Fake Dating Profiles, Photos, Bots & Catfishing On Dating Sites

Signs Of A Fake Dating Profile; Hinge Bots, Bumble Fake Profiles, Fake Tinder Account, How To Spot A Catfish On Dating Sites, Catfishing Warning Signs

Dating apps have come a long way since the early days of Match.com, Plenty of Fish and OkCupid and so has the ease of creating fake profiles. These days a fake online dating profile can be created in a matter of minutes during a commercial break of a TV show.

It’s important to understand the business of dating apps, what they are, what they are not in addition to looking for red flags from users on dating apps as possible signs of fraud. Not all dating apps are safe or can be trusted so it’s important to know what to look out for. Hinge scams and Bumble scams are on the rise. Bots on Hinge are more and more common these days.

It’s one thing to use deceptive, misleading or old photos taken from weird angles or with filters applied to make yourself look better or slimmer but that’s not what I am talking about here – Bumble scams, scammers on Hinge, bots on Tinder trying to obtain bank info, con you and more.

This is more so fake dating profile pictures and bios that represent other people or are aimed to scam and hurt people. You fill find good tips on how to spot a dating scammer, which dating sites have the most fake profiles by analyzing photos, prompts, bios and communication.

Related read: Types of online dating scams.

Related read: Online dating safety tips.

How To Spot Fake Bumble Profiles, Hinge Bots How To Tell If A Dating Profile Is Fake

Depending on the app, anywhere from 1-5% of profiles can be fake, some sketchy apps this can be upwards of 20-50% of profiles.

Additionally, many profiles can be inactive or merely seeking gifts, Instagram followers or a penpal adding to the frustration that the total datable population of all profiles on any given dating site can be less than half.

Some profiles are obviously fake to weed out fake positives of gullible people while others are more advanced and manipulative.

Knowing what to look for in profiles, how to understand business models and screening processes of each app and what to expect from audiences of each platform will save your time, pain and effort.

FAQ’s, Blog Topics:  Tinder  |  Match.com  | OkCupid  |  Hinge  |  Bumble  |  Coffee Meets Bagel  |  The League

Natural, Trusting Disposition Of People On Dating Sites, Being Too Trusting On Dating Apps

With the rise in popularity of dating apps come a rise in scams, blackmail, deceit, catfishing and dishonesty in marital status and dating intentions.

Many people read into dating apps too much thinking that people are always honest and that apps screen people frequently and exhaustively. Read Malcolm Gladwell’s Talking To Strangers to see just how trusting people can be.

Greed, Fiduciary Responsibility By Dating Apps, Monetization Efforts On Hinge, Bumble

Technology has enabled fake profiles to flood platforms to boost monthly average user (MAU) counts and corner folks into upgrading accounts to enable additional filters and see additional profiles.

These user and revenue targets have led to dating apps to loosen up registration requirements and slow down reporting and deletion of fake accounts.

Most online businesses like to make registration processes as seamless and quick as possible while making downgrades, subscription cancellations and account deactivations as long and drawn out as possible.

Related read: Monetization Efforts, Business Models Of Dating Apps

How Dating Apps Have Responded to Criticism

Apps like Bumble have done a good job of addressing the quality and safety at the top of the funnel by requiring users to mimic an action via a photo upon registration.

Tinder has recently launched a softer screening process by enabling blue checks on verified accounts.

Hinge is taking reports of users more seriously when activities are offline (others apps, in person) and banning folks vigorously (even making it more difficult to register with a new phone, email, photos, IP address etc.).

Although identities are confirmed at registration, ages, locations, photo authenticity can be manipulated. Dating apps cannot prevent people from harassing others, assaulting dates, trying to get people click on a phishing link to steal identities etc.

Technology & Fake Profiles, Bots, Spammers On Dating Apps, Catfishing On Dating Apps

Instagram, Photoshop, AI and Facebook has made it easier to alter people’s photos, alter stock photos from the internet and gather information from users’ public social media profiles to create fake accounts or obtain their passwords and guess their security questions and answers.

It’s easy to change faces, bodies and appearances with a few keystrokes.

Now that you have a little understanding of what apps have done, and what they are not doing, here are some ways to detect fake profiles and those seeking to take advantage of you.

Related read: Deceiving, filtered & misleading dating app photos

Why Are There Fake Profiles On Dating Sites: Fake Hinge, Bumble Profiles

The apps don’t create fake profiles, people do. With that said, dating apps don’t always verify profiles nor are they quick to remove fake profiles. They rely on crowdsourced efforts (user feedback) primarily which is why profiles are up for a few days before getting flagged.

It’s up to users to flag profiles and flag them often. If you don’t, you are not helping the societal dating pool on dating sites like Hinge, OkCupid, Tinder, Match etc. (see how to report dating profiles on each app here).

