
Spoiler alert: “Abby” is not really Abby. READ MORE: Should you expose cheaters you find on dating apps? Experts weigh in However, the reference to “catfish” dates back to a 2010 document, and now a TV show called Catfish, where a man named Nev Shulman meets a woman online named Abby and builds a romantic relationship with her. This was the first time many people heard of the term “catfish” and what it was- someone who pretends to be someone they’re not on social media. Te’o and Kekua had chatted on and off via text messages, online chats and over the phone from 2009 up until her so-called death in 2012. Today, Te’o is a linebacker for the New Orleans Saints, but four years ago he made international headlines after it was speculated that his girlfriend, Lennay Kekua, who supposedly died from leukemia, wasn’t a real person at all.

If people didn’t know who Te’o was before, they definitely knew of him after it was revealed he led his school team to a victory following the death of his grandmother and girlfriend, both whom died within 24 hours of each other.

In 2013, Manti Te’o was a college football star who was on his way to the big league.

