Fake profiles seem like an unavoidable nuisance in online dating. Over half of the participants in a Pew Research study on online dating stated that they’ve encountered fake profiles. Estimates of how many fake profiles are out there vary, even the 10% estimate cited by most sources is a lot of fakes.
Romance scammers, catfish, time wasters, and a variety of other people use fake profiles, and it can cost genuine daters more than just their money. Fraudulent dating profiles aren’t going anywhere, so arm yourself with the knowledge to avoid them and take action when you come across fakers online.
Defining Fake Profiles in Online Dating
Most fake profiles have a lot in common, so it becomes much easier to identify one when you know what to look for. By learning the common traits and understanding the strategies and reasons behind fake profiles, you can steer clear whenever you stumble across one.
Common Characteristics
People create fake profiles for various reasons: scamming people out of money, getting attention from strangers, driving traffic to websites, and bullying and harassment. But despite the different goals, fake profiles tend to have many traits in common.
The most common subtypes of fake profiles fall into some basic categories: bots, catfish, and scammers. The first category, bots, are the easiest to detect. After all, they don’t have an actual person operating them behind the scenes, so when they make contact it’s pretty obvious. Profiles are usually sparse, and the interactions are very obviously fake.
Catfish and scammers operate on a lot of the same principles, just with slightly different goals. A catfish is using their fake identity to get attention from someone. The profiles of catfishers are usually more detailed, with plenty of effort put into making the account seem as realistic as possible.
Scammers are typically more interested in some form of financial gain, rather than just wanting attention. Romance scammers use their fake profiles to create a romantic bond with someone, and then use that bond to gain access to what they’re really interested in. Scammer profiles can be detailed or sparse, and they’re harder to detect until you start interacting with them.
Statistics on Fake Profiles
Romance scams have existed for decades—as long as the internet, according to some digital historians. But statistics show that Covid-19 lockdowns inspired a huge spike in fake profiles, especially on dating sites.
The specific reasons for the sharp increase in fake profiles are still up for debate, the working consensus is that the increased loneliness and isolation of lockdowns made for a more target-rich environment. With more and more singles turning to online dating to meet people, scammers and other fraudsters have more access to victims.
The Federal Trade Commission found that reports of romance scammers and the amount of money lost to them on dating sites more than doubled between 2019 and 2021, and while not all the scammers operated on dating sites, most of them did.
It’s surprisingly hard for dating platforms to detect fake profiles and eliminate them, so it’s impossible to get a full accounting of just how many fake accounts there are out there. While the consensus is that the percentage of fake profiles hovers around an average of 1 in 10, it could be a lot more.
Motivations Behind Creating Fake Profiles
While people create fraudulent profiles for many specific reasons, the motives behind fake profile creation tend to fall under three basic categories: financial gain, emotional manipulation or gaining attention, and harassment.
Fake profiles for financial gain include scammers who solicit money directly, but also include shady “investment” schemes and cryptocurrency dealing. Although NFTs are no longer popular, scammers frequently use fake profiles to con naive people into buying or selling NFTs for their own financial gain.
“My first match was a bot who spammed me a link at odd times of the day on Snapchat and I ended up falling for it by clicking on the link.” — a Reddit user who got scammed
Catfish accounts tend to fall under the emotional manipulation and attention-seeking category, although rarely catfishers will use their fake profiles for some form of financial gain as well. Most catfish use their false profile identity to manipulate other people’s emotions for their own gratification.
Finally, there are some people who make fake profiles to stalk, harass, or troll others. While this can sometimes fall under the umbrella of emotional manipulation, these fake profiles generally don’t invest much time in setting up a romantic attachment first, instead going straight to aggressive behavior.
Common Scams Associated with Fake Profiles
It sometimes seems like there’s a new scam every day on the internet, but all the various scams that exist come down to a few basic types. The scams associated with fake profiles on dating sites tend to fall into one of three essential categories: romance scams, identity theft, and phishing scams.
Romance Scams
Romance scams aren’t limited to dating sites and apps, but they’re definitely more common on online dating platforms. Romance scammers prey on lonely people, becoming the ideal partner and developing trust, before scamming victims out of money.
