her
feel something.
>> I don't think we're gonna
get through to her.
We're--we can try.
I think we might get through
to her mom?
[knocking on door]
>> Hi.
Tracey's home with her mom.
Max and I have been talking
a little bit about
what we think we can do.
>> If we can try to get her mom
to help get through to her,
that would maybe make all of
this worthwhile.
>> I think it's a good idea.
>> Well, look, we got our work
cut out for us.
>> Maybe we can make
a difference.
>> It'll be interesting to see
if Mom's as exhausted and sort
of bewildered as to what to do
with her daughter as we are.
>> Here we are.
>> Hi.
>> Hi.
>> Can we come in?
>> Sure.
>> All right.
Yeah, it's cold out here.
>> Yeah, it's freezing.
>> Hi, how you doing?
>> Good, how are you?
>> Where are you from?
>> You're very quiet today.
>> [laughs] 'Cause my mom's
here!
It's awkward.
I didn't want her to come.
Wanted to be just me.
[laughs]
>> I like attention,
good or bad.
I don't care.
>> Why?
>> What happened?
>> He collapsed in school
on Thursday.
>> He collapsed on Thursday?
>> Oh, my goodness.
>> How old is he?
>> 17.
>> Well, thank you for spending
time with us.
Do you know anything about
Falesha and why we're here?
>> She knows about
Jacqueline Linkwood.
>> Oh, okay.
>> The girl I stole the pictures
from.
>> Falesha asked us for help,
because it wasn't good for her,
that Jacqueline Linkwood was
taking her pictures.
>> Hmm.
>> Eventually it turned
very evil and she started
telling telling people to kill
theirself, and telling them that
they were fat and that they
were ugly.
>> You don't talk to people
like that.
>> You know I always say
"Die of brain cancer"
when I get mad.
>> But you don't--I tell you,
you don't talk to people
like that.
>> A huge issue for that was
also that they didn't know that
it was her--they thought it
was me.
>> [scoffs]
>> It did cause a lot of
problems for me in high school.
I don't think that she
understands that she's hurting
other people through this.
>> [scoffs]
>> It not funny.
>> [laughs] It is funny.
>> Say sorry to her!
>> No!
What are you talking about?
>> You put yourself in this.
You think you are just
coming on TV?
>> The big concern for us
is that your daughter's
out of control.
>> I'm not changing how I am.
This is me.
I don't care what people think
about me.
>> She don't listen.
>> Has she always been
like that?
>> Yes.
>> He was tough on the kids?
>> Yeah.
>> He had a stroke,
and...he never get better.
He can see you,
but he can't really talk.
>> Can he communicate?
Or write or anything?
>> Can't do anything, no.
>> When your dad got sick,
was that around the time that
you created Jacqueline?
>> Yeah.
This is just too over, like,
whelming, whatever.
>> You're gonna go soon, right?
To--
>> To the hospital.
>> Right, so, maybe--
>> 'Cause they've been calling
me since morning.
>> If it's all right, I'll take
you outside and we can talk for
a second.
>> Okay.
>> Then you can go see your son.
>> Okay. Sorry about everything.
>> I thank you, and I hope your
son gets better.
>> Yeah.
>> What the heck?
[Tracey laughing]
>> Take care. Okay.
>> All right, I'll be back in a
minute.
>> Bye.
>> Bye.
>> Bye.
>> Your mom is sweet.
>> Well, I don't think so.
>> She doesn't listen.
She always want to do her own
thing.
>> What she's doing is
dangerous.
I think she needs help.
I'm very worried for her.
>> Okay.
>> I Just don't like my mom.
[giggling]
>> I'll say good-bye now.
I hope everything works out.
>> This episode of Catfish: The
TV Show, continues now.
>> Take a deep breath for a
second and know that I'm trying
to connect with you as a human
being and to say something
serious for you because I'm
concerned.
This is real life, okay?
You can't "speak" in caps lock.
>> I--it's just how I naturally
am--I can't help it.
>> Can you just try talking to
me right now with a regular
voice?
>> My voice is regular!
>> No, it's not.
>> You're mean!
>> No, I'm honest, okay?
And I'm being very real with you
'cause I care.
If one of the people that you
said something nasty to did
something to hurt themselves,
you could go to jail.
>> What?
>> For cyberbullying.
>> That's a crime.
>> You've been lucky so far.
>> Yeah--
>> But your luck could run out.
>> No. Nothing bad ever happens
to me.
>> You say you work with kids,
you say you love being around
kids.
If I were to press harassment
charges, that could very easily
be taken away from you.
And you'll never be able to work
with kids again.
>> What the hell?
[laughs]
>> It's true.
>> It's true.
>> I mean, gosh, you guys are
scaring me.
>> Good!
>> That's not good!
>> You should be scared.
You should be really scared.
>> [laughing] Stop scaring--
like--oh, my gosh!
>> Even right now, the way that
you're reacting to us, like
that's your personality telling
you, like, "Oh, I should make it
a joke."
>> [giggles]
This is really who I am.
>> But you keep telling yourself
that.
>> No, it is.
>> You can change yourself.
>> I don't want to change
myself--I like who I am.
>> Is that what you're gonna say
to the police, "I like who I
am"?
>> You're making this
complicated.
>> It almost really will come
down to that, that it's either
gonna be you bullying people and
being rude and being the way
that you are and you're not
gonna be able to work with kids,
or you're gonna have to change
something, and you'll still have
that opportunity.
>> No, I do like working with
kids.
>> The choice right now really
is like a real-life thing that
is eventually going to happen to
you.
That it's either gonna be one or
the other.
>> I think of that sometimes,
when I'm bullying people
sometimes, like, "Oh, my gosh,
what if I get arrested?"
