Since virtual dating is so popular, online dating platforms are the perfect tool for scammers. As Tinder is one of the most popular dating apps out there, Tinder scams are common.
Swiping right should never feel like the risk of a lifetime. Here are some Tinder scams that you should look out for, along with advice on how to avoid them.
1. Tinder Verification Code Scam
The Tinder account verification scam involves a match asking whether or not you've verified your profile on the app. The match then asks you to verify your account through a link that they provide in order to receive your Tinder verification officially.
The link, cunningly enough, sends you to a third-party website—no Tinder codes anywhere to be found. The sketchy site will usually ask you to fill in personal information such as your full name, your email address, your birth date, and your credit card number.
Instead of being used to verify your account, this information is used to register you (and your credit card) for costly subscriptions to adult websites. Users who fall for this scam report that the subscriptions can run up to $120/month and are very difficult to cancel.
How to Avoid This Scam
Tinder does actually verify accounts, but this verification is never done through a third party. Rather, you can verify your Tinder profile in the app.
According to the Tinder FAQ:
To get verified, you’ll submit a short video selfie that we’ll compare to your profile photos. We use a combo of trusty humans and facial recognition technology to compare the facial geometry in the selfies you submit and in your profile pics.
In short: Tinder will never send an agent to verify you. The process is completed through the app and you will not be sent to a third-party site or link.
2. Sugar Baby/Sugar Daddy Scams
Is your match proposing that you become their "sugar baby" and they will become a "sugar daddy" or "sugar mommy" for you? The sugar daddy scam is common on dating websites and even messaging services.
In this scam, the scammer pretends to be an older person looking for someone to have a transactional relationship. The sugar daddy or sugar mommy takes care of the sugar baby financially, in exchange for a relationship.
But in reality, the scammer will try to get money out of the user they are misleading. This may be through a supposed transaction fee or a verification fee for an online payment account such as PayPal. But either the scammer hasn't really sent a payment or they have sent a temporary payment to trick you. In the end, the person being scammed is left with less money.
How to Avoid the Sugar Baby Scam
If someone offers to be your sugar daddy or sugar mommy on Tinder, keep your wits about you. If they send you a request for payment, do not click on the link or send through any money.
3. Tinder Bot Profiles
You may encounter bots on Tinder. These bots can usually simulate a real conversation, especially as some users create automation with tools like ChatGPT.
In the case of scams, however, they will eventually send you a link, asking you to visit it. The link usually sends you to an app, an online game, or some other online service.
The bot may talk about wanting to play the online game with you, suggest downloading a chat app so that you can have a more adult conversation, or say that they recommend the service and you should try it out.
Unfortunately, the links that they send you will likely end up asking you for personal information. They're usually fake sites or downloadable malware.
How to Recognize a Tinder Bot
The easiest way to avoid a Tinder bot scam is to learn to recognize one as quickly as possible. Recognizing a fake profile on Tinder will sometimes be more difficult than you might think. Bots do very well with the kind of conversations you have in online dating—short, direct questions and responses.
Like the Tinder code scam, these bots have only one mission: to trick you into providing sensitive information or downloading software. On Tinder, you need to keep your wits about you at all times for this reason.
Here are a few ways to spot a potential bot:
- Be on alert if the profile only has between one and three very similar photos (especially glamor or professional modeling shots).
- Profiles with limited info, nothing in their bio, and very suggestive images are more likely to be bots.
- Bots often reply very quickly—sometimes faster than the time it takes to type their message. They are also more likely to message first.
- The vast majority of real people on Tinder will not ask you to follow a link, download an app, or play a sketchy online game. If the person you're talking to asks you to do this, chances are, it's a scam.
If you suspect a Tinder match is a bot, there are a few strategies for confirming your suspicion. Challenge suspected bots by asking complicated or very specific questions, such as asking the bot to explain something in one of their photos. Two-part questions will also usually do the trick.
You can also try using a nonsense word in place of a noun while asking a question. If the bot uses the nonsense word back (instead of asking you what you're talking about), you know it's not a real person on Tinder.
4. Catfishing on Tinder
Many Tinder scams are run by real people using fake profiles. Also known as "catfishing", these Tinder scammers use a fake persona to make you believe that they are interested in you.
