Tinderella or Tinder scam?
Ever been right-swiping the night away and suddenly stumble upon your perfect 10?
Even better, she messages you immediately, showing massive amounts of attention. Finally, fate (or the Tinder algorithm) has presented your perfect little princess. And you didn’t even have to get off the couch.
Sure, it may seem like you caught a breath of fresh feminine air after trudging through a sea of feminist fatties. But, your excitement might be getting the best of you.
Before you know it, you whip out your wallet and shotgun blast your credit card information off to some stranger on the internet. Certainly, you’ll get your dick wet now.
To prevent being caught with your pants down (pun intended), let’s explore some common pay-for-play schemes used for Tinder scams.
How Tinder scams are executed
Fake Tinder profiles usually include a variety of different resource-extracting schemes. This can be a rouse to trick you into paying for pics, cam services, premium porn, or actual prostitution.
Like any relationship built online or offline, you have to start from somewhere. Tinder scams are no different. The typical progression of Tinder scams will follow a classic “hook, line, sinker” scenario:
- Hook – Hey I’m hot and I’m into you, here’s my number
- Line – Exchange numbers and have an ongoing conversation
- Sinker – Requests money, personal information, favors
How to identify Tinder scam profiles
Anyone who opens a Tinder profile for a purpose other than dating, is a scammer in my book. When it comes to Tinder scams, obviously the perpetrator is going to use a fake profile. No guy in their right mind is going to waste their time chatting up a marsh monster online. At least hopefully not.
Too hot for the local market
Say you live in Methville, Middle America. A land ripe with single moms, welfare rats, tatted up trolls and walking land whales.
Suddenly, a professionally-photoshopped Slavic supermodel matches and messages you. In the most obvious cases, you’ll get a canned generic message like “hey there” immediately followed by a dangerous-looking link.
Not much to be said here. The out of place hottie in a stack of sloots is usually a dead giveaway that you might have a Tinder scam on your hands.
Report and delete. Easy as that.
Tip: If you need to be extra sure, do a reverse Google image search on one of her pics. Scammers are lazy and typically stick to stock model photos.
But what happens when the ploy is taken a step further?
She’s way too into you
Think about your real-life interactions with women. Unless you’re George Clooney, how often do average women approach you and offer unsolicited sex? Unless it’s a common occurrence, there’s probably something up.
Guys are typically much more overt with displaying interest and aggressive when it comes to sexual pursuit. If her game seems to resemble your own, keep an eye out.
On the surface, this shouldn’t seem like a bad thing. Right? Maybe you happen to check all the boxes on her list and are everything she’s been looking for. This can happen.
In my experience, there’s usually something off.
Think of all the dicks she gets thrown her way in a single Tinder swipe session. Out of endless streams of online validation, why would she want to immediately jump on you?
Incomplete/Fake Facebook or Instagram Profile linked to Tinder
Social media influence is the currency of modern women. It’s sad but true. Take a look at most women in your social media networks.
They typically have significantly more followers than your guy friends and post with much more frequency. You’ll also notice how most of their photos tend to be of themselves.
Social media, like Tinder, is an online marketplace where women advertise their value.
That value is beauty. And the customer is a high-quality man. Or validation from many low-quality men.
Additionally, Facebook is required to open a Tinder account. No Facebook = No Tinder.
So if she doesn’t have any social media or profiles with very little activity, keep your eye out. She’s either a Tinder scammer who slapped together a half-assed profile to con suckers like you or she’s hiding something. Like a dick.
What if she’s just not that interested in me?
Regardless, most girls will still allow you to follow them for the slight dopamine hit of increasing their follower and like count.
Doesn’t know her location
You should’ve weeded out the obvious Tinder scams by now. Still not sure?
Get location-specific.
Whereabout town is she located? What does she like to do around the area? What high school/college did she attend? Boring, yes.
These easily-answered questions will help you determine if you’re talking to a real girl or a Bosnian troll-bot.
She says she’s out of town and doesn’t know the area? No biggie. Tell her to describe the scenery.
She lives in Miami but comments on the snowy mountains? Nope.
I’ve found most spammers are bots or foreign. Neither seems to know local geography for shit. She could be a complete dumbass too.
Suggest you show her around the area to gauge if she’s legit.
