Tinder is one of the most popular dating apps, but unfortunately, it is also one that is easy to get scammed on. The sign-up process for this dating app is free and easy to complete, so really anyone could find their way on there, even if they aren’t who they say they are. Because of this, users need to be careful about who they talk to and meet up with on the app because there are lots of scammers that could trick them. In this article, we discuss in detail various Tinder scams to be aware of.
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Top 7 Worst Romance Scams on Tinder
There are many documented Tinder scams, some of which are much worse than others. The following 7 scams are just some of many examples of how you could get tricked or scammed on Tinder.
1. Tinder Whatsapp Scam: Mark was Blackmailed Due to an Explicit Photo He Sent
Mark, a 38-year-old who lives in Sydney, Australia, began talking to a girl on Tinder, which just started off as any playful conversation. This story was posted on news.com.au, and it led to a conversation that wasn’t quite so playful anymore. The two talked on Tinder for a while, but then after a week or so, they decided to move their conversation onto WhatsApp instead.
The first warning sign for Mark was that when they moved their conversation off Tinder, the girl gave him an Indonesia number instead of an Australia one even though Tinder said she was in close proximity to him. When he asked her about it, she assured him that she was just traveling to Sydney for a while.
After that, they continued their conversation on WhatsApp, which caused them to become much closer to the point where she was comfortable enough to send a nude photo to him. She asked for one from Mark in return, and since everything had seemed normal up until that point, he gladly returned the favor.
However, right after that picture was sent, the conversation took a dark turn. The woman began demanding that Mark send her money or else she would share his explicit photo. Mark sent the money in fear that the picture would ruin his life, but the scammer just kept demanding for more and more money from him. He refused to send anymore, but they keep threatening him.
Luckily, as far as Mark knows, the picture was never shown to anyone, but he made his boss aware of the situation just in case. What had seemed like just a simple Tinder conversation had blew up in his face too quickly, which is something that is hard to get over.
2. College Student was Catfished by His First Match
A YouTube video that covers two insane Tinder stories starts off with one about a scary catfishing situation. This first story is about a college student who is home for winter break. He had never used Tinder before, so he decided to try it out to see what all the hype was about. At first, he had no luck with matches until finally, one beautiful girl liked him back.
So, of course, he messaged her and they started talking. They only sent a few friendly messages before they came to the conclusion that they were watching the same Christmas movie. Then, she asked him if he’d like to come watch it with her that night, and since she was his first Tinder match, he gladly agreed. After he got the address, he headed right over.
When he got to the location, it wasn’t what he had expected, but he was still excited to meet her, so he texted her to tell her he had arrived. Instead of coming out to greet him or telling him to knock on the front door, she told him to come around to the back door.
He went to the back door and waited there for a little bit, expecting her to come outside or open the door for him. When she didn’t come out, he tried texting her again. She simply told him to just come inside, but he did not feel comfortable just entering someone else’s home like that. Then, he started to notice some strange things, such as someone peering through the blinds and then quickly running away along with the fact that there were no lights on in the house.
In one last attempt to meet this girl, he tried to call her, but then realized it was a fake number. At this point, he realized that he had been catfished. Then, on the other side of the door, he could see the light of a phone shining through as if there was someone right on the other side just waiting for him. After that, he slowly backed away and then took off.
After the event, he received a few more texts from the scammer asking where he went. However, after he ignored them, they began to send threatening texts saying they knew what he looked like now and that there was nothing he could do. However, so far, nothing bad has happened, but he decided to avoid using Tinder from now on.
3. Ethan Was Tricked into Sending Cash to a Tinder Match
On w24.co.za, there is a story of a man named Ethan who lost a lot of money due to a scam on Tinder. Ethan matched with a guy on Tinder named Cris, who seemed legit based on his Tinder profile. They talked for months and got to know each other very well, so much that Ethan could feel a relationship starting to form. After a while, they moved their conversations to WhatsApp where they proceeded to grow closer.
Cris would send Ethan photos of his daily life, give lots of details about what he was up to, and even call him, which is why Ethan didn’t even consider the fact that this could be a scam. After a while, Cris wanted to send a gift to Ethan. At first, Ethan declined because it seemed expensive, but after some extra persuasion, he agreed. Once he agreed to one gift, Cris proceeded to send him images of other expensive items that he wanted to gift to him.
While it seemed like a lot to accept from someone he hadn’t met in person yet, Ethan was excited, but he gave Cris his work address just to be safe. Then, Ethan received a call saying that due to the large size of the gifts, customs was hesitant to let them through. Ethan would have to pay a large fee to get the items to come through. Then, he received another call saying that something suspicious was found in a Gucci bag that was in one of the boxes.
