How to Spot Scammers On Dating Apps?
Plus a few tips on how to spot them in real life.
Through the history of literature and cinema, we witnessed numerous examples of love hardships. We read about Romeo and Juliet and watched the story of Ennis Del Mar and Jack Twist in “Brokeback Mountain.” We cheered for Jack and Rose to stay together and loudly cried in the name of love while watching “Notebook.”
However, even though love can cause significant pain and heartbreak, it should never leave us with empty pockets and maxed-out cards.
Most people joining dating apps seek human connection and companionship, which makes them so susceptible to scammers. Scammers usually build trust over weeks or months.
Since dating apps are an integral part of modern-day dating, we decided to help you avoid scammers and protect your hearts and pockets. That said, here are a few telltale signs of scammers from the First Certified Asian Matchmaker and Dating Expert, Violet Lim.
They are always out of town
Scammers have pretty elaborate ways of making us believe their stories. The first sign that shows that you might be talking to a scammer would be if the person is not based in your city and has many excuses not to see you.
Their profile is too good to be true
Without a doubt, a lot of us imagined their Prince Charming driving an expensive Ferrari. And there’s nothing bad about dreaming.
However, seeing pics that scream luxury on dating websites is not so common. What’s more — it can be a sign you matched with a scammer.
They talk like the characters from the soap operas
If you ever watched just a single episode of a soap opera, you know of the things happening to those people. If your date is constantly telling you that only bad things are happening in their life, it’s a clear sign you’re chatting with a scammer.
Maybe they have sick family members, or their business is going very badly, and they need money. They have nobody to turn to. And because they are so close to you, so comfortable with you, they are just wondering if you could just lend them some money.
You should never send money to someone you haven’t met in person. If you think about it, that doesn’t even make sense.
They always know what to say.
Scammers and our soulmates share the same traits. The truth is, scammers know what works, and they know how to make you emotionally invested. There won’t be a single conversation where you wouldn’t hear “I love you” or any long day passing without “I miss you.”
Tell close friends about your crush. Since they’re not emotionally invested, they could tell you how things look like from a distance. However, scammers usually try to break your relationship by saying they don’t want you to be happy, etc., so there’s another sign to look for.
What to do when meeting online dates in person?
Scammers lurk offline too, and blind dates don’t go without risks. This is why we decided to give you a few quick tips on how to protect yourself on your first in-person date.
- Don’t disclose your personal information. First things first, don’t tell your personal information such as address and where you work to the person you’re seeing for the first time.
- Don’t share personal pics. Secondly, don’t share any personal or intimate images that could be used against you later. We know it might be hard to resist the temptation; however, you never know what can happen in the future that will make you regret this decision.
- Meet dates in public spaces. Make sure to meet your dates in a public area such as restaurants and parks. If the person offers to pick you up from home or the office, say no. Make sure someone knows that you are meeting for the first time on a date. Ensure that they give you a call, maybe 10 minutes into the date, to be sure that you are ok.
Ways to check if someone is legit or not.
Now, when we covered how to spot online scammers, we will give you a few tips on how to double-check their identity and protect yourself better.
- Ask them out on a video call. Video calls are a great way to check a person’s authenticity. If the person is investing time to have a video call with you, this also assures that person is genuinely interested in you.
- Browse their social media. Another great way of checking your dates’ authenticity is to ask for a connection on their social media accounts. That way, you’ll be able to see how they communicate with others, how they interact with friends or even business associates and give you detailed insights about their personality.
- Ask them the same questions at different times. The person who is talking to you right now might not always be the same and might not have time to calibrate and be sure that they always give the right answers. So, just by asking the same question twice, you might catch that they might get it wrong for the second time.
Following these tips will ensure you’re on the right path and allow you to spend time with genuine people like you!
