Is Catfishing Illegal? The impersonation of another person online is not illegal by itself. However, the actions of the instigator of catfishing usually engage in some form of illegal activity at some point. Almost anything the person does could have legal ramifications when he or she catfishes another person.

Is making a fake Gmail account illegal?

Making a random fake account is not punishable per se unless it is fraudulent under the cyber laws of the country which has already been discussed above.