When he confronted Cris about it, Cris acted innocent and said he just wanted to surprise Ethan. So, Ethan decided that the fees would just be a small price for all the gifts he was about to get. He gave the lady on the phone his information, and she told him when the products would arrive.
However, when his gifts did not arrive, he tried contacting the lady he had spoken with earlier, but he got no response. This is when he realized that the whole thing had been a scam. Even Cris had stopped messaging him, and Ethan had lost the money that he had been saving for a future vacation.
4. Guy Lured to Park at Night
This is the second story in the YouTube video from scam #2. This is a similar catfishing situation, but it happens just a little bit differently. In this scenario, another guy just happened to be swiping through Tinder one night when he came across an unusual match. It was a girl named Michelle, and she was one of the only girls to actually message him first. She was beautiful, so he was excited to talk to her.
After talking for a little bit, he decided to just go for it and ask for her number. Right away, they set something up to meet that same night. While meeting in person was his idea, she suggested that they meet somewhere first to hang out and then go to her place. Then, when he agreed, she decided that 10:00 pm at a park near her house was an ideal place to meet. He gladly agreed, not finding anything strange about the situation.
He got to the park early and waited on the swing for Michelle to arrive. However, he sat there waiting for a while without any response from her, so he began to worry that she just wasn’t going to show up. Then, he heard a sound in the bathroom, which he thought was odd since it was unlikely that anyone else would be at the park this late.
Then, at about 10:15, he finally got a text from Michelle. It said that she wanted him to meet her in the bathroom because she had a surprise for him. Then, he looked back to the bathroom and he saw someone peeking out, but then they quickly closed the door again. At this point, he knew it was a scam, so he tried to figure out how to get out of there.
He snuck back to his car and got inside, taking a moment to catch his breath, but then, a grown man emerged from the wooded area of the park and began chasing the car. He made it home safely, but the fear of someone chasing him is something that was near impossible to get out of his head.
5. A Gang Used Fake Profiles to Lure Men
According to MarketWatch.com, there was a violent gang that was using fake Tinder profiles to lure men to them. They had two accounts under the names “Victoria” and “Becky.” When men would agree to meet up for dates with these fake profiles, they would be led straight to the gang, where they would become a victim of a robbery, assault, or carjacking.
The locations of these events typically happened late at night in areas where no one else was around. The gang was made of up five individuals, between ages 15 and 19. Three were male and two were female, but they wore masks whenever they committed one of these violent acts. Luckily, the gang was caught and arrested for their crimes, but there were many victims that had already been harmed in these events.
6. Simon Scammed Multiple Dates Asking for Money
In an article on HollywoodUnlocked.com, a man named Shimon Hayut is said to currently be on the run from the police due to various Tinder scams. On Tinder, he went by the name of Shimon Leviev, pretending to be the son of Lev Leviev, who is a multi-millionaire.
Shimon ended up getting lots of matches on Tinder, and he actually got to know them and went on multiple dates with them while still pretending to be someone he’s not. Then, after a few dates with each girl, he would tell them a story about security issues with his business and then ask them for some money to help.
Since they had already gotten to know him before he asked this favor, many women fell for this trick. One woman came forward and said she gave him so much money that she had to take out loans to keep helping him. Shimon even had fake bodyguards and business partners to make his fake life seem more believable.
While his location is currently unknown, police are still on the lookout for him. Shimon has actually had various charges in the past as well, which he had served three years in jail for.
7. Model Tricks Men to Compete for Her at a Concert
On the New York Magazine, there is an article about a woman named Natasha Aponte who scammed tons of men all at the same time. She was a famous Instagram model, so many men swiped right for her. When she would match with someone, she would talk to them for a while, but then whenever they asked if she wanted to meet up, she would tell them she was busy. At first, many of them thought she was ghosting them, but then she eventually asked them all to meet her in Union Square where her friend was DJing.
All the guys she contacted genuinely believed that this would be a one-on-one date, but when they all got there for the concert, they found out that they were all there to meet the same girl. Once people began to realize what was going on, they began booing.
Eventually, Natasha made her way onto the stage to explain what was going on. She expected them to compete so she could find the best match without having to swipe on Tinder. She had a bunch of harsh restrictions about what she was looking for, and asked people to leave if they did not fit her requirements. Many men were angry about this event, and Natasha lost a lot of Instagram followers because of it. However, some of the guys actually found the experience amusing.
10 Signs of a Tinder Scam
While all the stories above are unfortunate scenarios, they all could’ve been avoided with a little extra caution. Here are some signs to look out for on Tinder to make sure that none of these horrific events happen to you.
1. They Have Limited Information and Photos
If one of your matches has only one simple picture or an empty bio, it is possible that they are not who they say they are or even a bot. This is not a guarantee, but if you are ever skeptical of a profile, then this is an easy thing to spot. Scammers often will not take the time to write out a lengthy bio. Plus, they will have a limited number of pictures if the photos aren’t really of them. Not every person with limited information is a scammer, but it can help to narrow down which users are more legit than others.
