The issue of fake profiles continues to escalate like a hurricane, and drown all the real singles out there in online dating land. Where are they all coming from, and why? The issue remains that the anonymity of online dating has opened the flood gates of liars, thieves, cheats, and the sex industry looking to make a quick buck any way they can. So, how can singles wade through the muck and find true love? It’s not as simple as some online dating services claim it is. Singles, both men and women, are under attack from the fakes. Put on your battle gear because dating has become a minefield strewn with fakes ready to blow up in your face … they’ll tell you everything you want to hear, but at a price.
A Singles’ Dating Convention member sent this to me:
“I’ve recently joined a different singles’ site and am running into the same issue I’ve had with the previous ones I’ve been involved in. It seems that somehow my profile targets only those that are looking for money, or are spam. What are some ideas that you can provide me with? For example, the other night I got a message from a lady on PlentyOfFish.com and responded to her and then she quickly responded giving me her Yahoo screen name to IM her. After a little while of chatting and waiting and waiting for responses,
My response:
Unfortunately, you’re running into the sad situation that is online dating. Too many women have fake profiles that are used for making money, i.e., directing men to paid porn sites or personal Web sites or just asking men outright for money. Unless the online dating industry makes a push toward cleaning up their websites, men and women will continue to fall prey to fake profiles.
You Get What You Pay For
It seems the “free” membership sites tend to be the ones most likely to have more fake profiles on them. Though, recently, I learned that Match.com averages 10 percent paid profiles and 90 percent free profiles. The unfortunate truth is that the paid singles don’t know who is free and who is not.
Verified, Schmerified
Beware of the “verified” profiles that some sites tout. Even some of the more clever fake profiles can get “verified” by using a friend’s credit card. Unless the online dating site is going to go to the extra effort of meeting the single in person, doing a background check, and taking their online profile pictures for them (like FindtheItFactor.com, a personalized dating service), then “verified” means nothing more than the faker has access to a credit card. There are services that can do background checks for you, if you feel the person is worth looking into further. Confadate.com is one that can tell you if the person is who she says she is, and if she has a criminal history.
Read That Profile
Another way to spot a fake is to really check out their profile. Most fake profiles don’t take time to fill in all the sections, or have trouble with correct grammar, or even basic English. Though I’m sure that’ll change if the fakes care enough to read this article—but don’t worry, they don’t. It’s a numbers game and they have tons of fake profiles all over the Internet to be worrying about. Especially, if someone flags them and has their account deleted, they have to create a whole new account. Do report a fake profile to your online dating service, it’s at least a step in the right direction—you’ll be helping out by not letting the next guy or girl be faked out.
