Worried that the girl you’re chatting with is far too good-looking? Thinking she’s so far out of your league that something’s got to be wrong? First off, don’t be so hard on yourself, bro.
You’re a good person and infinitely deserving of love.
Second though… good choice clicking on this article. There are a lot of scammers, catfish, and bots on Hinge, and it’s always good to be sure.
But how do you know if those alarm bells ringing in your head are self-doubt or very real danger? I’m here for you.
Read on to see the most common red flags to look out to know if you’re being catfished (or scammed) on Hinge.
To put it bluntly, you’ve all heard the old phrase, “If it seems too good to be true, it probably is.” This applies to spotting catfish and bot accounts. However, it is pretty difficult to apply this to online dating.
Some people will be too harsh on themselves and think anyone expressing an interest must be a bot. Others will allow their ego to get them into trouble.
Most importantly, though, don’t give anyone money, don’t give them any details that allow them to steal money, and if someone seems sketchy, don’t meet them.
This article is going to be specifically looking at how to know if you are being catfished on Hinge, but this is a problem on all dating apps. If you’re looking for something aimed explicitly at catfishing on Tinder, take a look at my article on how to spot fake profiles on Tinder.
Dude Hack Exclusive Offers
Who Is Doing The Catfishing?
First off, it’s quite important to note that catfish and bot accounts aren’t as common as you might believe from watching the TV show, Catfish.
They do exist and it’s worth thinking a bit about what drives people to become catfish.
There are a few different reasons real people turn to catfishing. You can read about it in more detail here. Let’s have a look at some of the different types you might find on Hinge.
Loneliness
The biggest (non-financial) reason that people turn to catfishing is that they are lonely.
Perhaps they have low self-esteem and don’t think anybody would talk to them if they knew how they really looked.
Perhaps they’re depressed and just craving a conversation. We definitely need to have sympathy for people who catch catfish for these reasons, but they’re still harmful.
Catfishers like this can do real emotional damage to people.
- This kind of catfish will avoid video calls or maybe even all calls.
- They’ll be happy to talk over text but often won’t want to take it to the next level.
- They usually won’t add new pictures because… they don’t have any.
Targeted Abuse Or Revenge
Some people create catfish accounts as a way of hurting somebody in particular.
Maybe an ex (or a person their ex ran off with), maybe just somebody they have a crush on who doesn’t like them. Either way, it’s toxic AF, and these people are gross.
This kind of catfish is similar to the lonely catfish. They’ll be unwilling to show pictures, link to an Insta or Facebook account, and they often won’t talk on the phone in case you recognize their voice.
If you think you might be a victim of targeted abuse, report their ass.
Scamming You
These catfish are dangerous and want your money. They’ll strike up a conversation, and before long it will take a turn in a direction that pushes whatever agenda they’re about.
On the low-danger end of the scale, they might just want you to subscribe to their OnlyFans or buy something from their MLM.
Equally, though, they could come up with an elaborate story about why they desperately need some money.
Some of these scam accounts will be run by bots. These tend to be quite easy to spot as their grammar will be terrible, and they’ll get straight to asking for money.
Some of them, though, are run by humans. These types of catfish are easy to avoid by simply not buying anything from them or sending them money.
Come on, bruh, you’re better than that anyway.
How Can I Prove I’m Not A Catfish?
Ah, how the turntables have turned around… or whatever the phrase is. So now they think you’re a catfish?
Well, assuming you’re not, it’s pretty easy to prove to them that you’re legit.
Think about the advice I’ve given above and then think of ways to prove that’s not what you’re doing.
Send links to your Insta, do a video call, don’t ask them for money, and, really dude, just keep your OnlyFans to yourself.
Make sure, though, that they’re not pulling the old switcheroo and asking as a way to scam you.
No one needs your bank account details to prove you’re real.
What To Do With A Catfish
Fry that bad boy in some Cajun batter and have yourself a po’boy. But seriously, if you think you’ve got a catfish on the line there are a few things you can do.
Firstly, don’t worry about their feelings. They’ve used you, and if you weren’t so smart, they’d keep going until your heart was as broken as a land speed record around Usain Bolt.
Cut contact, report them so they can’t get anyone else, block them on any other platforms you may have added them on.
If you’ve been scammed and worry they might have your details, tell your bank. Immediately. Don’t be embarrassed, banks deal with embarrassing scams all the time.
It’s worth being aware that Hinge doesn’t offer photo verification, making it more appealing to bots and catfish.
If you want to try a different app, take the DudeHack quiz here, to see what might work best for you.
