Fake profiles on WLW dating apps come in several types: romance scammers (usually after money), identity catfish (people presenting as a gender or person they're not), bots (automated accounts pushing spam or scam links), and men who create profiles in women-only spaces. Each type has slightly different patterns — but there are common signals across all of them.
Here are the 9 red flags I use personally.
Red Flag 1: Photos that look too professional
Real people's dating profiles include a mix of photos — professional, casual, group photos, outdoor shots. If every single photo looks like it was taken by a photographer with perfect lighting and styling, that's a significant red flag.
Catfish accounts often use photos stolen from models, influencers, or stock photo sites. Professional-looking photos are easier to find in bulk than convincing casual ones.
What to do: Reverse image search any photo that looks too polished. On Android, long-press the image and select "Search image with Google." If the photo appears on stock sites or belongs to someone else's social media, it's stolen.
Red Flag 2: Very few photos or a single photo
A profile with only one or two photos should warrant extra scrutiny. While some real users only post a small number of photos, fake and bot accounts often have limited image libraries because sourcing convincing photos is difficult.
What to do: Reverse image search the available photos. If only one photo exists and it looks professional, the probability of a fake is high.
Red Flag 3: Profile bio is vague or sounds scripted
Fake profiles often use generic bio text that could apply to anyone: "I love adventures, good food, and meaningful conversations." Real people tend to write something specific — a TV show they love, something odd about their sense of humour, their actual city neighbourhood.
Romance scammer profiles often sound aspirational to the point of perfection: successful career, loves travel, looking for something real. The bio is designed to appeal to as many people as possible, not to represent a specific person.
Red Flag 4: Profile inconsistencies
Fake profiles often have internal inconsistencies that emerge as you look more carefully: they say they're 32 but their photos look like different decades, they claim to be a nurse but describe a work schedule that doesn't match nursing, they say they're in Sydney but their profile was active at times that suggest a different time zone.
What to do: Pay attention to details across the full profile, not just the main photo. Inconsistencies accumulate.
Red Flag 5: Rapid emotional escalation
Romance scammers are experts at emotional manipulation. Within days of matching, they'll express unusually strong feelings, use terms of endearment early, describe your connection as "something special" or "something I've never felt before." This is deliberate — they're building emotional investment before you have time to evaluate the situation rationally.
Real people get nervous about coming on too strong. Scammers have no such inhibition because the goal is manipulation, not a genuine relationship.
Red Flag 6: Excuses to avoid video calls
A video call is the single most effective way to verify someone is who they say they are. Fake profiles cannot complete a video call showing their face — which means they'll always have a reason why now isn't a good time.
The excuses are usually plausible in isolation: camera is broken, poor internet connection, shy about video calls, currently travelling, works night shift. Multiple of these excuses over multiple requests is an almost certain signal of a fake.
What to do: Make a video call a non-negotiable before becoming emotionally invested. Someone who is genuinely interested and genuinely real will find a way.
Red Flag 7: Pressure to move off the app
There are two reasons fake accounts push hard to move off the dating app: first, to get your personal contact details (phone number, email) before you trust them; second, because many dating apps allow you to report and block users, which removes fakes when they're caught. Off-platform, they have more control.
Some legitimate users also prefer messaging on other platforms, so this alone isn't definitive. But combined with other red flags, it's significant.
What to do: Don't provide personal contact details until after a successful video call. The dating app's messaging system is there for a reason — use it until you're confident.
Red Flag 8: New account with minimal activity
Many dating apps show when an account was created or how recently the user was active. New accounts aren't inherently suspicious — real people download new apps — but a combination of new account, few photos, and vague bio is worth noting.
Some apps also show social media connections or mutual friends. Fake accounts typically have none. Very active real users often have linked Instagram or other accounts; fakes rarely do.
Red Flag 9: Any request for money, gift cards, or financial help
This is the definitive signal of a romance scam. Any request for money — regardless of how sympathetic the story — from someone you have not met in person is almost certainly a scam. The stories are always compelling: medical emergency, stuck overseas, business opportunity, temporary loan. Real romantic partners do not ask strangers on dating apps for money.
Gift cards are particularly common because they're harder to trace and recover. Crypto payments are increasingly used for the same reason.
What to do: Block and report immediately. Do not send money, regardless of the story. Do not feel embarrassed about being targeted — these scammers are professionals who do this full-time.
The one thing that actually solves this: verification
These red flags help you identify fakes after the fact. The better solution is an app that prevents fake profiles from existing in the first place — through mandatory liveness verification.
Liveness verification requires a user to prove they are a real person who matches their photos in real-time — usually by taking a live selfie that's compared to their profile photos, or completing a gesture that proves a human is present. This cannot be faked with stock photos or stolen images.
💚 How Verve handles this: Every user on Verve — free or paid — completes liveness verification before their profile is active. You can only match with verified users. This doesn't eliminate all risk (no system does), but it eliminates the most common fake profile types: stock photo catfish, men using stolen photos, and automated bot accounts.
🔒 Quick checklist: Before you invest emotionally in a match — reverse image search their photos, check for profile inconsistencies, ask for a video call, stay on the app until you've verified they're real, and never send money regardless of the story.
Verve verifies every user before matching
Mandatory liveness verification · Women-only · No bots · Free to download
Get Verve on Google Play