>> Well, I think you should
think about that some more.
>> We came back here today to
see if there was an actual real
person who does feel things
underneath the costume and the
sort of huge personality that
you presented to us yesterday.
Well, you need to start really
showing people that.
Here's an opportunity to
actually show us the real you.
>> I'm, like, sorry for stealing
your pictures.
I just wanted to, like, be
someone else.
I was just Jacqueline to escape.
I feel like if I let people in,
they'll leave.
>> I don't want to say that it's
okay, because what you did
really isn't okay.
But, I mean, I do forgive you.
>> Oh, my gosh, my heart is
beating right now.
I can't believe I just said I
was sorry.
I never say sorry to anyone.
>> You say you created the
Jacqueline profile around the
same time that your dad got
sick, so maybe that kind of
triggered an emotion that you
couldn't cope with.
I feel like you kind of numbed
yourself out.
You don't wanna feel anything.
But just to block everybody out
is not always the answer, and I
feel like actually letting
yourself feel something will
allow you to actually let
yourself be truly happy one day.
>> All right, you guys ready to
go?
Look...a lot happened, and I
think, based on the
transformation I can see in you
just right now, you realize that
you wanna change and that the
way you've been dealing with
things isn't the way you wanna
keep dealing with things.
>> I am a good person.
[inhales]
I am.
>> Now you have to make other
people believe it.
>> That means doing hard things
like this, things that you don't
wanna do.
>> Wouldn't normally do.
>> Yeah.
>> I would like some help, but
I'm scared.
>> There's help for you.
You just have to ask for it.
All right, let's get outta here.
Bye, Tracey.
>> Bye.
>> * You've got a problem *
* I cannot face it
>> I think we made an impact on
her.
>> I think we did too.
>> Shockingly.
She is someone, maybe more than
anyone we've ever had on the
show, that would be so easy to
just write off and say, "Oh, my
God, what a monster."
And yet, she's not a bad person.
She's just been acting like one
for a really long time.
>> I'm hopeful...
trying to be, that she'll
change.
>> * Oh oh, let's just forget *
*
[line ringing]
>> Oh!
>> Hey!
>> Good morning!
>> Good morning.
>> Did you just wake up,
Falesha?
>> Yeah, I did.
>> What's going on?
How's everything?
>> I'm okay--I actually wanna
go to school to be
an accountant now.
>> That's cool.
>> Have you been in touch with
Tracey?
>> I haven't heard from her, but
thankfully there hasn't been
any other profiles of me as
Jacqueline Linkwood.
I feel a lot better knowing that
I got to talk to her about the
things that I did.
>> I'm very happy that it worked
out for you and that your future
now can start worry-free.
>> Thank you guys so much for
helping me.
>> Bye.
>> Bye, Falesha.
[line ringing]
>> Hey, what's up?
>> How you doing?
>> Hi, Tracey.
>> Oh, my gosh, Nev, you're so
hot.
[laughter]
Really hot.
>> Thanks.
How is everything?
>> I met this guy recently.
I really, really like him.
>> How many dates have you been
on?
>> Like, four.
>> That's good.
>> Are you still being mean to
people online?
>> No. I block people who get on
my nerves.
I don't want to deal with it.
>> You seem to be a little bit
more relaxed and low-key.
>> Yeah, I am.
I'm trying to, like, let people
in.
I talk to this guy about how I
feel.
I do tell him about, like, my
life and stuff.
So I'm, like, working on it.
>> We're glad to hear it.
Hopefully, things will keep
going well.
We're gonna go for now, but nice
seeing you.
>> Peace out.
>> Bye.
>> Prophet is a multiplatinum
Grammy-nominated recording
artist, formerly of the Nappy
Roots.
"I really do hope to meet the
beautiful girl in the photos,
but I have my doubts."
>> This is guy bait.
She's a supermodel.
[gasps]
>> I see someone walking.
>> She is coming.
>> Wow. You can be anybody on
the internet.
1575
00:41:06.
are you guys gonna hold
her back?
>> The most important thing
is to just keep your cool.
Even if she comes out and--
>> Tries to start a fight.
Moment of truth.
>> Aah! Freaking out right now.
>> She is a menace to society.
I just feel like we need
something to make everything
look a little bit more official.
That'll be your--
>> That's what I do?
I'm the receptionist?
>> [laughs]
>> Catfish.
>> Who was it?
>> I don't know.
>> Hello?
Yeah?
We're ready.
[clattering]
Wait.
All right.
Oh, we got an email.
"Please help.
My past, aka Jacqueline,
is back.
Dear Nev and Max,
My name is Falesha, and I'm a
19-year-old girl from a small
town just outside of Pittsburgh.
About five years ago, I ran into
an unfortunate situation,
with a fake profile and a girl
named Jacqueline,
but all the pictures were of me.
This girl was really rude and
insulting to others.
Then she took it to the whole
next level.
She changed her name from
Jacqueline to my real name,
and started adding people from
my local high school.
The profile began to harass
people, telling my classmates
that they should kill
themselves."
[bleak electronic music]
*
Yeesh.
>> It's like a cyberbully,
just assumed her identity.
That's a weird mind.
>> Jeez.
>> [bleep].
>> "2010 and 2011
were rough years for me.
Being a girl in high school is
difficult enough.
Dealing with harassment
over the internet's just the
icing on the cake.
In the fall of 2011, Jacqueline
disappeared, and I thought
I'd finally gotten rid of her
for good, until a few weeks ago.
I'd received a message reading,
'Member me!'
She's back, and I have no idea
why and what she's capable of.
I am so mad but also scared.
I've tried ignoring it.
