If you’ve tried online dating, you’re probably familiar with the hazard of fake profiles. I don’t want to blow your mind or anything, but not everyone is committed to being 100% real and authentic online. Some people create catfish profiles where they lie about their age, their height, their profession, or anything else to make themselves appear more attractive. It’s annoying, but not really that dangerous.
Profiles created by bots are something more sinister. These types of profiles are usually harbingers of online scams of some sort. Perhaps it’s meant to waste your time chatting and being active on the site. Or perhaps it’s trying to lure you into a con for money or information.
While bots unfortunately do have a presence on many dating sites, they don’t have to ruin the entire online dating experience. This article will give everything you need to know about bots, their impact on online dating, and what to do if you encounter a profile you think is a bot.
Understanding Bots: Definition and Types
Bots aren’t all that complicated, really. Think of it as catfishing, where a person pretends to be someone else. The only difference is that this time, the culprit is a robot. It creates dating profiles, gets matches, and chats with users.
What are Bots?
A bot is short for robot. It’s a program that is built to help humans do tedious jobs such as gathering information and answering repeated questions.
Bots aren’t a new thing. They’re all over the internet. Google uses a bot to “crawl” a website, analyze its content, and decide which articles are worth ranking higher.
When you see your favorite influencer say, “Type ‘help’ in the comments below, and I’ll send the guide to your inbox,” that’s a bot in action!
Unfortunately, bots often get a bad rap online because many people use it to do bad things such as catfishing, spamming, and manipulation.
Types of Bots
Bots have been around for a while, and you’ve probably interacted with them without even knowing it. Let’s explore the different types and see which ones feel familiar!
Chatbots
They are automated systems designed to mimic real conversations, but their responses often seem off after a few lines.
Fake Profiles or Scammers
These bots are programmed to look and act like real people. Their creators often prey on the innocent to steal money, collect personal information, or simply waste your time.
Support Bots
Not all bots are bad! Many dating apps use support bots to help you out. When you have questions, bots can answer them or direct you to the right resources quickly. The bot will connect you to a real person if your question is more complex.
Matchmaking Bots
As an online dater, have you ever wondered how your matches are made? The answer lies in algorithmic “Cupids.” These bots analyze your profile, preferences, and even your inbox chats to find matches that keep you on the platform.
How Bots Work: Automated Interaction
Bots use sneaky tactics to make you engage on online dating sites or apps. They send generic or scripted messages to new users, often using cheesy openers like, ‘Hey, what’s up?’ or ‘You seem interesting!’
That’s why starting a conversation with something meaningful from a person’s bio is one of the top online dating tips. It shows you’ve read their details and care enough to comment, proving you’re a real person, not a bot!
Another common tactic is creating fake profiles with stolen photos and details from real profiles or completely made-up information. Also, bots often “like” or “match” with many people in a short amount of time.
So, the next time you get 100 likes or a bunch of matches, don’t get too excited! It could be a bot trying to get you to subscribe to the dating app (I’ve been there!).
The Impact of Bots on Online Daters
Bots are not conducive to a positive online dating experience, to say the least. Frankly, they can give apps and sites a bad reputation and make users skeptical about genuine matches and connections in their inboxes.
Emotional Manipulation
People hang out in online dating to find someone special. When they find out that they wasted all this time talking to an automated account, it can feel terrible! It can make users feel confused, frustrated, or burnt out.
But the worst part is the time wasted. All that time you spend engaging with a bot can be used to find someone else or do something that makes you happy.
Too many bots on dating apps make finding an authentic match harder and more exhausting. Even when you chat with a real human, too many conversations can lead to online dating burnout.
Negative Effects on Mental Health
Dealing with bots on dating apps can seriously mess with your head. Discovering that you’ve only been chatting with fake profiles might leave you feeling isolated, misled, and even questioning your own attractiveness.
It’s not just one bad interaction — too many bots, and users will leave the platform. With so many dating apps available, people won’t hesitate to move on if the service is poor.
I have personal experience with this. Once I used a less popular dating app and reported so many fake accounts. Then, I received several emails notifying me that most of my matches had also been flagged as fake.
I eventually switched to a different platform (Bumble), which offered a much better experience. I didn’t find my prince charming right away, but I did meet some matches in person and had great conversations.
Dangers of Scams and Fraud
Romance schemes have already become a hot topic in the online dating world, to the tune of $304 million annually in 2020.
With so many cases, we are already familiar with how these things work.
Everything always starts by gaining your trust by love bombing. Love at first sight doesn’t exist in online dating, so if someone says they’re in love with you at the beginning of the connection, that’s not a good sign.
After they have your trust, now it’s time to get what they want: your money or personal information.
If someone on a dating site asks you for money or personal information, it’s likely a scam. Block and move on.
Scammers are pretty creative on this part. Some use phishing websites to make you input your credit card number to order them a ticket or ask you to send some money to help them in an emergency.
Some also take the round route by keeping the conversation going to make you share your mother’s name, your pet’s name in childhood, or your email. These “friendly questions” can be used to hack your email and use it against you.
How Dating Platforms Respond
At this point, we all agree that bots are a nuisance that must be dealt with decisively. That’s why online dating platforms are stepping up their game when it comes to keeping bots out of the mix.
Bot Detection Technologies
Bot prevention should start from the beginning of the user experience. When someone makes a new profile, the platform will do face, phone number, and photo validation to ensure there is a real human behind the new profile.
