Petitions/Make catfishing a specific criminal offence under coercive control laws
StatusOngoing
Opened10 Feb 2026
Closes
Government response
Parliamentary debateNot eligible
Milestones

I want the Government to acknowledge not just the financial damage, but the emotional damage that can be caused by someone who uses lies and manipulation to obtain money, property, a caretaker and the mental health of another human being by means of deception and creating a fake identity.

I believe people need to be held accountable for the financial damage, trauma and mental damage they can cause by lying about their identity to get something they want. The lies can be so calculated that a person may be able to use the victim’s emotions to coerce them into giving them whatever they want. This can leave the victim not only with financial debt, but it can also take years to heal from emotional abuse and coercive behaviour. It can leave so much emotional damage that I believe it should be a criminal offence and punishable under the same laws as coercive control.

10,000
100,000

Constituency engagement ranking

Martin Wrigley
1Martin Wrigley MP
Newton Abbot
4
Steve Race
2Steve Race MP
Exeter
3
Steve Reed
3Steve Reed MP
Streatham and Croydon North
2
Jayne Kirkham
4Jayne Kirkham MP
Truro and Falmouth
2
Sam Rushworth
5Sam Rushworth MP
Bishop Auckland
1
Phil Brickell
6Phil Brickell MP
Bolton West
1
Barry Gardiner
7Barry Gardiner MP
Brent West
1
Perran Moon
8Perran Moon MP
Camborne and Redruth
1
Max Wilkinson
9Max Wilkinson MP
Cheltenham
1
Sir Lindsay Hoyle
10Sir Lindsay Hoyle MP
Chorley
1