I've tried confronting the fake
profile and nothing's
worked out.
I feel like you two are the
only people that could get to
the bottom of this."
>> Someone's haunting her.
>> Well, and not just that.
This is a girl who is trying to
start her life, so if Falesha's
now out in the world and
looking for jobs and like,
there's this other profile of
her that someone finds when they
search her name, that could have
a terrible impact on her life.
>> Let's get her on the horn.
[call dialing]
>> all: Hey!
>> How you doing?
>> I'm okay, how are you today?
>> Well, we're doing great.
Thank you for asking.
>> No one ever asks us
how we are.
>> [laughs]
>> So how far outside of
Pittsburgh do you live?
>> About an hour.
I actually work in the city.
I'm a hostess at one of the
sports bar restaurants.
>> We read the email, but start
from the beginning and just kind
of tell us how it happened.
>> I remember seeing that
I had--someone had made a fake
profile of myself.
Jacqueline Linkwood was the name
on the account.
>> How old were you when it
started?
>> 14 or 15.
I started noticing that she was
posting very vulgar posts.
Disgusting, sexual things.
Eventually she ended up changing
her name from Jacqueline
Linkwood to Falesha.
She started adding people from
my local high school.
She was adding parents.
She would tell people they
should kill themselves,
or call them fat and ugly.
>> She was using the account
to go on other people's pages
and write really nasty things.
>> Yes, just destroying my
reputation.
I lost a lot of friends
at school, and I couldn't even
get people that I knew
personally to believe that it
was a fake account, or that I
was being victimized.
>> How long of a period of time
was this going on?
>> It was probably close
to two years.
>> Wow.
>> I used to come home
and I'd cry to my mom.
I never understood why.
>> Has it ever crossed your mind
as to who this could be?
>> My friends and I noticed that
her friend group were from,
like, all over the country, so
we didn't think that it was
really anybody that we knew
personally.
The only reason I know it's a
girl is because she used to
call me.
>> Whoa, wait?
>> What?
>> She would call friends of
mine--used to use a really
high-pitched fake voice,
and kind of like cuss us out,
and tell me that I was fake,
and that she was the real
person, and then she would
hang up.
My mom actually ended up
tracking the number,
and it tracked to [bleep],
Maryland.
Eventually I took a proof photo.
I posted that.
I'm like, "This is proof.
Like, I'm the real person."
I'm thinking this is going
to end it all.
Well, then she started editing
my pictures, so then people
were thinking that she was
the real person.
>> Eventually it went away.
Was there something that
happened?
>> It actually--it just
kind of stopped.
>> Until a couple weeks ago,
when all of a sudden out of
nowhere...
>> I had a message from a
Jacqueline Linkwood account,
and she was like, "Hey, hey,
bitch, 'member me?"
>> This is insane.
>> I thought it was done and
over with, and here it is
all over again.
>> Sit tight.
We're gonna make our way
to Pittsburgh, and we'll see if
we can't catch this imposter.
>> All right, thank you.
>> both: Bye.
>> Bye.
>> Who knows how many other
fake accounts they may have made
for other people?
This could just be the tip
of the iceberg.
What if someone she
cyberbullied killed themselves?
>> Right.
We gotta move.
>> * Is there anybody
* Out there?
>> You're really showing off
the chest hair today.
>> Well, this is a hairy
situation.
>> [laughs]
>> * Anybody out there
*
* Anybody out there
*
>> Hi!
>> Hey!
>> Oh, this is my mom.
Her name's Deanna.
>> Hi, Mom.
>> Do people mistake you
for sisters?
>> both: Yes.
[both laugh]
>> We're a lot alike.
But then again,
we're a lot different.
>> Yeah, we are.
>> So this is not our usual
type of story.
Basically, someone has
impersonated you.
>> Yeah.
>> For a long time.
>> Yeah.
>> We call them copycat fish.
>> Copycat fish.
>> It's like an evil
doppelganger.
>> She started stealing pictures
of me,
and that was when the profile
was Jacqueline Linkwood.
She posted very vulgar,
rude things.
>> Like what kind of stuff?
>> "Oh, I had sex with
three guys today."
And she would post that she
had STDs and everything.
She would comment on a lot of
guys' photos, like, "Come over
and [bleep] me."
And then I noticed, like,
a few people from my high
school I was getting the cold
shoulder from, and I actually
asked one of the kids one day,
like, "What's wrong?"
Like, "Why have you been so
weird with me lately?"
And he's like, "Well, I mean,
you sent me that rude message
last week.
You pretty much cussed me out
and told me that I was ugly
and that I was fat."
I'm like, "I would never say
anything like that," and that's
when I learned she'd changed her
name to my name.
She started friending people
that were from my high school,
and then telling everybody that
it was my new profile.
People started calling me, like,
"The attention whore."
A lot of people did start
turning on me.
That was really hard for me
to accept.
I didn't want to go to school
anymore.
I felt like I was alone and
I had no one there to stand by
my side.
I just wanted to give up.
I used to come home crying
to my mom, like, "Please, can we
just move out of state?
Like, I don't even want to be
in the same state anymore."
>> Got to the point where she
didn't want to get out of bed.
She didn't want to do anything,
and it scared me.
I was really worried for her,
and for her life.
>> It was to a point where I had
thoughts like, "Wow, like, it
might just be easier
if I wasn't here."
>> If I wasn't supportive,
and there for her,
what if she would've killed
herself?
You know what I mean?
My heart was breaking.
What is happening to my child,
who is the nicest person
in the world.
I don't want to see any other
child have to go through that.
>> But eventually the profile
went away.
>> It did.
I didn't know really what
happened.
And then a few weeks ago,
I got a message.
