Bots, paid chatters, "verification" scams and billing traps. What they look like, how to check any site in five minutes, and what to do if you've already been caught.
Automated profiles that send the same few messages to everyone. They reply instantly, at any hour, and fall apart the moment you ask something specific ("what's the bar on the corner of your street called?").
Some sites pay people to chat from made-up profiles so you keep buying message credits. The honest-ish ones admit it in their terms, using words like entertainment profiles, fictitious profiles, operators or virtual profiles, and often say these people will never meet you. If a site says that, you've learned what you need to know.
Someone you matched with is keen to meet, but first you have to "prove you're safe" or "not a cop" on a separate site that needs your card. It's a trap that signs you up for a pricey subscription. No real person needs this.
The chat goes great, then there's a problem: a taxi fare, a broken phone, a sick relative, an investment opportunity. Any request for money, gift cards or crypto from someone you haven't met is a scam, every time.
Real person, fake photos. A reverse image search (Google Lens or TinEye) on their pictures often turns them up under another name, or on a model's social media.
Cheap trial, then an automatic upgrade to a much bigger monthly charge, with cancellation hidden away. Not fake people, but fake value.
This checklist works on any dating site, including the partner site we link to. We'd rather you check than trust.
Our partner is an adult dating site you can join and browse free. Run it through the checklist above before paying for anything. 18+ only.
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