How to spot a scam dating profile: Online dating is a huge part of the dating world today and is one of the main ways people look for a partner. With the rise of online dating comes the inevitable problem of fake profiles. These profiles are created by people who are not interested in dating but are looking to scam others out of their money or boost their ego.
The Pew Research Research shows that around half (52%) of those who’ve used dating sites and apps have come across someone they think was trying to scam them. Men under 50 are especially likely to report such experiences, with 63% in this age group suspecting they’ve encountered scammers. 47% of men aged 50 and older and 44% of women of all ages also reported encountering scammers.
Fake profiles serve as the trojan horses of the online dating world—seemingly benign but harboring malicious intent. These imposters can range from bots spamming users with ads to scammers looking to swindle your honest and often paying users.
Recent findings also show that about 10% (estimated) of online dating profiles are actually bots or romance scammers. Here are some key signs and behaviors that may indicate you are dealing with one:
1. Lack of detailed/verified information:
A lack of detail could be a sign of a fake profile. Most dating apps and sites ask you to fill out a questionnaire that’ll give more information about you on your profile. Fake profiles and scammers will most likely leave parts of their profiles blank, claiming they forgot to fill them in or didn’t have time to. If their name, age, and location are the only things filled out, chances are they’re fake.
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Check to see if they’ve linked their social media accounts to the page. Real profiles tend to plug their Instagram or Snapchat in their bios. Because online dating scammers set up fake profiles using stolen information and photos from real people, they often have no digital footprint. This means they don’t appear where you’d expect them to, like on social media platforms, LinkedIn, work or university accounts, school listings, and so on.
2. They seem too good to be true:
Fake profiles will make themselves look like a “perfect” person. Their profile is overly well written or they’re over-exaggerating about all their strong points. If they look like a model, have a thriving career, and seem to have no flaws, they may be a work of fiction. Listen to your gut and notice if they seem too perfect. This could all be a glamor to get something out of you.
A fake profile may claim to be famous, rich, or even royal. If you Google their name and nothing pops up, they’re definitely not a celebrity.
Search for them on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Google for information on their career.
If they’re telling the truth, chances are they have a LinkedIn account tied to their job.
3. They Request Your Personal Information:
Aside from money, scammers are also on the lookout for personal information. Depending on the scam, their goal might be to steal your identity, commit account takeover fraud, or use your personal information (or sensitive photos) to blackmail you.
Fake profiles will try to get your personal information as fast as possible. They’ll ask for your email, details about where you work, phone number, and surname. Getting information about you can help them hack into your accounts.
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If you’re not sure if they’re fake but want to give them your phone number to find out, set up a Google Voice account. This will give you a separate phone number that’ll forward all messages to your real phone number, and the profile won’t have a clue the number isn’t truly yours!
4. They ask to chat off the dating app or site:
Often, fake profiles would want to move from the dating app to a more private form of communication. This may not seem like a red flag at first, but it’s a way for scammers to access your personal information (like your email address or phone number).
A scammer will want your personal email or phone number right away. They’ll skip the small talk on the dating app or site and try to get things moving on another platform. This is their way of getting past the dating app or site’s protocols while getting your personal information.
Never give your email, phone number, or any other personal information to someone online. If they ask, simply tell them “no,” or move on and connect with a different profile.
5. They quickly tell you they love you (i.e., “love bombing”):
Love-bombing is a form of manipulation where someone will shower another person with over-the-top gestures of love and affection in order to influence them. A scam profile will say they love you before getting to know you.
This tactic called “love bombing” is part of the emotional manipulation that scammers use to target vulnerable people who are yearning for a romantic connection. This is why within a very short period of time, scammers profess their love, often attributing the romance to “destiny” as a ploy to make the victim feel as special as possible.
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Always note that, if things feel like they are moving way too quickly, this may be a sign they’re fake. A scam profile will likely shower you with affection to win your trust all to scam you. Ask yourself, “Are they casually flirting, or telling me I’m their soulmate?”
Do you feel uncomfortable by the sudden intimacy? Be honest with them and double-check their profile.