Fake phone number or unusual area code
A telltale sign of Tinder scams is the inability to determine her location.
Quick rule of thumb, look at the number.
The area code should belong to somewhere near your physical location. Don’t recognize the number? Give it a quick Google search.
She says she’s corn-fed and southern bred yet texts with a number from Nicaragua? Time to do some digging.
Note: For whatever reason, I find that many blatantly fake numbers have area codes from Pennsylvania.
Before you even begin texting, you can also punch the number into Google. There are many websites that will list numbers of potential scammers. If Tinder chick happens to pop up on the list, don’t waste your time.
Common Tinder scams
So you’ve scored her number, Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, Whatsapp or whatever direct messaging channel is en vogue at the moment. And you haven’t noticed any immediate red flags. Yet.
Good on you stud!
You exchange some small back-and-forth banter. Even with your sub-par game, you appear to be maintaining her interest and building attraction. Congratulations, she’s managed to bait you and now you’re on the Tinder scam line.
Hopefully, she’s legit.
At this point, the game changes a bit. In sales, this would be equivalent to the “building rapport” stage. But all you know for now is that the text conversation appears to be going well.
Instant responses. Unsolicited sexy pics. Overuse of emojis. We’ve all been there.
However, if this type of texting seems unusual, there’s likely a catch. Here’s where your perfect Tinderella starts to up the ante.
Asks to verify age
She wants to meet up now but needs to verify your age, identity or whatever. Again, you’re sent a short link directing you to some paysite. She assures you your card won’t be charged. My ass.
Insist on an in-person meetup. Flip the script and say you need to ensure she’s not some serial killer, transvestite prostitute. A real girl will usually give you a laugh and either agree to your terms or suggest a compromise.
What if she’s a cam girl? I don’t know if you’ve heard the news, but there is plenty of free porn online. Even if she is a legit cam girl (almost every other girl in California), the worst way to get with her is to give her money.
In most instances, “pay for verification” Tinder scams will just use a bot. The dead giveaway is when she sticks to her script regardless of where you try to steer the conversation. Like low-quality, UberEats customer support.
In this case, she’s clearly stupid or clearly fake. Next.
If any girl starts asking for money before you meet or wants your credit card to “verify” your age, insist you meet in person and bail if the conversation still seems to follow a defined script.
Blackmail
What if you have actually started dating the girl on the regular? In general, I still advise against giving money or gifts to any girl you’re dating for any reason. Anytime I have done this, it has always backfired.
I also wouldn’t recommend sending anyone anything that could be used against you at some point in the future. This includes dick pics, lads.
The most common blackmail Tinder scams usually involve someone threatening to share intimate photos of you. Unless you agree to pony up a few bucks.
This isn’t exclusive to pixelated photos of your dimly-lit dong. Treat Tinder matches like you would the police. Anything you say (or send) can, and will, be used against you.
Even if you do end up dating a girl exclusively, err on the side of caution when sending pics. If she wants to see your face, send a headshot only.
Anything else should have your head cropped out.
Keep yourself safe by not connecting your junk to your face.
If she insists on seeing your goods, she’s probably a scammer. Or super horny. In that case, leave her wanting more and make the meetup so she can see you in person.
Tinder scammers are professionals. You’re not. Don’t let your little head override your big head and make you do something stupid. Like sexting a cockshot while being a professional athlete.
The disappearing act
So the plans are locked down and you’re ready to paint the town. And hopefully her face. With your dick.
You spritz your pits and dab your wrists with your lucky scent. Time’s ticking and balls are itching for some well-deserved attention. Although you’re not into mythical bullshit, the sex stars and pussy planets somehow align and you have limited window of opportunity to seal the deal.
Then without warning, poof! She’s gone. Disappeared. Vanished.
Texts go undelivered and calls are sent straight to voicemail. You’ve been ghosted.
Now, there are plenty of reasons girls ghost for no apparent reason. It happens. This usually just means you aren’t her first option and something more interesting came up. Sometimes honesty stings, don’t it?
But, if this occurs after you already spotted a series of red flags along the seduction journey, you got played. Or she got caught and had to stop.
The reappearing act
Where this gets suspicious is when she pops back online a few days later and rematches you. Or texts as if nothing happened.