>> It was Jacqueline again?
>> Yeah, I reported her profile
this time, and I got it taken
down very quickly, thankfully.
>> To come back and message you
the way she did, that suggests
that this person's still
very volatile.
>> That really scares me.
Like, I don't know how far this
person is willing to push this.
>> If we find this girl,
and we bring you two together,
what do you want to say to her?
>> I think more than anything
I want to ask her why.
Like, why me?
>> She's just ruining
people's lives.
It just needs to stop.
>> I don't think people get
that cyberbullying is something
that can have a very real,
harmful effect on people,
and cause them to do terrible
things.
You might be the only way we can
kind of get to her to stop her
before something really terrible
happens.
Just walk us through what you've
got here.
>> That's the fake profile.
>> "Hey, hey, bitch.
'Member me?"
So this was a screengrab
from your phone?
>> Yes.
When I posted that Jacqueline
was back, people started writing
in, like, "This is what she did
to me."
I don't even know these people.
I know that they're all from
different states.
>> This is from someone named
Sandra.
"She told me how I looked like
a troll and was a whore."
>> Look at this person.
"Girl, you're so nasty, talking
about your poopy vagina."
>> Yeah, those are the things
she used to post on her profile.
>> Meant to hurt you.
>> And make strangers start
thinking this of me.
>> Yeah, not so funny.
Here's a message from Danielle.
She said, "A really long time
ago, this 'Jacqueline Linkwood'
claimed to date this kid I went
to school with.
>> She said that the Jacqueline
account just completely
harassed him.
He dropped out of school
and everything.
>> All right, let's get to work.
>> Thank you.
>> Stay positive.
>> I will, definitely.
>> I mean, the net that this
catfish has cast...
>> Yeah.
>> Is very wide.
>> This is a sophisticated
catfish who is causing a lot
of problems for a lot of people
all over the country,
which is what's so crazy
and scary.
We've got to stop this person
once and for all.
[electronic music]
*
>> We should stretch
a little bit.
[groans]
[makes swooshing noises]
>> Get away from me.
>> [laughs]
>> Ready?
>> Yes!
>> Whoo!
All right, so here's what
we've got: Falesha has had
someone impersonating her
for a while.
Whoever's doing this created a
profile using her pictures,
"Jacqueline Linkwood."
Then "Jacqueline" changed her
name to Falesha, started
friending all of Falesha's
friends and classmates,
harassing hundreds of other
people, being a real bully,
and then, couple weeks ago,
Falesha gets a message:
Jacqueline is back.
>> We need to find who the real
Jacqueline is.
Where do we start?
>> People from around the
country have been affected by
this girl.
Falesha sent us a bunch of
their messages.
I think we should just
check that out.
This is just so many people.
Wow, and it just goes on and on.
Here's a message from a girl,
Danielle.
She said, "A really long time
ago, this 'Jacqueline Linkwood'
claimed to date this kid I went
to school with."
Oh yeah, we saw this message
with Falesha.
>> Right.
>> Let's send her a message.
"Hey Danielle, this is Nev
from the TV show Catfish.
I was wondering if you might be
able to help me solve a case
we're working on that involves
the infamous Jacqueline Linkwood
profile."
>> One out.
>> Okay, so this girl Jennifer
says, "I remember I made a fake
male profile just to get
information from her, to get
into her profile."
She's had some pretty close...
>> Yeah, we gotta talk to
Jennifer.
>> Communication.
Let's send her a message.
Sent.
[cell phone rings]
>> Oh, you're getting a call.
>> It's a FaceTime.
Danielle.
Hello!
>> Hi!
>> Thanks for getting back to us
so fast.
What can you tell us
about your experience with
Jacqueline Linkwood?
>> I have this friend named
Koree.
And he started dating this girl,
Jacqueline Linkwood.
>> Online.
>> Yeah.
It was this really pretty girl,
who, like, to be quite honest,
like seemed out of his league.
We all knew it was fake,
besides him.
>> But he was pretty into her.
>> Yeah.
>> Everybody kind of started
calling her out on it, and
she would start crap with
a bunch of people, too,
and try to get in between
people's relationships,
and it was just so weird,
because it was like, she wasn't
from here, but she was like
using this Koree kid as like a
like to everybody where I'm
from, and just like, starting
[bleep] with a bunch of people.
Eventually, the profile just got
completely erased.
They were out of a relationship,
Koree, like, dropped out of
high school.
I don't know where he is now.
>> Koree left school because
he was getting harassed by
Jackie.
>> Yeah.
That's all I really remember
about it.
>> You've been very helpful.
>> Thanks, Danielle.
>> Bye.
>> So she dated this guy Koree.
Koree dropped off the face
of the earth.
>> She made some impression.
>> We're dealing with someone
who's making a big problem for
not just Falesha, but lots of
other people.
>> You're getting a call.
>> Oh, boy, here we go.
>> North Carolina.
This has gotta be Jennifer.
>> Oh, yeah.
Hello?
>> Hi.
>> Hi, is this Jennifer?
>> Yeah.
>> Thanks for getting back
to us.
What was your whole crazy
involvement with all this?
>> Smart.
>> Love.
>> Really?
>> Who?
>> Who was it?
>> Tracey [bleep].
>> Tracey?
And then what happened?
Wow, so you changed her
password, and took over the
account.
>> You're like a
cyber-vigilante.
You catfished the catfish.
>> Is there anything else that
you know about this girl?
>> We will let you know if we
have any more questions.
>> All right, thank you.
>> Bye.
>> Tracey [bleep].
>> Jennifer was behind enemy
lines, got into her Facebook
page, saw her info.
Let's just do a Google search
for her.