Reasons Why People Catfish & Lie, How Common Are Fake Dating Profiles

Most deceit, pain, embarrassment and crime on dating apps are aimed at controlling people, taking their money or done purely for absolute boredom, jealousy or insecurity.

Understanding these multiple angles and reasons will help you to identify less obvious ways people might be using fake accounts to target you.

It’s important to proceed using dating apps with a sense of caution. Sometimes people are targeted at random as a part of a game, others might be by chance but many victims are those that show some vulnerability.

A number of people lie about having kids, their age, profession or location.  These are the most common lies told on dating apps. Some people do it for security reasons (mentioning of kids) or profession (avoid stalkers) but names and age should be used (use a nickname). Don’t blame facebook or the app for not letting you update your age.

Which App Has The Most Catfishing? Which Dating Sites Have The Most Fake Dating Profiles? 

It’s tough to tell but the League, CMB and Bumble have the most cautious approaches to verifying profiles. Okcupid routinely screens profiles and bans them for obvious reason.

I maintain profiles on all dating apps to monitor product releases, marketing promos and measure which dating apps have the best gender ratios and what trends are surfacing. With that said, Okcupid was the quickest to ban me for having a fake profile.

Suspicious Links & Phishing On Dating App, Online Dating Messages, Whatsapp Scams 

One of the most popular phishing scams out there is a link sent by a match (typically after a few messages exchanged) to validate identity through a third party. These are dead giveaways of a scam.

Validation is typically conducted over time, with questions, and eventually meeting in person. Don’t click on any suspicious link as it can gain access to photos, messages, accounts, passwords and contacts.

If someone is genuinely interested in making sure you are real, that person can wait. If he/she is pushy, that is either a sign of a scam or someone with severe trust issues.

How To Tell If Online Dating Profile Is Fake: Location, Age, Looks, How To Vet Dating Prospects

It’s one thing to keep an open mind about age and have aspirational targets for looks and other qualities but the further you deviate from your relative looks, lifestyle, age, location and attractiveness the more likely you will be target of catfishing.

If a woman or man who is significantly younger than you, located far away or is materially more attractive than you then you, chances are you might be overwhelmed by their looks and charm to notice the scam going on right in front of you.

Take things slowly, never give away personal info, meet up in person in public settings before you start to let your guard down.

Related read: Most common lies on dating apps

Few Photos, Limited Bio, Old Photos: Fake Dating Profile Pictures – Vague Dating Profiles

Profiles with just one photo or some even with more photos but a limited bio and wide open preferences (particularly Match.com and OkCupid) should raise a red flag.

Some people will do some investigation beforehand by reverse-image searching photos* to verify profiles and identities but this is not always guaranteed or proof of identity. (All the more reason to not make your Instagram and Facebook profiles public to avoid identity theft by scammers).

To reverse-image search, go to: https://images.google.com/ and click the camera icon to upload the photo in question. Remove any borders any use the highest quality photo possible. Images on non-indexed pages like private Facebook accounts, password-protected sites will not be displayed as possible matches.

People with preferences with wide-open age limits i.e. 40-65, people with height preferences of 4’4″ to 6’10” and profiles seeking people within 100 miles are giant red flags.

For people in more remote areas, large radii are more common but pair those preferences with other clues mentioned here. It’s easy to get photos from a public Facebook or Instagram account these days.

Checking for catfishers or those using photos that are old is easy. Check Instagram, Facebook, Yelp or EXIF data on photos on their website or company page to see when photos were taken. For more techniques, check ou this post on dating profile checks.

Video Chats, Moving Offline Away From Dating Apps, Moving From Dating Apps To Text

One of the common scams right now is getting matches to move conversations from dating apps to other messaging platforms or even video chats. Dating apps can be buggy no doubt but proceed with caution as reporting improper behavior is harder to do once you leave the dating app.

I typically recommend people don’t relinquish private info, contact information until after you have met and after you decide you want to meet again. With that said, video chats can be a great way to verify identities and save time from bad dates and possible catfishers.

When possible, stay on the app for communication (text, calls and videos) until you meet in person and after you decide you want to see the person for date number two.

I wrote more about red flags with video chatting here but the main scams through video chatting is sexual acts captured on video and then uses recording this info to blackmail you by threatening to contact family, neighbors, colleagues or employers.

Love Bombing & Online Dating, Signs Of Love Bombing

Love bombing is a method whereby matches overwhelm targets with flattering messages, attention, grand gestures in a rather short period of time, often times before even meeting in person. Some identities can include service men overseas for example.

Prime targets are people who are a little older, show signs of depression, are divorced, widowed or share a little too much information online that is generally recommended.

Focus on actions, in person gestures rather than those who are the first people to make you feel good or wanted. Also, if the person is significantly younger than you or significantly more attractive than you or if the person asks not sure tell others about him or her, proceed with extreme caution.

