• Dating Profile Help For Women
• Signs Of A Fake Dating Profile Meaning
• Signs Of A Fake Dating Profile Picture
• Sample Dating Profiles For Women

Navigating the choppy waters of online dating can be tricky enough without finding out that the person you’re dating doesn’t actually exist. That’s a revelation that tends to signal the end for any relationship.
The term “catfish” captured the public imagination as a result of the documentary film and the MTV reality TV series that followed. Catfishers lure innocent people into an online relationship by posing as someone they’re not.
Most people find it hard to believe that anyone could sustain a relationship with a fictional persona but it’s not uncommon. The growth of online dating has led to an explosion of catfishing and the combination of lust, infatuation or love means that innocent people can get manipulated or exploited.
These relationships can go on for years and often end in tragic emotional or financial consequences for the victims.
Catfishers can be driven by anything from loneliness to obsession or revenge. They can be motivated by the desire to live vicariously through a fake persona, to extort money from a victim, to make mischief or any number of other intentions. Other sinister cases can involve sexual predators or stalkers who use this online anonymity to get close to their victims.
There are several truly bizarre examples out there, like the girl who was catfished twice by another girl who posed as two different men. Then there’s the woman who catfished her niece to teach her a lesson about online safety. Things turned strange when her 19-year-old niece asked her aunt’s fictional persona to kill her aunt. Eek!
Catfishing can affect people from all walks of life and it’s easy to scoff at the victims but the damage is real. Common sense isn’t always to the fore when it comes to matters of the heart but here are some clues that your online date is an online fraud.

A Dude working as a Dating Sites’ Fake-Profiles Chat “Moderator”. Being, to a certain extent, the traditional and romantically nostalgic kind of person, I was never much into dating sites and apps. Apart from some brief sessions on various platforms for the sake of research and experimentation, I’ve never made any serious use of them. The site reviewed the profiles of 60,000 banned accounts, and discovered that fake profiles tend to have a few things in common. Here are 7 signs you might be looking at the profile of a scam artist: They list their religion as 'Catholic.' Yes, there are a lot of Catholics in this world and most of them are not frauds. If the profile or the person behind it is guilty of any of the following, it may be a fake profile and part of an online dating scam: 1. Fake online profile power words These keywords found in the majority of fake online profiles include the words Catholic, widowed, female, Ph.D., Nigeria, engineer, self-employed, and Royalty.

Your date looks like a supermodel

Online dating scams usually start with an attractive person initiating contact through social media or dating sites. A common theme is that catfishers use picture of models, actors or a member of the beautiful people club. Most catfish scams will use an attractive profile picture to keep the victim hooked and to make them want the fictional person to be real.
If a profile picture looks way too good to be true, it’s simple to check if the image is real. A reverse image search will show if their profile pic has been used anywhere else on the internet, even if the picture was stolen from a random person’s account. Self-confidence is one thing but alarm bells should go off if a model suddenly contacts you to ask for a date.
They’re a perfect match
It may be that you’ve just met someone who loves all the things you do and that’s great if that’s the case. However, imposters often claim to have shared interests to ensure that they have a topic of conversation. They can either pick a personality type that they think will appeal to their mark or choose to mirror the person they are trying to ensnare.
Maybe your new online date does is just as obsessed as you are with snooker, 1980s manga, French poetry and freestyle climbing. Or maybe it’s unrealistic that two random people share that particular combination of interests.

They don’t have a digital footprint
It’s getting harder and harder to go through life without leaving a digital footprint so finding no trace of a person can arouse suspicions. That’s not to say that you need to have blazed a trail across the internet to be a real person. Some people don’t use social media apps and prefer not to post personal information on the internet.
However, it can be suspicious if you can’t find any trace of a person. The average Facebook user has 130 friends so people who only have a handful of friends may be fake. Look at the way they use social media and check their friends list – it’s easy to create fake friends but these connections can tell you a lot about them. If they’re on Twitter, look back through their timeline to try and find inconsistencies.
If they never post pictures of themselves in social situations or with friends, it can also be a bit fishy. Real people tend to be tagged in group photos or pictured at social occasions, with comments from friends. If all of their pictures are modelling shots with no engagement from friends, there could be a problem.
If something about an online date’s behaviour raises questions, a simple Google search could save you a lot of future pain and distress.