Tracey Barbie [bleep].
Oh, boy.
[bleep], Maryland!
>> Yeah, [bleep] was exactly
what the phone number said.
>> Not a lot on here.
She's got one cover photo,
three profile pictures.
One post--she said--
>> both: she's deleting her
account.
>> "Deleting, text me."
>> 240-[bleep].
>> Now we know, Tracey [bleep]'s
the name of the girl behind
Jacqueline Linkwood.
>> We have a phone number.
>> Let's reconnect with Falesha
in the morning, go from there.
>> We found her!
[phone ringing]
>> Morning, Falesha.
We have a lot of things we want
to go over with you,
so we wanted to know what your
plan is.
>> Wow, this place is beautiful.
Hi, guys.
>> Hey!
>> Hi, Randi.
>> Hi!
>> I'm Max.
How did you meet this group?
>> We, like, grew up together,
basically.
>> How close were you when all
this was going down?
>> Close.
>> I mean, yeah, we were
all close.
>> 'Cause it actually started,
like, at the end of
middle school.
>> Eighth grade.
>> Mm-hmm.
>> Yeah, high school definitely
wasn't easy for me.
I mean, I know it's not easy
for a lot of people.
Everybody goes through things
in high school, but the fake
profile of me made it a lot
harder.
My reputation went from, like,
"Wow, she's a really friendly,
outgoing person,"
to like, "Wow, she's nothing
but drama."
>> Was there like a moment where
you guys need to stand up for
Falesha because people didn't
believe her?
>> Yes.
When I saw her walk down the
hallway, the way people were
looking at her, it killed me,
'cause I love her, you know?
Just seeing a strong person
like that getting broke down,
it just killed me.
I saw her go into the bathroom,
so chased after her, and she was
sitting on the floor, just like
bawling her eyes out.
And I was like, "No, it's gonna
be okay.
Don't worry about this stuff.
Like, I'm gonna be next to you
the whole rest of the way,
the whole rest of the year."
And after that, I seriously was
with her like every single
moment in the hallway.
And nobody was going to say
anything to her.
We're almost 20 years old,
and this has been happening
since we were in eighth grade.
Like, it's time for it to stop.
>> We're going to try and walk
you through the process we went
through yesterday, see if we can
can make sense of all this.
So the first thing we did
was we went to your messages
that you sent us.
One of them was this girl
Danielle,
and we FaceTimed with her.
>> She said that there was a guy
in her school that started
dating Jacqueline...
>> Online.
>> And that is was weird,
because the girl whose picture
it was was kind of way out of
his league.
>> Was the girl--
>> It was you.
>> Okay, okay.
>> It was Falesha, right.
>> And then the guy left school
because he was getting harassed
by Jacqueline.
One of our big concerns here
was that you weren't the only
sort of target of this.
So that sort of raised the
stakes a little bit more.
>> Yeah, that's not okay.
>> So the next person we looked
at was this girl Jennifer,
and Jennifer really helped crack
the case.
She sort of back-doored
Jacqueline and created a fake
account as a guy that was
into her, to find out her
login information.
>> Oh, my God! [laughs]
This is crazy.
>> This is wild.
>> So Jennifer hacked in,
and she figured out who made
the Jacqueline page.
Tracey [bleep].
You don't know this girl, right?
>> Never seen her before
in my life.
>> She's 20 years old.
>> Oh, my God, [bleep],
Maryland.
>> That's where the phone number
where she called you had come
from.
There's not a lot on here.
She's got one post: "Deleting.
Text me."
And she listed a number.
She's got three profile
pictures.
>> There's Miley Cyrus.
That's Hannah Montana.
>> Wow.
>> Which the Jacqueline Linkwood
profile always used to--
would post stuff about them.
>> That's interesting.
So, the posters on her wall
are similar to the sort of
people she mentioned being a
fan of.
>> Yes.
I'm like speechless right now.
I feel like that's overwhelming.
There's so much to take in.
>> Yeah.
>> I think at this point,
we need to make contact.
>> It's worth the risk.
I want to see who it is.
>> I think we need
to make contact.
I'm going to try and call,
see if we can get her to agree
to meet up with us,
and take it from there.
>> I want answers.
>> You guys wait here.
>> I'm ready.
[phone ringing]
>> Hello.
Hi, this is Nev.
You may have heard of a show
called Catfish on MTV.
>> [laughs]
>> Who am I speaking with?
>> Oh, cool.
So, I got your number off of
a weird Facebook post, saying
that you were like deleting the
account and this is the number
people should reach you on?
>> Uh huh.
>> I was trying to see what your
connection is to
Jacqueline Linkwood.
>> [laughs]
>> So you seem okay
talking about it.
Is this--it's not something
that you're like hiding?
But you were very quick to
expose yourself just now.
I was hoping we could meet up.
Your Jacqueline Linkwood profile
has been around for a while,
and it's affected a bunch of--
Yeah, and a lot of people have
sort of been involved over
the years.
Okay, well, we would like to
meet you.
I don't--are you in Maryland?
Okay.
>> Well, it'll be--
It'll be me and Max,
and Falesha.
>> Oh!
[laughs]
>> Why would she do that?
>> I don't think that's going to
be the case.
That's not something I would
want to happen, either.
Okay, so I'll speak to you--
Tomorrow's your birthday.
Um, okay, well...
this will be one to remember.
>> [giggles]
>> Oh, my God.
I can't believe how cheerful
and, like, excited she is
to talk about her evil
alter ego.
>> Did you make contact?
>> Yeah.
Oh, yeah.
So, she picks up.
Very cheerful.
I said, "I'm calling about your
relationship to
Jacqueline Linkwood."