6. They Only Have One Photo:
Still on how to spot a scam dating profile. Photos are one of the most important aspects of your online profile. They create a first impression. They give the viewer information about who you are and what you’re like. Having only one photo can be a major red flag, especially if the person is extremely attractive in that one photo.
Fake online profiles are usually designed to be appealing so that people are much more likely to engage with them. Be wary of that guy you swear you saw in a Calvin Klein campaign or that woman who should be a Victoria’s Secret model. 73% of catfishers use a picture of someone else. If they seem obnoxiously attractive, they’re probably just trying to bait you.
If you’re really unsure if it’s fake or not, save the image to your computer and do a reverse image search on Google. If you can find the image in a Google search, there’s a good chance that it’s a fake profile. That person probably found that picture on Google too and is using it to attract someone to scam.
7. They don’t have many friends or followers:
Fake profiles are made to catfish, so they won’t bother making friends. Look the person up on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. If they’re a fake dating profile, chances are they’re fake across all platforms.
Do they have a good number of followers, or are they following an absurd amount of people? You can tell a profile is fake if the people following them don’t seem legit themselves. Notice if they have followers in common across all platforms. Friends usually follow friends on all social media. Check to see if they’re tagged in any of their followers’ posts.
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However, if you genuinely want to keep only close friends in your social profiles, then there’s no judgment here. But, that bikini-clad model with, you guessed it, only 10-20 friends on social media platforms is probably fake. This is fairly common.
The reason that this profile only has a few friends is that those are the only people who fell for it. They probably sent friend requests to thousands of people in the hopes of making their social media profile look authentic, but only a few people fell for it.
8. Their messages have lots of errors:
Drunk messages are one thing, but fake online profiles run through robotic messaging systems tend to make little to no sense. Sometimes it will be strangely worded sentences, or maybe an odd usage of emojis or phrases. This is because most of the fake profiles belong to either robots or non-English speakers. According to a study, many romance scammers originate in Western Africa in countries like Nigeria or Ghana.
This point also applies to their profile. Is there a bunch of grammatical errors and spelling mistakes in their information? Are they posting irrelevant information into random sections of their page? There’s a good chance that it’s all copied and pasted from somewhere else because they were in a hurry to set up a fake profile.
If you can’t carry on a conversation with an online dating site user, that should be a red flag, even if their profile is real! Trust your gut. If the conversation seems weird, do some research before you continue talking to this person.
9. They refuse to video chat (or always cancel at the last minute):
Fake profiles mostly make excuses to avoid any “real” type of interaction. You most likely want to talk to this person if you’re connecting with them, but they won’t feel the same way if they’re catfishing you. You can try calling them, but they probably won’t answer. If they do pick up, their camera will most likely be covered or their voice will be distorted or sound very different to how you imagined.
They may sound older, younger, more feminine, more masculine, or even like they’re in a tunnel. With today’s technology, refusing to meet over FaceTime, Zoom, or Skype is highly questionable. If someone outright refuses to get on a video chat or cancels on you multiple times, it’s likely a scammer.
10. They’re always traveling or live far away from you:
A common strategy for romance scammers is to profess that they want to see you in person; but when it comes time to meet, there’s an unexpected issue. This is why many scammers claim to be from the United States but are overseas, traveling, or on military deployment.
They might lie and say they’ve suddenly been sent overseas, have to travel for work, or need to visit a sick family member. Watch out for sob stories. Saying a family member or close friend died is a manipulative tactic to make you feel bad for them. Since they aren’t who they say they are, romance scammers don’t want to meet you in person.
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If they’re serious about a relationship with you, they’ll want to meet up and will have nothing to hide.
To sum up, there are a million things that fake online profiles might be after. Some of them are far worse than others. Fake profiles may be created just to prank people or play with their emotions, but they could also be created to trick you into sharing sensitive information or handing over large amounts of cash.
Above are some hints or signs on how to spot a scam dating profile. However, It is worth noting that the hints are not limited to the ones listed here.