They come on strong

If someone starts declaring their undying love for you after a couple of weeks, it could be a sign that they may be trying to catfish you. They may also try and get you off a dating site and into the realm of texts, instant messages or email as soon as possible.
That’s not to say that you can’t develop a deep connection with someone in a short time. However, it’s a bit suspect if they’re talking marriage after a third online conversation.
A common trend in catfishing is for the imposter to rush things and try to get very serious very quickly. This doesn’t allow the person being targeted to think about what’s happening as they get swept up in a whirlwind romance. It’s also a way to play with people’s emotions and keep them invested in this growing “relationship.”

They’re afraid of Skype
If you take nothing else from this article, this is probably the one lesson to learn. The one thing that everyone asks after they’re told a catfish story is “Have they not heard about Skype!?”
One of the consistent things about fraudsters involved in dating scams is that they refuse to have conversations by Skype or to use a webcam for video chats. This should be the signal to sound the “probably not real” klaxon. Texts, messages or even phone calls are all very well but a video conversation seems to be a pretty simple thing to arrange. Unless you’re a 50-year-old posing as a 20-year-old.
People who are scammed generally report that the other person made constant excuses to avoid going on camera. The obvious reason is because that they don’t look like the person in their profile picture. They’ll also want to avoid being identified because that’s a good way to end up in an awkward conversation with the authorities.
They live far, far away

Obviously, the chances of getting into a long distance relationship is higher if you’re using an online service and chatting to people from all over the world. That’s not to say that anyone who isn’t from your street is a crazy fraudster.
However, fraudsters will naturally try and cultivate long distance relationships because it means they have an excuse not to meet with their target. This gives them the space and time to cultivate a “relationship” and get their mark to trust them.
Catfishers often claim to be a soldier who has been posted overseas, someone whose work sees them travel a lot or any other number of professions that make it difficult to meet in person. Another typical example is for a fraudster to arrange to meet up with their target on several occasions and then to cancel at the last moment.
The ask for money

Some cases of catfishing involve people leading a victim on for personal reasons, with no attempt to extort money from them. While this can still be a devastating experience, being manipulated by a stranger can only be exasperated when they also take money from you. Online dating can be an obvious target for fraud, with criminals exploiting the combination of emotion, trust and wishful thinking in the worst possible way.
Common ruses involve asking for money to visit the target of the scam, giving victims a tale of woe about a medical emergency or serious illness, or some other convoluted financial difficulties that require a sudden injection of cash.

Their life sounds like a soap opera
A common theme that reoccurs with catfishing cases is for imposters to create fantastical stories that involve illness, family tragedies or major accidents that conveniently help to postpone a face-to-face meeting. So if your online sweetheart’s daily life sounds like something from a soap opera, it may be time to start asking questions.
While online dating is a perfectly legitimate way to meet people, make sure the object of your affection checks out! If you’ve become entangled with a fraudster, you could end up with a broken heart or an empty bank account – so be very careful!

Bzzzt! Bzzzt! It’s your phone buzzing with potential suitors/suitresses for your next sugar date.

Your first Sugarbook date went incredibly well.

Your date was dreamy, eloquent, classy, and respectful. Not only did you get to go to your favourite restaurant, but you had a wonderful, invigorating time.

High up on cloud nine, excitement for your next date overtakes as you rush to check your phone. Staring back at you is a list of profiles. Going through them, your gut feeling tells you that one of these profiles is a fake!

Thankfully, you know better from all the horror stories you’ve heard once before.

There was also that time when McDreamy turned out to be an MLM agent who just wanted to get into your bank account! Scam!

While you can’t wait to be on your next date, you also don’t want to end up on the list of ‘top 10 online dating scam victims’.

To help you navigate these choppy waters of catfishes and scammers, we’ll make things easier for you by listing some crucial tips on how to tell if a dating profile is fake!

We’ll also include important pointers on how you can better protect yourself in the future. Keep reading!

Contents

• How to spot a fake dating profile
• Safety tips to protect yourselves

How to spot a fake dating profile

#1 – Their pictures look straight out of a magazine (chances are, they are!)

Whenever someone attractive gives us attention, we tend to throw all cautiousness out the window. Been there, done that.

Catfish and scammers know this, which is why they often hide behind (stolen) bewitching profile pictures that seem too good to be true.

Nevertheless, we also know that our Sugar Babies do look too good to be true, and they usually are!

A rule of thumb is to always remain cautious with revealing too much information until you can verify their identity by suggesting a video call. If they seem evasive, it’s a red flag.

#2 – No photos/dubious photos

Ever come across a profile where you really can’t make out what the person really looks like? Whether it’s blurry, pixelated, or cleverly angled to hide their face, you just can’t tell.

Profiles like these might be someone hiding behind a fake profile to scam you, so best to be on guard!