Right away, "Yeah, that's me!"
>> What?
>> And no, like, really laughing
and giggling.
>> That's scary.
>> That is making me mad.
I'm pissed.
>> Well, I mean, do you want
to go?
>> I'm definitely concerned.
Even meeting face-to-face
makes me a little nervous,
because she's quite repulsive
online, so I can only imagine
what she's like in person.
If she's the same person,
I mean, that's a little
frightening.
But I'll go.
No idea what I'm gonna say yet,
but I definitely want to see--
>> Well, we've got some time
to figure that out.
Road trip?
>> Road trip.
>> Let's get this show
on the road.
>> Picking up Falesha.
Got a long drive ahead of us,
all the way to [bleep] Maryland.
Hey!
What is in here?
>> All my clothes!
>> [laughs]
>> You need some help, buddy?
>> Think we need a bigger car.
[mellow music]
*
Maryland...here we come.
>> *Take these *
* Tired wings
* Home is calling you to sleep
A lot of people get bullied
in, you know, middle school
and high school, but your bully
was this mystery person,
that finally now, five years
later, we're gonna look
in the eyes.
>> * Falling through
*The cracks *
>> Are you the kind of person
that usually avoids
confrontation?
>> I mean, only because
drama was tied to my name
enough, so I was never the
type of person to really fight.
>> *I know what you need *
* Telling me you're free *
>> Starting to get a little more
nervous now.
>> * Take these
* Tired wings
>> We don't know what we're
dealing with here.
[knocking on door]
>> Hello.
>> Hey.
I got a text from Tracey.
She sent me her address.
>> So we're doing this now?
>> So we're doing this now.
>> Okay.
>> Oh, boy.
This could be the last time
you ever ride an elevator.
>> Think I'll ever make it out
alive?
>> She needs to understand that
this not only hurt you, but
everyone else.
You're kind of here on behalf
of everyone she's affected.
>> So if Tracey tries to
fight me, are you guys going to
hold her back?
>> The most important thing
is to just keep your cool.
Even if she comes out and--
>> Try to start a fight.
>> I'm ready.
>> Moment of truth.
Tracey time.
>> You guys wait here.
>> Aah!
Freaking out right now.
>> Hi.
Tracey, right?
>> Yeah.
>> How you doing?
>> Good.
>> Are you kidding me?
>> So, I'm here with someone
you might recognize.
>> Oh, my gosh.
[laughs]
She stole all of
Jacqueline Linkwood's friends.
>> She said you stole
Jacqueline Linkwood's friends.
>> So I heard that correctly.
>> I think it would be good if
we all came in to talk.
>> Okay, fine, she can come in.
>> Why don't you guys come in?
>> Whew.
>> Hello?
>> Hi.
>> Hi, I'm Max.
>> I'm Tracey.
>> Hey, Tracey.
>> [laughs]
Oh, my gosh.
>> Okay, so, you seem
relatively chipper.
>> Yeah, I'm always cheerful.
It's just my personality.
>> Are you putting on an act
right now, or is--
>> No, this is really me.
>> This is really you?
>> This is really me,
when I'm me.
I'm just...[giggles] really
energe--I work with kids, so...
>> Like in a day care?
>> Yeah.
>> Okay.
>> They're like my best friends.
They're like my little puppies,
they're so cute.
>> Obviously, you understand
why we're here.
You admitted that you created
this profile, so we were hoping
to hear a little bit more
about that.
>> I was bored with my life,
so I wanted to be someone else.
>> Right.
>> Like the whole
Jacqueline Linkwood thing was
like Miley/Hannah, you know.
Tracey by day,
on the internet, I was
Jacqueline by night.
>> Is that Hannah Montana?
Is that how it works?
>> [laughs] Yeah!
That's how, like, I, like,
did everything.
Like I come home from school,
bang! I'm Jacqueline,
not Tracey anymore.
>> How old were you when you
started doing this?
>> I was 14, in middle school.
>> So now you're about 20?
>> 20, today.
>> 20 today, that's right.
That's right, your birthday.
>> What could you do as
Jacqueline that you couldn't do
as Tracey?
>> Oh, my gosh!
I don't know, as Jacqueline
I could talk to anyone I wanted,
and like bully people and stuff.
It all comes back to when people
bullied me, so like, I have to
bully other people too,
to get revenge.
>> But why take out what people
do to you on other people
who didn't do anything to you?
>> Because they bullied me, too.
Like people--they're like,
"You're fake, you're fake."
>> both: But you were fake.
>> But they didn't know that.
>> A lot of people don't like
Falesha because they associate
her with your [bleep] up
profile.
>> I really don't like Falesha.
I think she deserves it.
She thinks she's a model
and she thinks she's all that.
I'm still mad at her.
Jacqueline was popular.
She had all that popularity
and Falesha ruined it.
That's why I don't really
like her.
>> Should I apologize for
ruining that?
Because I am sincerely sorry.
>> Jacqueline was like
a real person.
Well, she wasn't a real person.
I was the real person.
[laughing]
>> Do you take drugs?
>> I am not on drugs!
I never took a drug in my life.
I'm just naturally happy
and hyper.
>> Just out of curiosity,
I was wondering why you seem
so...proud of this.
>> Because, like, I created
Jacqueline Linkwood and I'm
proud of creating her.
I'm proud of it.
It really helped me.
When I got to bully people
online, I felt so tough.
>> And what if someone you
cyberbullied killed themselves?
>> Really? [laughs]
>> Yeah, really.
>> I wouldn't cry!
Like, would you want me to cry?
It's not my fault they killed
themselves.
They made that choice
themselves, so it's their fault,
not mine.
>> Maybe people really did that
because you told them to.