Usually, this will come in the form of some type of sob story: their child or parent or sibling is in the hospital after an accident, and they desperately need funds to keep them alive. Or they’ve fallen into sudden legal trouble, and need money for a lawyer. The more resistant their victim is, the more intense and tragic the story becomes.
Phishing Scams
Some other scammers use their fake profiles to go on phishing expeditions, charming their targets into divulging personal information: identity details that can be used to commit fraud are the most common, but some phishing scams seek out login credentials for other platforms.
Phishing scams are pretty widespread, and online dating creates an atmosphere where scammers can easily develop trust and get you to let your guard down. Once the scammer has your personal information, they may go on to use it themselves or sell it to someone else.
Identity Theft
As with phishing and romance scams, dating sites and apps provide an environment where people tend to let their guard down a bit; something scammers intent on stealing identities for personal gain take advantage of.
Identity theft scams on dating sites operate a lot like phishing scams, with the scammer developing trust with their target before starting to seek out personal details. Identity thieves then use your information to enrich themselves.
6 Red Flags to Look For
Fortunately, fake profiles are easy to spot when you know what you’re looking for. Scammers of all types are not very inventive. By knowing the red flags, you’ll be able to avoid getting ensnared by a fake.
1. Profile Pictures
Spotting a fake profile picture is getting harder and harder, especially as AI-generated images become more commonplace. However, there are a few key tells you can keep in mind when checking out someone’s profile pictures.
Fake profile pictures are often low quality or use heavy filters or blurring to obscure the person’s face. Overly stylized images or generic photos should raise red flags.
You might also run into pictures that look “off,” because they come from stock photo sites and aren’t showing a genuine context. Your best friend in identifying fake profile pictures is reverse image search, so be sure to take advantage of tools like TinEye or Google.
2. Inconsistent Information
Another major tell of a fake dating profile is inconsistent information. For example, if someone lists their race as Caucasian, but the pictures all feature a Black person, there’s a good chance the profile is a fake.
The biggest areas where scammers tend to slip up is not matching their basic characteristics to their profile pictures. The easiest tells to spot are things like height, weight, race, age, or similar details that aren’t consistent with the images they use as profile pictures. But you’ll also find inconsistencies in their bio or other information if you look hard.
3. Poor Language Skills
This particular tell is tricky because perfectly genuine people can have poor language skills for a variety of reasons. However, if the profile says that the person behind it is from a particular place, but they aren’t reasonably fluent in the language, that can be a major indicator of a scam. Here are some examples:
- I would want to know you for dating please.
- You sound very cool nice in your words.
- Can I exchange Whatsapp for chat?
Most romance scammers operate in underdeveloped countries, so their grasp of the English language is not strong. If you’re chatting with a person who claims to be a natural-born New Yorker, but who sounds more like a Nigerian Prince, you’re probably dealing with a scammer.
4. Reluctance to Meet in Person
Some of the characteristics of a fake profile require a certain amount of context and discernment, and a reluctance to meet in person is one of them. While there are plenty of reasons someone might be reluctant to meet up with a stranger, the reasons and the way that reluctance is expressed are where you’ll find red flags.
If your potential partner is constantly giving subpar excuses for why they simply can’t meet with you, there’s a good chance they have an ulterior motive. They’ll also often avoid voice and video chat because it would potentially give them away.
5. Rapid Escalation
If you’re chatting with a potential partner, and they start calling you their boyfriend or girlfriend, or professing their love for you within the first day, there’s a good chance something is up. Love bombing is a manipulative tactic used to create trust before it’s earned.
Not all examples of rapid escalation indicate a scammer, but even troubled people usually wait a few days before escalating in intensity. If your potential partner goes from 0 to 100 practically before you’ve responded to their first message, they’ve got something other than romance in mind.
6. Requests for Personal Information or Money
The major red flag for a fake profile is requests for personal information or money. Whether it’s a sob story about a relative in the hospital or jail, or a request for you to share your identifying information because they’re “locked out” of some important account, these requests are a major hallmark of scammers.
