“Sweet Bobby is a live, multi-part investigation in search of one of the world’s most sophisticated catfishers. It’s a story about who we are online, and how social media can be weaponised as a tool of abuse and coercion.“

If you didn’t know what “catfishing” is, Sweet Bobby will be an extremely strange introduction to the world of online deception and fake identities.

Kirat is the victim of catfishing in this real-life story from Tortoise Media’s Alexi Mostrous, with her cousin Simran emerging years after it started as the unlikely perpetrator.

It’s a complex and often unsettling tale, which Alexi navigates cleverly to make sure some of the key voices in the story are heard, including those of Kirat and the real Bobby (rather than the fake Bobby who manipulated Kirat’s life for years).

The podcast has won plaudits across the mainstream media, being featured regularly in “Best New Podcast” lists. Accolades it fully deserves.

In his interview for this episode of MetaPod, Alexi explains how his investigation evolved and gives his opinion on many of the complex aspects of the case.

Show notes

• Kirat Assi: “Bobby tried to destroy my hopes, my dreams, every part of my life” – Guardian 
• What happened to the catfisher after the shock revelation? – Metro 
• Sweet Bobby on BBC Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour
• Tortoise Media

About Alexi Mostrous

Alexi Mostrous worked at The Times and at the Guardian for 13 years in roles including head of investigations and Saturday news editor, before joining Tortoise Media as a partner in September 2019.

In 2013 he won News Reporter of the Year and Scoop of the Year for exposing celebrities such as Jimmy Carr and Gary Barlow as aggressive tax avoiders. In 2018 he was nominated for the same awards for his reporting on Google and Facebook.

He has reported from both London and Washington DC as a Stern Fellow for the Washington Post. Previously a barrister, Mostrous studied English at Cambridge University.

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