When navigating a sea of dating profiles, we often come across profiles that seem too good to be true. You might even be wondering, why does he keep looking at my dating profile but never reaches out? Is this a scam?
Signs His Profile Is a Scam
According to the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation, about 10% of all dating profiles are fake. Fake profiles can be created by scammers who want money or information from you or by someone who is trying to hide their identity or appearance. So, how can we tell a real catch from a catfish?
Generic Photos and Prompts
The biggest giveaway is in photos. If a profile has very few photos or the photos are unclear, that could be an indication that the person is not who they want you to believe they are.
Photos with white backgrounds can indicate that they are stock images. Another indicator is realism–if a man looks like a young Leonardo di Caprio and is rushing into a relationship before a date, this is a sign he is probably not the real deal. Scammers often love-bomb to create a false sense of intimacy.
It is tempting to want to believe that this unbelievably good-looking, attentive man just may not have many recent photos or that he is camera shy. In the 21st century, though, these excuses don’t fly.
Mistakes in Profiles
Look out for any odd phrasing or grammatical errors in profiles. Profiles created by bots often sound like they were written by a person, but are a bit off. For example, this sentence is not quite right: “Long walks on the beach, horror films, and wakeboarding are my favorite issues.” They will plug in common key phrases that are present in other online dating profile examples, but the grammar will be strange.
Impersonal Messages
We know that coming up with a compelling opener on a dating app is tough, but as you talk to him, do all of his responses seem impersonal? Does he give you generic compliments without really knowing you?
Many scammers will love bomb you in order to foster a false sense of emotional intimacy and will try to get you to click on links without context. They prey on the knowledge that women—especially women over thirty-five—are on these websites looking for love and operating under the false pretense that they’re running out of time.
If you’re talking to a bot, you’ll find their messages don’t exactly respond to what you say or ask. This is a strong indication you aren’t talking to a real person.
Asking for Money
A scammer may have some sob story–maybe they’re struggling with rent or a sick child. Whatever their reason is, no matter how noble or romantic, never wire money to someone you’ve never met.
Bogus Reasons for Not Meeting
The point of dating apps is to get off them. How does that happen? With a date, and a bot or scammer profile will not make this happen.
They might allude to taking you out and may even make actual plans. When the time comes, the plans will fall apart with excuses such as “something came up” or “my car broke down.” There are only so many times someone can not make it to a coffee date–let’s face it, they were never planning on coming.
Be Aware and Be Careful
Everyone is at risk of falling for fake profiles. Sometimes, you could be talking to someone and they just vanish, making you wonder why this guy suddenly deleted his dating profile. There’s a chance his profile was flagged for fraud–dating apps are being more diligent about removing scammers from their platforms, but users still have to be on their toes.
If you are aware of the possibility of unethical people on dating sites, you won’t fall for these scams. Predators look for people who are desperate or have low self-esteem. If you are confident and know your dating goals, you won’t fall for the first stock photo to tell you you’re a queen.
