How to Verify Someone Is a Real Person on Tinder

In 2012, it was reported that the now New Orleans Saint’s linebacker Manti Te’o was kidnapped by a longtime acquaintance. Only his online girlfriend and tragedies, including a car accident and terminal illness that happened to him, never really existed. Of course, Te’o’s situation was unique. This elaborate plan took a long time and seemed pretty pointless (unless it was meant to make Te’o feel stupid). However, it points to a larger problem. You don’t always know who you’re talking to online.

However, in the Age of Online Dating, it’s probably not just about deleting your accounts and trying your luck at the bar. You have to somehow stir up trouble and hope that the person on the other end of your conversation is as real as you are. Given how simple profiles are, apps like Tinder are particularly susceptible to this sort of thing. Trappers don’t need to put much effort into their personality to get you exactly where they want to go. Fortunately, there are some ways to spot a fake account before you say or do something you regret.

Why Do People Open Fake Accounts?

It helps to know the motivations behind such accounts if you are going to detect and prevent them. At the end of the day, they mostly want financial gain, but how they do it may be different. What’s more, a few treacherous apples are looking for something a little darker.

• Stealing Your Financial Information – This is the most direct route to money for online scammers. Believe it or not, some desperate online flirts out there will hack their credit card information to buy something nice for a beautiful woman. Fortunately most of us have our social security number, bank account number, etc. We know not to tell strangers on the internet.
• Gaining Access to Your Accounts – This could be for financial gain, but it could also be about gaining access to your social media friends and followers to scam them. Some catfishers will try to learn more about you to get your email, phone number and answers to security questions.
• Giving You a Virus – This is less likely on Tinder as it is a mobile only app. However, it is still possible for Android phones to be infected by malware. At best, you’ll see some ads that you don’t want. At worst, your phone’s functions are held hostage by hackers for money. The malware can also be used to spy on your phone behavior and access sensitive information.
• Selling You Something – This is fishing at its most innocent. Some fake users ask you to click on a link to view an ad. They don’t want to hack you or infect your phone. They just want the money advertisers pay to get clicks. It’s annoying when trying to connect outside, though.
• abuse – Sometimes, you will come across users who just want to torture people. They have no material interests. Their only interest is to upset you or get you to do something. In some cases, they will try to get personal information about you and use this to blackmail you into doing something embarrassing or incriminating. Psychological and emotional abuse, plain and simple.

Don’t let these liars and scammers scare you off to enjoy all the good Tinder has to offer. Take some time to educate yourself on how to detect and prevent them.

How to Identify a Bot

There aren’t even real liars on the other side of many of these fake accounts. These are algorithms designed to trick you into thinking you’re talking to a real person. This makes it possible for some scammers to target people en masse, increasing their chances of catching someone. Unfortunately for these scammers, it’s pretty easy to understand when talking to a machine. After all, it takes a team of programmers to develop an AI complex enough to be truly convincing.

• Lighting Quick Responses – You swiped right and matched with someone on Tinder. Within seconds, they are texting you as if they are expecting you to like them. Sure, they can be extremely eager, but they are more likely to be programmed that way.
• No Waiting Time – You don’t respond right away, but that doesn’t stop them from continuing the conversation on their own. However, some bots are programmed to wait for responses.
• Scary Spelling – To be fair, there are probably many legitimate Tinder users with very poor spelling and grammar. When we speak of terrible spelling and bots, we mean spelling that is beyond pale and clearly wrong. Imagine reading “You look great in this peak” and you will understand our meaning.
• Strange Speech Pattern – Is it too formal? Do they have a “sounds very interesting” stock after everything you’ve said? If something feels bad, it probably is.
• Responses Are Not Synced With Yours – Maybe you asked them about their favorite sports team and they replied, “I love sports”. If it seems like they’re not really listening to you, it may be because they really aren’t human.

How to Detect Fake Account

Spotting a bot is easy enough, but not all fake accounts are automated. Some will have real people on the other end. It’s much harder to tell if a real person is lying to you about who they really are. But there are still things you can watch out for.

• underdeveloped bio – Fake accounts will have empty or overly generic bios. The people behind them want to appeal to everyone and hope the photos will speak for themselves. Fake accounts often do not have other basic information, such as occupation.
• Links in Bio – Maybe their bios are not empty, instead encouraging readers to click on small links to learn more about them. Do not click on these links.
• Photo Red Flags – Everyone wants to look their best on Tinder, but some photos may be too good to be true. Photos that appear professionally done or that are borderline pornographic in nature may belong to a fake account. Then again, maybe that Instagram model is really just looking for a date.
• Avoid Dating – You’ve been talking to that amazing man for a few days and he seems like he really likes you. But for some reason, whenever you try to invite him for coffee, he avoids the question. Maybe he’s keeping you on the hook while you wait to see how things go with another girl. Maybe he made it up.
• He Wants To Remove Convo From Tinder – To be fair, this is going to happen eventually with Tinder dates. You will exchange phone numbers, meet face to face, etc. But if they want to get you off Tinder before you even have a chance to date, then something is suspect. They may be looking for your email address or phone number for hacking purposes. They may also be hoping to send you spam or a link that will infect your computer.
• Personal Question Red Flags – That’s right, dating is all about getting to know each other. It’s only natural for your potential Tinder date to want to know about your interests. However, there are a few questions that may seem a bit off. Are they asking for your mother’s maiden name or the high school mascot? There’s a good chance they’re trying to find your answers to frequently asked security questions. And some will be smart about it, directing the conversation in such a way that questions like these don’t feel out of place.

Reporting Accounts

If you think you’ve come across a fake account, report it to Tinder so it can help protect others.

1. Go to the account profile.
2. Tap the menu icon in the upper right corner.
3. Faucet Report.
4. If you’re reporting the account, you’ll be asked to enter a reason.

You don’t need to be matched with someone to report them. However, in this case, tread carefully. If you report legitimate accounts too often, Tinder may start to limit your ability to report in the future. Unfortunately, there is currently no way to block accounts. If you think you’ve been harassed, report the account instead.

Be smart

No matter how sure you are that your match is “on the level”, there are some things you should never do as a general rule.

Never…

• Click any link. Non-stop. Period.
• Send nude.
• Give away too much personal information until we meet face to face.
• Share personal contact information until you meet in person.

In general, try not to sweat too much. After all, you’re there to have fun and meet cool people. You don’t have to continue the conversation with someone who seems insincere or avoids seeing you. Just go inside with your eyes open and have a good time.