How to Spot a Scammer

If something seems strange, know how to protect yourself.

Like anything internet based, there will always be a chance to run into scammers. We have dedicated teams working around the clock to stop these accounts, however with things like fake IP addresses, they can be hard to detect. The following are the most commonly used scamming signals we run into:

Distance: Pay attention to your matches location. Try to stay local, unless otherwise needed. The farther away someone is from you, the easier it is for them not to get caught in a scam.

Too Good To be True: There is a difference between someone having attractive pictures, and pictures that are posed and seem too good to be true. If you have doubts about someone being who they say they are in their pictures, try using services like Googles ‘reverse image search’. Many scammers use the same picture on multiple sites. On the contrary, if someone has no photos posted and tells you they can’t post photos on the app, but can send them via email or text, do not offer to text them. Users can upload photos and keep them private until they wish to share them with someone, there is no reason to take the conversation elsewhere for this reason.

Contact Information: A lot of potential scammers will send you long messages containing an email address, username, or a phone number, asking you to contact them outside of the app. Often once you have made contact they will ask you for money, or more commonly iTunes gift cards. Some scammers will agree to meet with you and then come up with a reason why they can’t make it due to a money issue, like babysitting money or transportation. Never in any circumstance give out your financial information. Financially providing for someone is not part of getting to know someone and not your responsibility.

Inconsistencies: Look for inconsistency within your conversation; the most common being odd language, misspelling, or consistent typos. Location is another big thing to look for. Someone who’s profile is set to your area, but when it comes down to meeting claims to be on “vacation” or staying elsewhere. Other inconsistencies may include interests, employment and marital status, or overall indirect answers to questions.