Romance scams – however they’re perpetrated – can be costly. But how rampant are fake dating profiles? We analyzed a sampling of more than 8 million profiles created in the past year on dating sites that use Sift to find out how many phony profiles had been blocked during that period.
The results? We discovered that 10% of all new dating profiles created were fake. We also found that:
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Male profiles are 21% more likely to be fake than female profiles
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The most common age listed on fake profiles is 36
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However, users listing their age as 64 had the highest fraud rate. One factor contributing to this is the relatively small number of dating site users in this age group.
Read more:
Beldo, S. (2016, February 8). What percentage of dating profiles are fake? Sift. https://blog.sift.com/what-percentage-of-dating-profiles-are-fake/
[…] Fake profiles are rampant on hookup apps and sites, and they can be challenging to spot. These profiles are often created by scammers or bots to trick users into divulging personal information or sending money. To avoid falling victim to fake profiles, be wary of accounts with incomplete information, profiles with stolen pictures, and accounts that are too eager to connect with you. […]