That could've been the trigger.
That doesn't bother you?
>> It--it does not bother me.
It's not my fault.
I did not hold a gun to their
heads, saying, "Go kill
yourself."
>> Yeah, but with some people
that have really low
self-esteem--
>> Well, I have high
self-esteem.
>> Look, this--this is...
relatively pointless,
what's going on right here.
>> Am I done with her?
>> Yeah, I mean, we're done
for now--we're all done for now.
>> Good.
Falesha, are you gonna say
happy birthday?
[laughs]
That was so much fun!
[laughs]
>> * The way I see
* You are lonely
*
*Turns into reality *
>> Do I just stand here?
>> I really was almost crying
because I feel like that was
the saddest thing I've ever
experienced in my life.
I feel like I'm at a loss
for words.
>> And I think she's just
mirroring what she sees.
She loves Hannah Montana,
Miley Cyrus, this extreme
representation of, like,
goody-good girl, and like crazy
out there, like, extreme girl.
>> * The way I see
* You are lonely
>> She's just decided to be
this character.
>> It was really cool filming
MTV's Catfish on my birthday.
It was so much fun.
It had so much fun, and I wish
I can do it again.
It was like the best birthday
present ever.
O-kayz!
>> She doesn't even know what
she's doing is wrong.
She doesn't even have the
capability of feeling guilt.
>> There has to be a more real
version of her that we're not
yet seeing.
We need to get through to
this girl.
>> Tracey texted me this
morning, and said she's home
with her mom.
We can come over.
>> But what are we supposed
to do now?
We've had a lot of intense
people on the show...
>> Right.
>> But no one, I think,
this far gone.
>> She has turned off
all of her real emotions,
and completely buried them.
We just have to help her
feel something.
>> I don't think we're gonna
get through to her.
We're--we can try.
I think we might get through
to her mom?
[knocking on door]
>> Hi.
Tracey's home with her mom.
Max and I have been talking
a little bit about
what we think we can do.
>> If we can try to get her mom
to help get through to her,
that would maybe make all of
this worthwhile.
>> I think it's a good idea.
>> Well, look, we got our work
cut out for us.
>> Maybe we can make
a difference.
>> It'll be interesting to see
if Mom's as exhausted and sort
of bewildered as to what to do
with her daughter as we are.
>> Here we are.
>> Hi.
>> Hi.
>> Can we come in?
>> Sure.
>> All right.
Yeah, it's cold out here.
>> Yeah, it's freezing.
>> Hi, how you doing?
>> Good, how are you?
>> Where are you from?
>> You're very quiet today.
>> [laughs] 'Cause my mom's
here!
It's awkward.
I didn't want her to come.
Wanted to be just me.
[laughs]
>> I like attention,
good or bad.
I don't care.
>> Why?
>> What happened?
>> He collapsed in school
on Thursday.
>> He collapsed on Thursday?
>> Oh, my goodness.
>> How old is he?
>> 17.
>> Well, thank you for spending
time with us.
Do you know anything about
Falesha and why we're here?
>> She knows about
Jacqueline Linkwood.
>> Oh, okay.
>> The girl I stole the pictures
from.
>> Falesha asked us for help,
because it wasn't good for her,
that Jacqueline Linkwood was
taking her pictures.
>> Hmm.
>> Eventually it turned
very evil and she started
telling telling people to kill
theirself, and telling them that
they were fat and that they
were ugly.
>> You don't talk to people
like that.
>> You know I always say
"Die of brain cancer"
when I get mad.
>> But you don't--I tell you,
you don't talk to people
like that.
>> A huge issue for that was
also that they didn't know that
it was her--they thought it
was me.
>> [scoffs]
>> It did cause a lot of
problems for me in high school.
I don't think that she
understands that she's hurting
other people through this.
>> [scoffs]
>> It not funny.
>> [laughs] It is funny.
>> Say sorry to her!
>> No!
What are you talking about?
>> You put yourself in this.
You think you are just
coming on TV?
>> The big concern for us
is that your daughter's
out of control.
>> I'm not changing how I am.
This is me.
I don't care what people think
about me.
>> She don't listen.
>> Has she always been
like that?
>> Yes.
>> He was tough on the kids?
>> Yeah.
>> He had a stroke,
and...he never get better.
He can see you,
but he can't really talk.
>> Can he communicate?
Or write or anything?
>> Can't do anything, no.
>> When your dad got sick,
was that around the time that
you created Jacqueline?
>> Yeah.
This is just too over, like,
whelming, whatever.
>> You're gonna go soon, right?
To--
>> To the hospital.
>> Right, so, maybe--
>> 'Cause they've been calling
me since morning.
>> If it's all right, I'll take
you outside and we can talk for
a second.
>> Okay.
>> Then you can go see your son.
>> Okay. Sorry about everything.
>> I thank you, and I hope your
son gets better.
>> Yeah.
>> What the heck?
[Tracey laughing]
>> Take care. Okay.
>> All right, I'll be back in a
minute.
>> Bye.
>> Bye.
>> Bye.
>> Your mom is sweet.
>> Well, I don't think so.
>> She doesn't listen.
She always want to do her own
thing.
>> What she's doing is
dangerous.
I think she needs help.
I'm very worried for her.
>> Okay.
>> I Just don't like my mom.
[giggling]
>> I'll say good-bye now.
I hope everything works out.
>> This episode of Catfish: The
TV Show, continues now.
>> Take a deep breath for a
second and know that I'm trying
to connect with you as a human
being and to say something
serious for you because I'm
concerned.
This is real life, okay?
You can't "speak" in caps lock.
>> I--it's just how I naturally
am--I can't help it.
>> Can you just try talking to
me right now with a regular
voice?
