A TikToker recently shared an illuminating (and also rather hilarious) video on how to identify fake profiles on dating apps.
Tanith Gregory showed a seemingly appealing profile on a dating app, and explained how there was a major, major tell in the profile image that let her know right away that the profile was fake.
On one hand, it's easier than ever to meet new people. On the other hand, technology also makes it easy for the creeps and catfishers of the world to create fake profiles.
Some of these attempts are more advanced than others, but Tanith is about to share one way to identify these fakes.
In her video, Tanith shows a profile for 'Andrew', who's supposedly 48 years old.
So far, so good, right?
Well, no. 'Andrew' actually got a little sloppy, and let the whole world know that he's completely fake.
At the top of the profile image is a Google search bar for "Tim Johnson model."
Yikes.
“If you’re going to go to the effort of catfishing people on Tinder, Andrew, at least go to the effort of cropping the Google search out,” said Tanith.
For those who don't know, 'catfishing' is when someone attempts to lure an individual into a relationship by creating a fake online persona.
It's important to understand how to identify these catfish to ensure you're talking to the person you think you are.
What's also notable about this fake profile is the "About" section. Andrew, or whatever their real name is, describes themselves as "loyal."
Creating a fake dating profile to attract unsuspecting people certainly doesn't emphasize one's loyalty or trustworthiness!
There's a seemingly infinite supply of photos of attractive people on Google, and it stands to reason that some unscrupulous Tinder users might use these rather than their own images. But seriously, leaving the search bar in the image like that is just plain sloppy.
There are some other less obvious things to look out for other than a bad crop job.
Catfishers tend to ask you a lot of personal questions without disclosing much about themselves. They might also make excuses not to meet in person, ask for money, fall in love almost instantaneously, or seem too perfect.
There's no magic formula for spotting them, though, so it's best to always remain vigilant in the world on online dating.
Remember, not every catfishing attempt is going to be this hilariously fake.
Let us know your thoughts on this, and share your online dating stories, in the comments below!