Excuses, Short Vague Answers, Low-Effort People On Dating Apps

Making excuses as to why one can’t meet in person or someone who repeatedly replies with short answers and never balances conversation intent with questions of their own is often a red flag.

Many scammers are running the same lines with other people and often try not to get too deep in the weeds with details as to confuse targets. Superficial conversations or empty flattering messages are easy initiate without any thought.

Signs Of A Fake Dating Profile: Sob Story, Fake Men On Hinge, Fake Women On Bumble, Hinge

There is never a need to divulge bank account info to a stranger, especially ones you have not met. This seems super obvious but dozens of people every day fall victim to scammers and give away account info, passwords or even provide loans to sob stories.

Don’t lend money to people you don’t know, trust and have not met!

Military Romance Online Dating Scam: How To Find Out If Someone Is Using Fake Pictures

This is pretty obvious but should be noted. Most guys are relatively young, fit and deploy love-bombing tactics. They usually ask for money for various false service-related needs such as transportation costs; communication fees; or marriage, processing or medical fees.

Reverse image photos as they are looking to target the most vulnerable by weeding out fake positives (see Nigerian email scam).

Meet In Person, Don’t Over Invest Yourself Emotionally On Strangers

In general, you should learn to not over invest your emotions and vulnerability too quickly to someone online. Scammers move quick to filter out false-positives for possible scams.

If someone is slow to respond, uses generic messages, tells you not to discuss him/her with others you know, give pause. People should not be use dating apps right after a divorce, death in the family or during depression.

Don’t assume dating apps will block bad people from registering on their sites and apps. It is up to you to be patient, ask questions and use good judgment. Honing in on your people reading skills to conduct your own background checks is an essential skill to acquire when online dating.

If you need help, ask friends. Scammers are good at hiding their tracks, don’t assume that you did a few Google searches that you are good to go. This is why clients hire me to perform extensive background checks on suspicious matches, dates and long-distant relationship partners.

How to Spot a Fake Profile On Hinge, Bumble, etc., How To Spot A Fake Hinge Account, 

Match.com does a poor job of verifying profiles upon registration. Be wary of newly created profiles, profiles with only 1-2 photos, empty bios or modeling photos (pro-tip, you can sort profiles by how new they are, most blatant cases are deactivated within a week).

Reverse-image search photos when in doubt.

You can possibly see if the person is real and a possible timestamp for when said photo was posted online. If the person seems too good to be true, proceed with caution.

Given the older demographics of Match.com, there are more cases of love-bombing, phishing etc. on sites like this targeting those of older age, widowed, divorced etc.

Reporting Fake Dating Profiles on Bumble; How To Report Fake Hinge Accounts

Every person has the responsibility to report fake dating profiles whether someone lied about their age, height or materially looks different from their photos. People owe it to each other to improve the dating pool for all.

Screenshot profiles, messages and conversations off the app. Some people might actually try to pre-emptively block you and report you to the app first to avoid being reported. Be concise in your contact (timelines, photos, details).

Are most profiles on Bumble fake? No. Just because girls don’t like you or message you doesn’t mean they are fake. Matches mean nothing. It’s a competitive app and people can change their mind about you.

Verified Dating Profiles, Screening For Fake Profiles on Bumble, Hinge;

Apps like The League go through extra steps to verify profiles that enter the platform by verifying other social media profiles and photos.

Bumble offers a verification method for users to prove identity and receive a blue checkmark on their dating profile. The League screens all users with 3rd party data sources before approving profiles to go live on the app.

OkCupid asks an insane number of questions upon registration and is one of the apps that has banned my skeleton accounts created for reviewing client profiles on the site.

Sites like Hinge, Coffee Meets Bagel, Tinder and Bumble have allowed me to create fake profiles without any problem thus far.

Please note these steps do not confirm age, height, location, gender, intention but merely verifies you are a real person.

If you fail the verification process your profile will be turned off meaning you can’t see anyone and no one can see you. Typically this is a feature done at will by the user but can be required if your profile is reported as fake.

Tinder also has a verification process where it validates a profile is real but again, does not verify age, height, location, intent etc. – only a user can do this. Which dating site has the most fake profiles? That’s easy, Tinder.

What Percentage Of Dating Profiles Are Fake? Are Dating Sites Legit?

This is a tough question to ask since figures vary by apps but on the low end of the spectrum, I would put it at 2-3% of the total user base but for other apps it could be as high as 5-10%.

Given the complaints on forums, one would think these figures would be higher but these accounts tend to send a disproportionate number of likes, messages and are typically not removed until at least 3-5 days after being on a dating site after numerous flags, reports.

Some dating apps tend to have more fake profiles than others but you should never assume an app has zero fake profiles even if they are paid apps or have verification systems. Don’t rely on dating apps to avoid using good judgment on your end.

