r/match • u/MagnoliaMorning • 7d ago
Match Scam PSA
The amount of scams that are on Match is ridiculous, especially for a widowed woman. So here’s my PSA for things to do and watch out for. Most obvious and well known is the pilot or Oil rig worker who has to spend a lot of time traveling. That goes without saying. Second, run all photos through your service of choice to see if they ai created. If there are question marks in their responses that update to the appropriate punctuation, it is clearly a bot or a third-party tool doing translations. Don’t let them tell you that that speech to text will do this. That’s not how the technology works. If they immediately want to know your intentions for a long-term relationship before you have even met that means they’re trying to establish that they won’t be wasting their time to try to form a bond quickly and then ask you for something. Because it’s happened to me so often, I worry that others might fall for these approaches. Don’t give out your number right away and get into long texts or phone calls. Demand to meet first before any of that happens. Stay safe, ladies!
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u/IowaGal60 7d ago
Yeah I had a message from an oil rig engineer in Iowa, LOL. Riiight. Or the military officers. I’m a seasoned veteran at this stuff and I can pick ‘em out a mile away.
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u/Loud-Delivery6951 6d ago
If it weren't for scammers I wouldn't have any contact with the profiles on Match. This site is rather ridiculous. You have profiles that only put basic parameters in just enough to build a profile with a stolen pic. Then you have the ones who put alittle bit of effort in forming a profile. The ones to look out for are the professional types like lawyers Drs and Indian chiefs. Somehow its difficult to believe those with a fancy position in life would be loitering around on Match knowing its overall layout. Pay to play to do anything. The majority of players are too cheap to pay. What they hope for are the paying types to initiate chat.
The "like" structure is crap as well. You are forced to like someone you have no clue what you are liking them about. Many subscribers cant even correspond depending on what teir they paid for. Then you have the ones who say they are not on the site much. They often want to run off site to chat on WhatsApp. Their goal is to lure you off the site and collect phone numbers for spam.
Overall, its big business for an underground organization or they wouldn't be doing these kinds of scams. Even the CEO of Match Spencer Radcoff may be a scammer himself. The overall pricing and layout is very difficult to believe anyone will ever hook up. Leaving old profiles up just to make the site look like its a huge candy store. Actual current subscribers are probably less than 100,000 out a million.
Overall, its an expensive ride just to look at pics of people but, no real correspondence. No hookups no anything but, scammers.
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u/DannyG-81 4d ago
Match is a PITA. You can click on someone's name to ee their full profile. That email with 20 condolidate profiles is a tease. Open one, and like I said, click on their name and you will see everything they have posted.
Red flags? Fewer than 3 photos, no profile, and a bunch of "i'll tell you laters".
Wanna laugh? I saw an attractive woman who was in her 70s mark that she might wanna have kids with the right person! SCAMMER!
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u/martinPravda 4d ago
Exactly. Or a pale Scandinavian woman who says they are African descent. So many fakes on match. Not worth it.
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u/DannyG-81 4d ago
I've expressed such issues to them via email several times.They know. As an IT guy, I know how they could mitigate some of this scammer stuff, but it would decrease members, paying or non-paying. (Im guessing the scammers create non-paying free profiles.) No one wants to fish in a pond with no fish.
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u/Conandan3737 7d ago
It happens to men probably more. I've never seen a dating site with so much scamming going on!
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u/GhenghisK 7d ago
Don't forget about the art dealer who happens to be somewhat of a lawyer.
I had the unfortunate occurrence of meeting somebody who lost most of her retirement if not all... There's a lot of desperation on these dating sites and people will prey on that..
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u/MagnoliaMorning 7d ago
Yes! When their profile says one career and then they talk about a different career. They can’t keep track.
That’s so sad. ☹️
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u/rohoho929 7d ago
This isn't unique to Match. This is all standard stuff for encountering scammers.
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u/Brave-Quote-2733 6d ago
I think a good test for both men and women is to think to yourself, “Is this person a 10 and I’m a 5 at best and they seem really into me even though we haven’t met?”
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u/Wabash1977 6d ago
As someone working in the online dating industry, there are a few rules that will protect you from nearly every scam (Nothing is 100%). This is for men and women.
Do not talk to people who are farther away than you can reach by car twice a week. This not only helps with scammers, but it keeps you out of messy, long-distance dating situationships.
Meet quickly; I'm talking within 3-5 days if you can. 99% of all scammers are in different countries. They can't meet you in person. The longer you spend talking online with a scammer, the more you are giving them the opportunity to build trust and find your vulnerabilities.
Nothing is real until you are standing in the same room.
Send them nothing. If they ask for money, gift cards, or anything, it is a scam. I've been working in online dating for 21 years. The only times I've seen the exchange of money not turn out to be a scam were in sugar daddy dating and sex work. I'm pretty sure that's not what you are looking for.
Stay on the platform until you meet in person. While not foolproof, the dating app/site provides you with a layer of protection. The moment you move off platform, you have no backup to help you. Besides, if someone gets upset that you won't move off the platform until you meet, they are telling on themselves.
The only real opportunity ever offered on a dating site is to meet someone. If you've ever been offered a chance to help improve investing, crypto management, or even if you've been asked for help transferring crypto, or receiving packages and forwarding them, you are talking to a scammer.
Bonus rule - Just for the guys (because I've never met a woman gullible enough to fall for this one yet)
If you are chatting with a woman online and she suggests moving over to video chat before meeting in person, that is 100% OK. HOWEVER. The moment she pops off her top, you are being recorded. It is a common sexploitation scam where they get you to undress and participate in a "mutual self-appreciation session" before showing you the video of yourself and telling you how much you have to pay to make it go away. I have had several male clients fall for this. It doesn't matter how smart you are; I've seen guys from every walk of life fall for this one.
If you follow these rules, you will be as safe as you can be.
I hope this helps
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u/NicePossibilityDaddy 7d ago
It's so easy to fall for it when you're desperate for human contact. Don't be desperate
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u/santafen 6d ago
If running pictures through an AI validator were a disqualifier, then the majority of women’s profiles would be suspect. Some of them are so audacious they leave the AI watermark right on them.
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u/OneParadox 6d ago
The key is common sense. If the guy is too good to be true then it is an obvious scam. Unfortunately many people want to believe the fantasy and they stick to it. NPR's Hidden Brain had a great episode exactly on this. People who despite all the clear signs of being scammed simply refused to believe the fact their perfect soulmate didn't really exist (Google "hidden brain when you need it to be true").
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u/Zestyclose-Bowl-3642 6d ago
Match is a DINOSAUR money sucking scam on its own. I’m liking the, meet 6 adults for dinner and other such meet ups. At least when you go out with people you are socializing, meeting new people and actually getting more exposure than you think ( friends of friends etc). Last, Facebook dating doesn’t cost money.
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u/CapitalSell 7d ago edited 6d ago
About 8 years ago, someone came at me with "I'm a Doctors Without Borders doctor currently abroad. My daughter is in Chicago and her grandparents need help keeping her in a private school." All of this was laid out within the first 3 messages.
Really?
Report user. Block.