These Tinder scammers are difficult to identify, as they don't behave like bots. They're often willing to play a long game. Tinder takes some steps to prevent these types of scams, but this isn't always enough.
Human scammers can create fake profiles with images sourced online and will often come up with elaborate stories about their fake lives. Once you match with a scammer, they will probably be very quick to suggest moving to another chat platform. They may even ask to talk to you on the phone and suggest starting a more serious relationship.
Inevitably, some sort of disaster will allegedly happen to the scammer. At this point, they'll usually just blatantly request money from you. Sometimes, they'll claim to need money to travel to meet you. Other times, they'll claim there's some family emergency and that they need financial help.
By playing to your emotions, master Tinder scammers can make thousands of dollars across many victims using these techniques. This is one of the techniques used by the infamous Tinder Swindler to scam matches out of vast sums of money.
How to Recognize a Tinder Catfish Scam on Tinder
If someone has a very limited profile and you're suspicious, consider using a site like SocialCatfish.com to check whether or not the account is real. This site's search engine can help you verify that their images, emails, phone numbers, or usernames aren't being used with multiple accounts.
Many people running a catfish scam will want to talk on other forms of social media as soon as possible so that you don't flag their Tinder account. Somebody on Tinder immediately asking for WhatsApp information is one red flag to watch out for. Be sure to put off speaking to someone on any other social media platform until you're sure that you can trust them.
Another great way to avoid a catfish scam is to actually meet up with your matches. A catfish will usually find excuses or not show up to meetups since they're hiding behind a fake profile.
Last, but certainly not least, don't give money to people you meet through social media or dating apps.
5. Tinder Blackmail and Sextortion Scams
Scammers also target Tinder users for blackmail schemes. This scam involves Tinder profiles that solicit nude pictures from other users in order to blackmail them. Once you send nudes, the scammers demand money in exchange for keeping the images private.
Unlike Tinder bots, these Tinder scammer accounts are run by real people who carefully groom potential victims for extended periods of time. Once they establish trust, they ask for these images.
How to Deal With Tinder Blackmail Scams
To avoid this scam, do not send any compromising images of yourself to matches. This is just one way to protect your privacy while dating online.
It's not too late if this has already happened. If you are being blackmailed on Tinder or other dating apps, there are services that can help you.
Find an organization in your country that deals with takedown requests for private images. Google has a dedicated takedown request form for these types of issues if your images appear in search results.
6. Venue Promotion Scams
Another scam on Tinder involves people hired to attract customers to a specific venue, such as a restaurant. The match will tell you that they will be at a venue soon and that you should stop by if you would like to meet up.
When you arrive, your match isn't there. Instead, you may find other people who were also invited by the same profile.
There is also another version of this scam. The online date will want to eat at a specific venue and will rack up a huge tab that you have to pay for. After the date, you'll never hear from your match again.
How to Avoid Being Scammed on Tinder by Promoters
Look out for any matches that suggest meeting up at a specific venue after very little interaction. Most people want to at least chat for a while before they suggest meeting up.
If you're suspicious about a potential date, suggest an alternative location to meet up, such as a coffee shop. This makes it unlikely that they'll rope you into an expensive dinner and shows whether they're willing to budge.
If they were hired to get customers to a specific venue, they won't want to meet up somewhere else.
7. Tinder Crypto Scams
Some scammers on Tinder take advantage of the hype around cryptocurrency. These are dubbed CryptoRom scams and involve criminals asking matches to invest in crytocurrency such as Bitcoin.
However, victims of these scams are sent to fake financial apps that are used to steal money from unsuspecting users.
According to Sophos, victims have lost thousands of dollars to these scams. Some of the fraudulent apps used to steal money have managed to get through app store reviews, making users trust them more.
How to Avoid CryptoRom Scams on Tinder
If a Tinder match asks you to invest in cryptocurrency, you're likely speaking to a scammer. As with other malware threats, do not install any apps that your match tries to send you.
It's Not All Bad on Tinder
These are just some of the Tinder scams that you need to watch out for when dating online. Thankfully, scams are still a small part of online dating as a whole.
There are a few rules to follow when online dating, such as not sharing too much information, not lying on your profile, and using the right platform to find what you really want. A positive experience when dating online doesn't have to come at the cost of your personal safety.