You try to pick up where you two left off. She presents a bullshit excuse and asks for a financial favor to help her make a new date. Needs her cell phone, Lyft/Uber/plane tick paid for so she can meet up.
Oh, and she’s super sorry.
This is a more elaborate scheme since she has invested the time to build some rapport. But, since many guys are thirsty and have already created an elaborate love story in their heads, this trick is effective.
Just remember, you don’t know her. The fantasy is an illusion your mind created over the correct placement of some pixels on a screen.
Time to move on and leave her for another sucker.
Don’t send money to strangers
Under no circumstance should you ever send money to a girl you haven’t met, have just met or are not seeing seriously. And by serious, I mean married.
As a rule, she is not girlfriend material unless she is also wife and mother material. And since most modern women are unmarriable, play it safe and don’t send money to any of them.
Even if you are looking for a significant other on Tinder, you cannot build a relationship without significant face-to-face and physical contact. This is the logical progression of a relationship. And if marriage and children are not in your cards, don’t waste your time or hers.
For this reason, most girls will fall into the “fun” or “friend” category. That doesn’t mean you’re out of the game. A lot of girls on Tinder don’t want a real relationship anyways and will have no problem just hooking up. Be clear about your expectations.
I don’t usually mind financing a bit of fun when there is clear reciprocity. Or if she’s earned it. But, by no means will I provide resources for a good or service from someone I’ve never met in person.
No play, no pay
Remember, you really have no idea who is behind that screen. Nor does she. To her, you’re just another paying customer. Except she hasn’t given you shit in return. Yet.
If she wasn’t making money off of men online, she wouldn’t be there in the first place. She’s merely marked you as her next potential Tinder scam target.
Now, she may not necessarily be a scammer in the traditional sense. Many girls now add Venmo and CashApp links in their profiles.
Why? Because it works.
There’s plenty of thirsty guys who will send money to a pretty face on a screen thinking it will get them laid. It won’t. So don’t be that guy.
I’ve even hooked up with girls who share stories of guys paying them to go to dinner. Just before they bail early to have a nightcap with me.
To avoid being her cash cow, keep this in mind. To her, there are two categories of men:
- Those who fuck her
- Those who finance her
Based on your behavior, she will place you in the appropriate group.
Bonus: If she ever questions where you stand, just playfully remind her “I’m the guy who fucks you, not finances you.” She’ll usually bite her lip and unconsciously look down before a Grinch-like grin grows across her face.
Tinder scam or just not into you?
It would be dishonest to assume that everyone you meet on Tinder could be a potential scammer. In fact, maybe you initially attracted her. But, after some back and forth banter you managed to blow it.
Or, she lost you in the endless sea of dicks known as her inbox.
Here are some tell-tale signs to keep in mind when trying to identify if she’s a fake Tinder profile or if she’s just not that into you.
Tinder scams:
- Focus only on money
- Generic responses that are out of context with the conversation
- Cannot comment on local places, weather, logistics to meet up
- No social media presence or very little activity
- Overly aggressive but will not meet in real life
Not into you:
- Constant excuses to not meet up
- Sets plans but cancels immediately before date or doesn’t show up
- Doesn’t respond to direct messages but posts all over social media
- Disappears and only reappears when she doesn’t have a better option
- Only agrees to go out to expensive places where you will foot the bill
There are likely some gray areas between the behaviors of a Tinder scammer and a girl who just isn’t into you. To be safe, just avoid anyone who doesn’t clearly demonstrate they actually want to date you.
When a girl legitimately likes you, she will make it abundantly clear.
Use common sense to avoid Tinder scams
Online dating is much more prevalent in the modern world than we could’ve ever previously imagined. Who would’ve thought you could pick up pussy easier than a Papa John’s pizza?
Scammers know that sex sells, and they’re trying to spot a sucker.
To prevent these (or any other) ploys, keep a single thing in mind. She’s using her loin to separate you from your coin. Assume she has an alternative motive and that you are the prize. Remember that she needs to prove to you that she’s worth meeting.
Think of these girls as strippers online. They’ll flirt, touch, kiss or even more (for the right price) but at the end of the day, you know damn right they are just looking to separate you from your cash.
Here’s a final common-sense rule to follow (in any situation) that will make life much easier. Don’t make any financial decisions when you have a boner.
Remember to always practice safe swiping everyone.
