5 Common Tinder Scams To Be Aware of in 2022

Isn’t Tinder Full of People Trying To Find True Love?

Tinder can be a great place to meet interesting people and maybe even form a lasting romantic connection. There’s no doubt that the platform is full of tons of real profiles of people who are there looking for love, but there are also Tinder scams that you should be on the lookout for.

In this article, we’ll go over some of the most common ways scammers use Tinder to trick people looking for love out of their money. We’ll also give you some tips for how to avoid Tinder scams.

5 Most Common Tinder Scams

1. Tinder bots

There are many automated Tinder profiles that will engage you in conversation and try to get you to provide personal information or click on links to third-party sites or downloads. They might do this by pretending they want you to download a game to play with them, but the link will really install malware on your device or ask you for your credit card information.

2. Tinder catfishing scam

Scammers create fake profiles on Tinder using pictures of real people they find elsewhere online to make the profiles appear more real. They then engage with users on the platform to scam them in various ways.

For example, once the scammers have you hooked and thinking that you’ve met someone you might have a real connection with, they could start asking you for money to help them out of a troubling financial situation they’re in. Or, they might try to pry sensitive data out of you that they can use to steal from you.

3. Tinder blackmail scam

Scammers don’t shy away from classic blackmail, and Tinder is the perfect platform for it. Once you’ve been flirting back and forth with a fake Tinder match, they might start asking you to send nudes or other compromising photos.

Then, once they have the photos in their possession, they reveal their true nature and start blackmailing you, threatening to post the photos online or send them to friends, family members, or coworkers if you don’t pay up.

4. Tinder code scam

This Tinder scam doesn’t involve any fake accounts on the platform itself, but is a type of phishing scam that works similarly to traditional email phishing scams.

It starts with you receiving an email or a text claiming to be from Tinder and telling you that you need to verify your account to continue using the platform.

The email or text tries to get you to click on a link that takes you to a third-party site, which then asks you to enter sensitive information that can be used to scam you and steal money from you. This type of Tinder scam is also known as a Tinder safe code scam, a Tinder verification code scam, or a Tinder text scam.

5. Tinder venue promotion scam

Even promoters are using Tinder to scam people into coming to the venues they work for. They get you to agree to meet them in real life, then tell you to meet them at a specific venue that you have to pay to get into. Once you get in, of course, your date isn’t there, and you’re out all the money you just paid for the cover!

How To Avoid Tinder Scams

Ask complicated questions

Tinder bots are good at answering short and easy “yes” or “no” type questions. However, if you ask longer, more thoughtful questions, they won’t be able to provide a good response. This is a good way to weed out bots if you ever have doubts about the authenticity of a profile.

Ask to talk on the phone

Scammers are usually unwilling to talk on the phone, because they are rarely who they say they are. If you ask a match to talk on the phone and they refuse, there’s a good chance they are catfishing you and potentially trying to scam you.

Reverse search their profile image

You can reverse search a Tinder image by screenshotting it and uploading it into the search bar at images.google.com. When you search with the image, you can see everywhere else it appears online. So, if someone is catfishing you, a profile with a different name and the same picture might appear.

Don’t send them any money

No matter how real they might seem and how much you believe their story, never send any money to anyone you haven’t met in person and have only talked to via Tinder. Even if you get blackmailed, don’t send the scammers money — chances are they’ll just keep asking you for more and more.

Check for typos on any code verifications

Typos are an easy way to spot texts and emails that are phishing. If you receive any type of communication that appears to be from Tinder, read it very carefully and watch out for typos and other errors, such as grammatical mistakes or weird phrasing. Many scammers speak a language other than English, so their fake messages are easy to spot.

Avoid meeting at specific venues that cost to enter

If you’re going on a first date with someone you met on Tinder, always go somewhere public and free to get in. There are plenty of coffee shops, restaurants, and bars without covers, so there’s no need to go to an expensive club on the first date. If the person you’re talking to insists on you going to a place you have to pay to get into, cancel the date.

What To Do If You Are Scammed

If you follow the tips in this article and know what to look out for, you can avoid many common Tinder scams. However, many scammers are very good at what they do, and there are always new types of scams coming out that you might not be aware of.

If you’ve fallen victim to a Tinder scam, don’t despair — Payback can help.

Payback is one of the world’s leading international scam recovery specialist. Our team of compassionate cybercrime experts is standing by to tackle your case and do everything they can to get any money you’ve lost back.

Contact Payback today and we will take immediate action to help you recover from a Tinder scam.