How to Spot a Fake Dating Profile

How to spot fake online profiles

There are a lot of “red flags” that can indicate a fake profile and that someone is a scammer rather than a potential romantic partner.
If the profile or the person behind it is guilty of any of the following, it may be a fake profile and part of an online dating scam:

1. Fake online profile power words

These keywords found in the majority of fake online profiles include the words Catholic, widowed, female, Ph.D., Nigeria, engineer, self-employed, and Royalty.
If you see any of the above words emphasized on a profile there is a chance that it belongs to a scammer and is fake.

2. Nonsensical messages

Drunk messages are one thing, but fake online profiles run through robotic messaging systems tend to make little to no sense.
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.
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!

3. They only have one photo

Photos are one of the most important aspects of your online profile. 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.

4. They have empty profiles

It’s important to read through profiles carefully.
Not only will you spot red flags in real profiles, but empty profiles or profiles that might as well be empty often belong to a fake online profile.
This is also why it’s important to keep your own profile in tip top shape. High-quality profiles are appealing to real people.

5. Empty social networks

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 one photo and 60 friends on Facebook is probably fake.

6. They’re famous or royal

Celebrities, princes, and archdukes can all be found through online dating sites. Unfortunately, they are not generally real celebrities, princes, or archdukes.
Most commonly found are fake online profiles claiming to be African princes.

7. They’re way too forward or flirty

Many online dating scams come in the form of porn and prostitution.
If you’re receiving steamy messages from someone you’ve never met or spoken to, don’t be surprised if they ask you to pay for their photos or to enter their website soon thereafter.

8. They request your personal information

Whether they’re trying to steal your credit card number or your identity, an online dating profile requesting your full name, address, phone number, or social security number is not someone you want to continue talking to.