Online dating scams continue to rise, costing unsuspecting victims millions of dollars each year. Rather than simply sending phishing emails, cybercriminals are playing the long game to cheat people out of their money.

If you are using an online dating platform, make sure to look out for signs that the person you're talking to is actually a scammer. Keep reading to learn how to avoid online dating scams.

Who Do Scammers on Dating Sites Target?

Online dating scammers target people across different demographics on every dating platform possible. You even get WhatsApp dating scams. This means that regardless of gender, sexual orientation, age, or preferred platform, no one is off-bounds to a scammer.

However, they tend to target older people more often. Meanwhile, the biggest targets for long-term catfishing scams are people who are vulnerable or isolated.

Plenty of Fish (POF) scams are particularly prevalent due to the large nature of the network. However, scams exist on the majority of other dating sites.

Netflix's 2022 documentary The Tinder Swindler also highlighted the tactics of a particularly prevalent scammer who used Tinder to lure his victims.

With the rise of dating apps, scammers cast an even wider net for potential targets and automate much of the process, sometimes using bots to lure victims into scams. It's one of the reasons that online dating sucks.

What Are the Signs of an Online Dating Scammer?Photo of a person using their bank card on their laptop

There are a few online dating scam red flags you should look out for when using these dating services. They range from profile warning signs to certain behaviors that try to get you to send money or click on external links.

1. Vague, Limited Profiles

There are a number of signs of a fake online dating profile that could help you identify a scammer before you even match with them on the app or website.

A few typical traits of a scammer's profile include:

  • Their profiles have very few images or include pictures that seem to be model or glamor stock photos.
  • Despite looking for singles in your area, they work or live in another country.
  • They claim to be on military deployment in another country.

On dating apps, scammers and bots will have very limited profile information. They also tend to only have one or two photos.

In the age of generative AI, you should also look out for signs that their profile picture is fake by knowing how to identify an AI-generated image.

2. They Quickly Try to Take the Conversation Elsewhere

Online dating scammers, especially those that catfish their victims, will quickly ask you to move to another form of messaging outside the platform where you met.

This not only helps them get more of your information, but it helps them avoid the safety measures dating apps and sites have in place.

Often, scammers will want to communicate via messages on social media apps like Facebook or Instagram. However, they may also choose to message you via SMS or an app like WhatsApp. A feature like disappearing messages on WhatsApp can be used to make sure there's no permanent copy of your conversations.

Be wary of anyone you haven't met that wants to move the conversation to another platform.

3. Your Match Professes Love Early On

Online dating scammers tend to move very quickly in terms of trying to establish an emotional connection. Within a short period, they may say they love you and that they feel a very deep connection to you.

This is all part of the emotional manipulation involved in online dating site scams. It's also why people who are vulnerable and isolated are such desirable targets—since they're yearning for a connection. You should look out for any matches that are overly flattering and overly devoted early on in your communication when you haven't even met.

Moving the relationship very quickly was also one of the red flags of the Tinder Swindler.

4. They Avoid Meet-Ups

This is one of the dating scammer red flags that even the FBI has highlighted in warnings to consumers. A common line among online dating scammers is that they want to meet you, but when the time comes, there is always some unexpected issue. Since the scammer is not the person they claim to be, they don't want to meet in person.

This is also the reason why so many scammers claim to work in another country or be on military deployment—it provides them with an excuse for not being able to meet up. In fact, many scammers use photos of military personnel and soldiers on their profiles.

The inability to meet you may even be the supposed reason they first try to solicit money from a victim. They may claim to need money to buy a ticket to travel to meet you. Sometimes, they'll say that border officials detained them and that they need money for their release.

5. They Avoid Video Chat Completely

Scammers might avoid phone calls or voice and video chats. A catfish will generally not appear in a video chat since they use fake profile images. Be wary if your match is never willing to video chat or always makes excuses about their camera being broken.

Most smartphones now have built-in selfie cameras, which makes video chatting relatively easy. Some people may initially hesitate to appear on video chat out of shyness. But it's a red flag if someone professes love, yet won't let you talk to them over video after weeks of communication.

6. Requests for Money

graphic of money being stolen through laptop

Inevitably, a catfish or scammer will request money from you, as this is the ultimate goal of most scammers. There are a variety of scenarios that they may invent—from family emergencies, health issues, or travel problems.

Particularly inventive scammers may even trick you into sending them money by purportedly sending you a package that requires customs fees. Scammers don't necessarily work alone, so you may receive a phone call or documents from someone posing as a third party to request fees.

7. They Ask for Your Help With Financial Transactions

Another online dating scam doesn't request money from victims, but turns them into "money mules". Rather than trying to get money from the victim, these scammers make you an accomplice in money laundering.

One example includes the scammer sending money to the victim, who then sends them an Amazon gift card or another kind of gift card. Other times they might send you money and ask you to send it to another account for them.

Sometimes, scammers may ask a victim to open a bank account for them. If your online suitor asks you to get involved in these types of financial transactions and exchanges, it's likely that they're a scammer trying to lure you into illegal activities.

Some scammers don't bother with catfishing, rather using more efficient ways to exploit victims. This is especially true on online dating apps where bot profiles are prevalent.

If a match sends you a link to an app, game, service, or website they say they want you to try out, this is often a ploy to get you to supply financial information or download malware. It is essentially the online dating version of phishing and is a very popular tactic for scammers on dating apps like Tinder.

9. They Ask You to Invest

Some scammers request financial investment into their business or another scheme. CrytoRom scams try to get online dating matches to invest in cryptocurrency and these scams are particularly popular now that awareness around cryptocurrency has increased.

Like with other financial requests, this is a major red flag that your match is a scammer.

How to Outsmart a Romance Scammer

Photo of a person typing onto their laptop

Besides spotting a potential scammer, there are a few precautions you can take to avoid online dating scams. Firstly, use reverse image searches and services like the reverse lookup tool on Social Catfish to verify a person's online identity. You should check that the same image isn't appearing across a variety of profiles under different names.

Certain dating apps allow you to choose to match only with verified profiles. These verified profiles need to submit a video selfie to ensure that they are the person shown in profile pictures.

You should also keep up-to-date on the different types of dating scams emerging, especially those related to the platform you're using. Not all dating scams involve prolonged catfishing and certain mobile dating app scams differ from dating website scams.

Finally, never reveal too much information about yourself to someone you've never met. A catfish will use your financial situation and whether you're vulnerable to determine whether you're an ideal target.

If you receive overly flattering introduction emails or messages on an online dating site, simply don't respond. On mobile dating apps, don't match with profiles that seem suspicious.

Furthermore, never send intimate images of yourself to an online acquaintance—scammers are now using these types of pictures for blackmail and extortion schemes. These are among the worst Tinder scams out there, but also appear on other platforms.

Finally, if warning signs pop up and you are unable to verify the person's identity, cut off communication immediately.

Protect Yourself While Dating Online

One of the most important measures to be mindful of when dating online is to protect your privacy. This not only helps you avoid scams but can also protect you from creeps and cyberstalkers. Ensure you don't share too much and don't be afraid to go with your gut if something feels off.