How to Spot False Dating Sites

Online dating has become an alternative for many people, especially those who don’t enjoy the club or bar scene. They can browse in the privacy of their own home, make arrangements via email, and many times these dating sites are free.

However, there are so many of these dating sites that it can often be difficult to tell which ones are genuine, and which ones are out to make a quick buck, or worse, out to steal your identity. There are a lot of signs to look for though, and with some practice, they get easier to see.

 

Things You’ll Need

• Computer
• Internet connection

 

4 Steps to Spot False Dating Sites

 

1. Review what information the site asks you for.

Dating sites require you to become a member and create a profile to use them, and some information will be necessary. Your name, state and city of residence, an email address, and your preferences. If it’s a site that you have to pay to be a member of (this isn’t necessarily a disqualifier) then they’ll ask for your credit card information for billing.

Dating sites shouldn’t be asking for your home address, phone number, social security number, or any contact information beyond your email address. That’s one, major sign.

 

2. Check your access.

Many dating sites will allow you to create a free profile, which gives you the ability to check other users profiles. You cannot message any of these other users until you pay to become a higher level of member, usually a silver or gold member.

Sometimes you cannot even read the mail you’re receiving. While this may not automatically make a dating website a fake, it’s another sign to look for, and it’s certainly inconvenient.

 

3. Browse the profiles.

After putting together your own profile, you should have some idea of what a genuine profile looks like.

If a large portion of the profiles you come across have too many professional pictures, little to no personal information, and horrendous spelling and grammar (the kind that you’d see in a spam email) then there’s a good chance these profiles are all fakes, and that the “community” of this dating website is much smaller than you’d likely been lead to believe. Another bad sign.

 

4. Read your email, if the site allows.

If you have a blank or mostly blank profile with no picture in it, and you’re receiving email from men or women who are commenting on your pictures, then chances are this is a ploy to keep you a member.

This is especially true if when you write back (perhaps after buying a membership) these people who were so interested to talk to you never say anything in return. Also, if these people live more than a state away from you and want to get together for the weekend… it’s also a sign that this is an automated scam.

 

Tips & Warnings

It may also be helpful to read reviews of a dating site before joining. Make sure you read the good and the bad to get a good sense of what people like, what they don’t like, and how often each complaint shows up.