People with good intentions don’t usually go around asking strangers for sensitive information or money, so even if the person you’re talking to isn’t a professional scammer, you should treat any such requests from someone you don’t have a long-established relationship with as suspicious.
Best Practices for Protecting Yourself
Although you can spot a lot of fake profiles just at a glance, there are some sophisticated fraudsters out there who manage to avoid easy detection. However, you can continue to keep yourself safe by following the best practices for protecting yourself online.
Vet Your Online Matches
Vetting all of your online matches is an important first step to keeping yourself safe on dating sites and apps. This may seem like an annoying extra step, but paying attention to red flags on a profile, and taking a cautious approach to chatting someone up will help you avoid issues.
Go over dating profiles with a metaphorical fine-tooth comb, check profile pictures with a reverse image search, and ask smart questions when you’re interacting with your potential partner. Add in a voice or video chat, and you’re more than halfway there.
Establish Healthy Boundaries
A major obstacle between scammers and your money (or personal information) is a healthy set of boundaries. If you make it a personal rule not to divulge sensitive information or to give money to strangers you encounter online, it is a lot harder for someone to convince you to do either of those things.
Healthy boundaries will also help you to avoid non-scammers who might waste your time or trap you in a toxic relationship, so it’s a win-win.
Trust Your Instincts
Sometimes it’s best to just go with your gut. If a profile seems too good to be true, it probably is. If someone’s profile picture feels “off” or “wrong” in some way, that’s probably because it’s a fake.
While your instincts may lead you astray at times, they’re a reliable measure if you’ve learned to be a little suspicious of strangers you meet online.
Report & Block Suspicious Accounts
Most online dating platforms make it easy to block and report accounts. Whether another user is harassing you, or their profile just looks wrong, you can usually find a link to report them to the platform easily.
It’s also usually straightforward to block any profile that rubs you the wrong way, usually from several areas of the profile or within the platform’s messaging system.
Real-Life Consequences
Although fake profiles exist in online spaces, the consequences of being taken in by a faker can wreak havoc in real life. From emotional scars to financial losses, it’s important to keep in mind that scammers can do real damage, even without ever meeting you in person.
How to Cope with The Emotional Toll
Romance scammers leave definite emotional scars on their victims, as many studies show. Fortunately, there are resources for victims suffering from trauma, anxiety, and other emotional or psychological symptoms of falling victim to a romance scammer.
Other tools for coping with the emotional fallout of a romance scam include setting new boundaries for yourself, reaching out to your support system, and committing to self-care practices. This will help yourself start to feel more in control and connected with yourself.
Financial Losses
Since money is the name of the game for most romance scammers, it should come as no surprise that the financial losses to fake profiles are heavy. The FTC estimates the median loss per person for romance scams to be $2,000 as of 2023, and the agency reports a total loss figure of $1.14 billion.
The FTC also has steps victims can take to try to recoup what they can of the financial losses they’ve sustained, although your ability to get your money back may be fairly limited. Your odds are a little better if you used a credit or debit card, versus sending cash, but getting some of your money back is better than none.
Seeking Support
After you’ve reported the scam, and taken the steps to bring your life back to normal, seeking support is a major step to making yourself whole once more. Support groups for victims of romance scams can help you to work through your experience with others who understand what you’ve been through.
“Our principal goal is to assist traumatized scam victims and aid in their recovery and avoidance of future victimization.” — SCARS advocates
It’s also a good idea to talk to friends and family about your experiences. That’ll help you overcome the shame and feel less alone. If you can, get in touch with a professional to help you process what you went through and develop strategies for feeling safe once more.
Stay Safe From Scams by Being Vigilant
Online dating offers a wide world of potential partners, but not everyone you encounter on a dating site or dating app is there to find sex, love, or companionship.
By being vigilant, you can avoid the pitfall of fake profiles, whether you’re up against a scammer, catfish, bot, or any other kind of faker with bad intentions. Recognizing the signs, setting healthy boundaries, and listening to your instincts will help you find the right partner and avoid all the wrong ones.