Dating sites generally don’t create fake dating profiles but they don’t make it hard for others to do so. With that said, avoid non-mainstream apps, niche apps that focus on demographics (religion, age, lifestyle, wealth, race etc.).

How Do You Know If A Dating Profile Is Real? How Do You Tell If A Dating Profile Is A Bot?

Ask questions, be patient, do reverse image searches, ask local questions, learn to identify when users are asking too many personal questions that can be used for lost passwords on websites i.e. hometown, middle name, maiden name, favorite color etc.

Also if users avoid wanting to meet up, only post 1 photo or seem overly eager to meet you and are outside of your league, be careful. Using a fake name on a dating app or being overly sexual and forward are other red flags.

Use video chats to see if the person looks like their photos. Usually most fake profiles and scammers make excuses as to not be available to do a video chat i.e. slow internet, bad lighting, busy schedule, no privacy etc.

Someone Made A Fake Dating Profile Of Me – Fake Bumble, Hinge Account Of Me

If you have enough public photos are friends with sketchy people, it’s not unheard of to have someone use photos to create a dating profile of you without you knowing.

Make your accounts private, update your friend list and report the profiles to the apps in question. Reduce the size of your photos used on Linkedin profile (doesn’t need to be that big (300px is big enough).

Do a reverse image search to see where else the photo(s) in question are coming from (Google yourself). It’s not unheard of that ax ex creates a fake dating profile with suggestive photos of their former partner (limit the type of suggestive, erotic photos you take).

Fake Location On A Dating App, Reverse Image Search Hinge, Bumble

Look for local photos, look up the person on Linkedin, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Yelp, or Google. Ask them local questions. Reverse image search their photos.

Screenshot photos, crop and do a reverse image search for Hinge or Bumble photos.

Scammer Pictures Male, Scammer Pictures Website

There is no database. Use a reverse image search to find stock photos, some mug shots etc. but it won’t be an complete search.

What Percent Of Dating Profiles Are Fake? Bumble, Hinge, Tinder etc. Bumble Catfish

The % amount can be anywhere from 1-5% upwards for mainstream apps to something hire for niche apps.

It’s important to distinguish between fake profiles, profiles creating real photos but by other people, expired profiles (those that have never been deleted), inactive profiles (those that are rarely checked), incomplete profiles (those that have no info) and inauthentic profiles (those seeking attention, social media followers, etc.)

Match.com Investigation: FTC Fake Love Interest Advertisements

https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/press-releases/2019/09/ftc-sues-owner-online-dating-service-matchcom-using-fake-love

Match.com Complaints, Are Match Likes Real, Match.com Fake Profiles, Match.com Scams

https://eddie-hernandez.com/biggest-mistakes-made-on-match-com-profiles/

Hinge Catfish, Bumble Catfish, How To Tell If Someone Is A Catfish, Catfish On Hinge, Bumble

Some people are real but don’t appear like their photos any more i.e. Covid 15 weight gain. Use video chats to see how the person appears now.

If they decline, use that as a red flag possibly but note most people are bored of video chats and wish to meet in person (assuming it’s safe to do so i.e. Covid case counts).

Is WhatsApp Safe For Online Dating? WhatsApp Scams, Moving From Dating Apps To Texting

It is in the sense that it is secure but scammers like it because they can then unmatch and block you on dating sites. Best to stay on the app’s messaging tools until you meet.

Is Using Filters Catfishing? 

Yes, using filters is catfishing.

Dating Site Safety: How To Report Online Dating Scams, Dating App Scams

The FTC has a great resource of possible types of scams to look out for. Read up on the latest information they provide as well as their online form to report scams.

Additionally, the FBI has an online form to report online crimes – check out that form as well.

Bumble Fake Likes, Hinge Fake Likes – Are There Bots On Hinge? Are There Bots On Bumble?

There is no such thing as fake likes. Yes, there is such things as bots, spammers but someone has to send the likes. Don’t pay for services to see who likes you, you don’t need to pay anything to be successful on apps like Hinge and Bumble.

How To Prove You Are Not Being Catfished? How To Spot A Catfish (Hinge, Bumble Fraud)

Meet in person. Safety tips here.

List of Fake Dating Sites, List of Fake Dating Apps

There are fake profiles on most dating apps (some more than others). Read my app reviews on my blog. If I haven’t mentioned the app, stay away. 

Tinder Who Likes You Fake, Are Tinder Likes Fake?

The likes are not fake but the accounts who sent the likes could be fake – there is a difference. It’s easy to create a fake account on Tinder and send likes accordingly. Likes are not fake in that they come out of thin air or by employees. Most likes come from people are away or people you are not interested in. You can tell if likes are from spammers/bots if your like count fluctuates frequently (particularly true if the said account is banned).

Online Dating Experiment Fake Profile – Catfish Scammer Photos

Online dating experiment fake profile – link here.