2. They Ask You to Send Money
For most people, this may seem obvious, but some Tinder scammers have a way of tricking their matches into this. If they can genuinely connect with you and get close to you, then you will feel more likely to trust them and send them money or your credit card details if they ask.
They may even meet you in person and go on some dates with you before asking for financial help, but this is something you should always be wary of in a new romance. If someone seems to only be in it for the money, then you should try to get out of it as soon as you can before it costs you too much.
3. They Rush into Things
Scammers aren’t actually interested in getting to know you and forming a connection with you, so oftentimes, they will be more eager to move things forward than normal person would. When on a dating app, you should give it some time before actually going on a date with someone or even giving them another way to contact you. If someone is coming on too strong and wants you to give them personal information immediately, then this is a red flag. While some people may just be eager to find their perfect match, it is usually a sign that someone is trying to trick you or take advantage of you.
4. They Ask Way Too Many Questions
Instead of rushing into things, some scammers may ask you an insane amount of questions to know as much about you as possible. Then, if you try to ask them questions in return, they may just give general answers or agree with what you said. If you have a Tinder conversation that is going like this you need to be extremely cautious. If questions start to get too personal, then it is best to block them before anything bad happens.
5. They Avoid Meeting in Person
If they come up with some excuse every time you suggest meeting somewhere, especially if it’s somewhere in public, then this should be a concern. While some users may just be shy, it can also be a sign that they are not actually a real person or they aren’t who they say they are. Tinder scammers usually prefer to bond with you online because oftentimes it is easier to trick you that way.
Also it very may well may be that you are dealing with a Tinder bot (i.e., robot) that types like a human but is really just a computer reacting to what you type.
6. They Suggest Meeting in Strange Locations
When scammers do want to meet up in person, their requests usually aren’t ideal. They will often want to meet late at night or in a private location. For a first date, you should always suggest meeting in a public setting because then you know there will be others around if anything out of the ordinary happens. If they suggest a bizarre location for a first date, don’t just blindly go along with it.
7. They Answer Unnaturally Fast
If the account is run by a Tinder bot, then they will respond to messages at a much faster rate. While some people can type pretty fast, most people are not just sitting around waiting for you to respond at all times. If they seem to be too eager to respond to you at all times of the day, then they are likely not a real person and just a automated Tinder bot.
8. You Don’t Have Any Interests in Common
Tinder often uses Facebook to help connect users. This means that most of your matches will either have Facebook interests or Facebook friends in common with you. If you and your match have nothing in common, then this is something to be hesitant about. Some people just aren’t interested in social media, but Tinder’s algorithm tries to match you with people that are somehow connected, so keep an eye out for this.
9. They are Unable to Answer Specific Questions
When conversing with Tinder scammers or Tinder bots, you may be given a lot of generic information and not a lot of personal details. If you suspect that the user you are communicating with is not a real person, try sending them more specific questions to see how they respond. If their answers are still too general or don’t make sense, then you should block them.
10. They Send You Suspicious Downloads
This should go without saying, but if anyone on Tinder sends you a link to download, you probably shouldn’t click on it. Some people do love to share posts and websites with others, but if they are sending you a suspicious link before you even get to know them very well, then you should not click on it. When in doubt, don’t click on the links at all on dating sites.
Could You Be A Victim Of A Tinder Romance Scam?!
It is important that you perform a quick background check on who you are actually speaking to on Tinder (you can do that here). The common questions that spring to mind are:
- Are they using fake identities?
- Am I really speaking to a real person from the USA?
To help the users of this site we have partnered with BeenVerified so you can check exactly that. This checking service reveals everything about this would-be romance scammer and if they are a real person!
Helpful Information Available on BeenVerified:
- Arrest Records (Please check this!)
- Photos (Helps check if same photos are used for multiple profiles with different names)
- Email Addresses
- Phone Numbers
- Social Profiles (IMPORTANT – Do they have a real social profile or multiple)
- Home Addresses
- Relatives & Associates
- Sex Offenders Register (Be safe who you are meeting!)
- And More…
If you have the slightest doubt about who you are speaking to on Tinder… Please use this service!
Wrap Up: Be Aware of Tinder Scams!
While there are many people who have used Tinder and met plenty of cool people, there are always scammers out there that could ruin your whole experience. The most important thing to remember is to just stay cautious with every person you meet on there. Don’t give out personal information or money, and definitely don’t meet anyone in a location that’s not safe. Whenever you meet up with a Tinder date, it is a good idea to let your friends know where you’re going just in case something goes wrong. Tinder can be a fun app to use as long as you know how to be safe and protect yourself from fake accounts.