At Sugarbook, a profile with no public photos doesn’t mean you should give up on them just yet, some users just prefer to be private.

Dig deeper by requesting to view their private stash of photos at Sugarbook. If they have no private photos or these pictures also seem to be dodgy, then it’s possibly a scammer!

#3 – Watch out for fishy profiles

Be on the lookout for profiles that are riddled with grammar errors and weird links on their bio. Don’t click on them!

If their bio only contains their other social media information, such as WeChat, it could be some shady third party agent disguised as McDreamy so you won’t want to fall for it again!

#4 – Money

Lavish gifts and pocket money are a part of sugar relationships.

However, if you encounter these scenarios, the person you’re talking to might be a fake:

• A Sugar Daddy/Mommy who asks for monetary favours or who keeps giving empty money-related promises to a Sugar Baby
• A Sugar Baby who only seems interested in the money but isn’t interested or invested in the relationship signifies ingenuity or a possible scammer. Either way, move along!

#5 – Spam

If your new Sugar Daddy, Sugar Mommy, or Sugar Baby is constantly spamming you with messages without even a reply from you, better keep your eyes peeled.

Especially if they seem to have a persistent need to know everything about your personal life, be careful of the information you divulge.

Secure sensitive information such as your ID, address, place of work, or any other information that could be used to locate you. This information could also be sold by scammers to other defrauders.

Safety tips to protect yourselves

Knowing these telltale signs of an online dating scam or a fake profile is only the first step. Next, we’ll also share tips on how you can avoid falling for these impostors.

1) Research their profile picture

One way to identify if an image is real or fake is to use reverse image search tools which will reveal if the picture has been used anywhere else on the internet, or if it was stolen from another person.

When it comes to sugar dating, it’s common for users to want to protect their identity, and keep things on the down-low.

Thus, you might come across profiles with pictures of their favourite celebrities or no pictures at all. To make up for this, users can visit each other’s profile to request for their secret stash of photos.😈

If you come across a sugar profile without any public nor private photos, or just a couple of photos that are too good to be true, it’s best to be on your toes!

2) Organise your socials

Criminals are creative. They know where to look for information to create some relatable story to capture your attention.

At the same time, we offer this information up willingly when we post on social media.

Before you sign up for any dating platform, it’s best to get all your socials in check i.e. make your profiles private or just ensure you haven’t posted anything sensitive online that can be used to entrap you.

3) Always be sus

Before you decide to meet anyone off the internet, it’s good practice to just always remain suspicious. Not paranoid, just sus enough so that you won’t dive headfirst into a trap and while being blindsided from the truth.

Ask questions, lots of questions. Or, vet their identity by inviting them to a video call before meeting in real life.

If it’s a scammer weaving a net of lies, chances are you can trip them up and expose them in their own lies. They’ll probably come up with even more lies to cover up dodging your calls.

Also, the internet is a good place to verify whatever deets you can.

4) Take it slow

Yes, we know, it’s nice when you think you’ve finally found the person of your dreams. But wouldn’t it be good to be extra careful in ensuring your whirlwind lover is even a real person?

Everytime you feel like you’re getting excited over your mystery man/woman, remind yourself to breathe, and refer back to C.!

Taking it slow includes keeping all contact with your new love interest on the dating platform. If they suggest taking things to an unsecure chat app only after a few days, it’s 100% a red flag.

5) Join a verified platform

Joining a verified platform like Sugarbook doesn’t entirely shield you from spammers and scammers, but trust us, we’re proactively on the lookout for scammers.

Dating Profile Help For Women

That’s what Sugarbook is all about, we want to create a safe and secure environment for sugar relationships to flourish.

So whenever you encounter something fishy, bring it to our attention by reporting the profile or contact our support team at [email protected] It’s always our top priority to make the platform as safe as possible for everyone.

Signs Of A Fake Dating Profile Meaning

Signs Of A Fake Dating Profile Picture

Call it a hunch or pure intuition…

At times, you just know when you’ve encountered a fake dating profile. But every so often, our instincts become clouded with naivety, or by a collage of supermodel shots in Calvin Klein underwear. We’ve all been there before.

Unfortunately, there will always be con artists and scammers in the dating world, let alone online dating platforms.

Sample Dating Profiles For Women

But that doesn’t mean that we can’t take the upper hand by always having some sense of suspicion or scepticism.

So, if you ever find yourself in doubt of a suspicious profile or a profile that’s just too good to be true, bookmark these pointers on how to tell a fake dating profile so that you always remain on safe ground.

For more safety tips from Sugarbook, click here.

Happy sugaring!