Next, dating sites and apps also employ CAPTCHA to test how a profile responds. That “select all the traffic lights” question is annoying but useful to keep you safe.
Lastly, the dating site algorithm monitors each member’s behavior, searching for unusual patterns such as profiles sending the same message to multiple users, logging in from different locations within a short time, or responding to messages unusually quickly.
User-Reported Issues
Even though dating platforms work hard to remove bots from their databases, active participation from users still plays a big role. If you notice something suspicious, don’t hesitate to report it for further investigation.
Most dating apps make it incredibly easy to flag a bot or fake account — simply by tapping the “report” and “block” buttons. By reporting suspicious profiles, you’re not just protecting yourself but also helping to create a safer and more enjoyable space for everyone in the online dating community.
Improvement of Algorithmic Matchmaking
The quality of your matches plays a significant role in creating a positive experience on online dating platforms. But how does the algorithm find the best match for each user?
The simple answer is that you tell it who you like.
The basics start with the filters you set in the app. Algorithms will only recommend matches that fit into your categories. Also, it will analyze your behavior: who you swipe right on, the profiles you engage with, and the conversations you enjoy — including the topics you discuss.
Setting filters and being intentional with who you interact with can lead to better recommendations over time.
If you’re new, expect the recommendations to feel a bit random at first. Only swipe right people that you really like to teach the system what you’re into, it won’t take long for your matches to improve!
How Online Daters Can Protect Themselves
You can’t — and shouldn’t — rely on dating platforms to do all the work for you. You need to know the red flags and warning signs to look out for in the online dating world so you can protect yourself from getting scammed. Even the most vigilant services can’t catch all the fakes out there — so be on guard!
Red Flags Identifying Bots
Can you tell if a profile is a bot in online dating sites and apps?
You can’t be 100% sure, but you can definitely watch out for red flags. Here are some signs to look out for:
- Don’t interact with incomplete profiles without pictures or bios. They’re not worth your time.
- Check the text in the bio with an AI detector. If the profile detects as AI-generated, it could be a bot.. Bots often have lame bios such as “I like everything about culture.”
- Bots often recycle details from other profiles, steal people’s photos, and use stock images to make the profile look too polished or perfect.
- When you chat in your inbox, pay attention to how the conversation is going. A bot doesn’t have a personality. You might notice inconsistent messages or overly generic responses that could be sent to anyone.
3 Practical Safety Tips
Safety is always a concern when it comes to online dating. Whether you’re dealing with bots or catfish, it’s important to educate yourself to stay safe. Here are a few practical tips to help you do just that:
1. Avoid sharing personal information too soon.
All the conversations in your inbox should be light. Never share specific information about your home address, financial info, or even your full name.
2. Keep conversations on the dating platform.
Keeping things on the platform helps protect your privacy and allows the site to monitor for any suspicious activity. Once you meet in person and see potential, that’s when it’s okay to share contact info.
3. Report suspicious accounts.
Don’t try to be nice to everyone. If you notice something is wrong, don’t hesitate to report it to the platform. When you’re in doubt, block and move on!
There’s an old saying: “Only fools rush in.” By slowing down your dating pace, you can catch red flags, analyze the situation, and act accordingly.
The Future of Bots in Online Dating
Technology is constantly changing and influencing how people meet and match online. And that’s why we’re always on top of the trends to tell you what to expect in the months or years ahead.
Increasing Role of AI
AI is a common buzzword, but it can also serve as a virtual wingman. In online dating, AI can provide better matches and assist you in starting conversations.
But here’s the tricky part: how can you tell if you’re connecting with a genuine person or falling for a fake one?
One solution is to request a video call to confirm each other’s identities.
Whenever you have a promising conversation, ask for a video call. Seeing someone on video makes it easier to connect, and most of the time, the conversation will flow naturally.
Emerging Trends
Bots are changing how people meet their dates online. It acts as your dating assistant that gives you personalized matches tailored to your personality, interests, and even your texting style.
This might sound like everything you want, but it’s not without concerns.
One of the problems is the fact that bots are monitoring everyone’s every move. How can we be sure how the data being collected is being used? What if our data is compromised?
On the other hand, algorithms that “give you what you want” can get boring. Over time, they learn your preferences and show similar profiles, making the experience feel monotonous. Online dating apps don’t emulate the way we hang out with real people in real life.
The Role of Regulation
There are no specific regulations regarding bots in online dating. However, there are regulations related to bots, such as the Bots Act of 2018, that require that any automated bot used for commercial purposes must clearly identify itself as such when interacting with users.
This is why you may receive a message that states, “This is an automated message,” informing you that the communication is being generated by a bot.
For online dating, this could mean that dating apps would be legally required to disclose when users are interacting with bots, preventing fake profiles from deceiving real users.
As you can see, the regulation is still so vague. To be honest, no one knows exactly how technology will shape our lives, and regulations are evolving by learning from past cases.
The best thing you can do is be vigilant and use your critical thinking to protect yourself.
Technology Can Be a Help or Hindrance to Singles
I’d say the use of AI and bots on online dating platforms is a double-edged sword. It gives us better matches yet opens opportunities for bad actors to lure users into sending some money, sharing personal information, or worse.
Just because you match being duped by bots doesn’t mean you have to quit online dating altogether. You just need to exercise good judgment and be cautious. Never hesitate to ask for a video call to make sure your match is legit.
If someone has good intentions for you, they should understand and respect your boundaries. Anyone who pushes back defensively might not be the best match for you anyway.