>> My voice is regular!
>> No, it's not.
>> You're mean!
>> No, I'm honest, okay?
And I'm being very real with you
'cause I care.
If one of the people that you
said something nasty to did
something to hurt themselves,
you could go to jail.
>> What?
>> For cyberbullying.
>> That's a crime.
>> You've been lucky so far.
>> Yeah--
>> But your luck could run out.
>> No. Nothing bad ever happens
to me.
>> You say you work with kids,
you say you love being around
kids.
If I were to press harassment
charges, that could very easily
be taken away from you.
And you'll never be able to work
with kids again.
>> What the hell?
[laughs]
>> It's true.
>> It's true.
>> I mean, gosh, you guys are
scaring me.
>> Good!
>> That's not good!
>> You should be scared.
You should be really scared.
>> [laughing] Stop scaring--
like--oh, my gosh!
>> Even right now, the way that
you're reacting to us, like
that's your personality telling
you, like, "Oh, I should make it
a joke."
>> [giggles]
This is really who I am.
>> But you keep telling yourself
that.
>> No, it is.
>> You can change yourself.
>> I don't want to change
myself--I like who I am.
>> Is that what you're gonna say
to the police, "I like who I
am"?
>> You're making this
complicated.
>> It almost really will come
down to that, that it's either
gonna be you bullying people and
being rude and being the way
that you are and you're not
gonna be able to work with kids,
or you're gonna have to change
something, and you'll still have
that opportunity.
>> No, I do like working with
kids.
>> The choice right now really
is like a real-life thing that
is eventually going to happen to
you.
That it's either gonna be one or
the other.
>> I think of that sometimes,
when I'm bullying people
sometimes, like, "Oh, my gosh,
what if I get arrested?"
>> Well, I think you should
think about that some more.
>> We came back here today to
see if there was an actual real
person who does feel things
underneath the costume and the
sort of huge personality that
you presented to us yesterday.
Well, you need to start really
showing people that.
Here's an opportunity to
actually show us the real you.
>> I'm, like, sorry for stealing
your pictures.
I just wanted to, like, be
someone else.
I was just Jacqueline to escape.
I feel like if I let people in,
they'll leave.
>> I don't want to say that it's
okay, because what you did
really isn't okay.
But, I mean, I do forgive you.
>> Oh, my gosh, my heart is
beating right now.
I can't believe I just said I
was sorry.
I never say sorry to anyone.
>> You say you created the
Jacqueline profile around the
same time that your dad got
sick, so maybe that kind of
triggered an emotion that you
couldn't cope with.
I feel like you kind of numbed
yourself out.
You don't wanna feel anything.
But just to block everybody out
is not always the answer, and I
feel like actually letting
yourself feel something will
allow you to actually let
yourself be truly happy one day.
>> All right, you guys ready to
go?
Look...a lot happened, and I
think, based on the
transformation I can see in you
just right now, you realize that
you wanna change and that the
way you've been dealing with
things isn't the way you wanna
keep dealing with things.
>> I am a good person.
[inhales]
I am.
>> Now you have to make other
people believe it.
>> That means doing hard things
like this, things that you don't
wanna do.
>> Wouldn't normally do.
>> Yeah.
>> I would like some help, but
I'm scared.
>> There's help for you.
You just have to ask for it.
All right, let's get outta here.
Bye, Tracey.
>> Bye.
>> * You've got a problem *
* I cannot face it
>> I think we made an impact on
her.
>> I think we did too.
>> Shockingly.
She is someone, maybe more than
anyone we've ever had on the
show, that would be so easy to
just write off and say, "Oh, my
God, what a monster."
And yet, she's not a bad person.
She's just been acting like one
for a really long time.
>> I'm hopeful...
trying to be, that she'll
change.
>> * Oh oh, let's just forget *
*
[line ringing]
>> Oh!
>> Hey!
>> Good morning!
>> Good morning.
>> Did you just wake up,
Falesha?
>> Yeah, I did.
>> What's going on?
How's everything?
>> I'm okay--I actually wanna
go to school to be
an accountant now.
>> That's cool.
>> Have you been in touch with
Tracey?
>> I haven't heard from her, but
thankfully there hasn't been
any other profiles of me as
Jacqueline Linkwood.
I feel a lot better knowing that
I got to talk to her about the
things that I did.
>> I'm very happy that it worked
out for you and that your future
now can start worry-free.
>> Thank you guys so much for
helping me.
>> Bye.
>> Bye, Falesha.
[line ringing]
>> Hey, what's up?
>> How you doing?
>> Hi, Tracey.
>> Oh, my gosh, Nev, you're so
hot.
[laughter]
Really hot.
>> Thanks.
How is everything?
>> I met this guy recently.
I really, really like him.
>> How many dates have you been
on?
>> Like, four.
>> That's good.
>> Are you still being mean to
people online?
>> No. I block people who get on
my nerves.
I don't want to deal with it.
>> You seem to be a little bit
more relaxed and low-key.
>> Yeah, I am.
I'm trying to, like, let people
in.
I talk to this guy about how I
feel.
I do tell him about, like, my
life and stuff.
So I'm, like, working on it.
>> We're glad to hear it.
Hopefully, things will keep
going well.
We're gonna go for now, but nice
seeing you.
>> Peace out.
>> Bye.
>> Prophet is a multiplatinum
Grammy-nominated recording
artist, formerly of the Nappy
Roots.
"I really do hope to meet the
beautiful girl in the photos,
but I have my doubts."
>> This is guy bait.
She's a supermodel.
[gasps]
>> I see someone walking.
>> She is coming.
>> Wow. You can be anybody on
the internet.
1575
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