Welcome to the age of credential catfishing

Catfishing used to mean pretending to be someone else online, usually to pursue a romantic relationship with someone who might eventually spend several episodes of an MTV show waiting in a suspiciously empty parking lot.

But the newest breed of catfish does not need to steal another person's face.

Welcome to what I call "credential catfishing," the increasingly visible practice of fabricating the education, career, wealth, and status that signal authority online.

Instead of borrowing someone else's face, the credential catfish turns their own life into fiction, building the story one post at a time.

And Angel Victoria Murdock may be its most viral recent example.

Angel Murdock poses beside a Duke Physician Assistant Program sign in an image posted to her (now deactivated) Instagram Story.

Credit: Screenshot from Reddit: r/InfluencerLounge The influencer and former Temptation Island participant spent nearly two years sharing what she portrayed as her journey through Duke University's Physician Assistant Program on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube.

Followers saw her in scrubs, studying medical notes, displaying what appeared to be Duke Health identification, and filming "get ready with me" videos for supposed rotations in psychiatry, obstetrics, and gynecology.

She also offered advice to aspiring physician assistants and spoke about the long hours and sacrifices of PA training.

Outside of her medical content, Murdock promoted fashion and beauty products, appeared in a Missy Empire clothing haul , and participated in TikTok Shop's affiliate program , which allows creators to earn commissions from sales.

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After "graduating," she posed in a cap and gown outside Duke Chapel, reportedly captioning her Instagram: "Today, I get to look back and realize that every late night, every sacrifice, every setback and every prayer was leading me right here." There was just one problem: She had never attended the program.

At all.