You want to know how to track a fake Tinder account before engaging with the account holder. Tinder might be the place to go in search of a soulmate or true love. However, you need to be able to tell fake profiles and chat bots trying to steal your personal information, and money or cause you emotional problems.
If you’re about to engage or chat with a Tinder profile, this publication helps you to determine if the person is real so you don’t waste your time or become a romance scam victim.
How to track a fake Tinder account
Detecting a fake Tinder profile is not so hard, especially for those bots created to collect your information. Fake accounts with scammers behind them can be s little tougher but they always leave loopholes.
Below are the ways to track a fake Tinder account:
1. Run a reverse phone lookup
With a reverse phone number search, you will be able to tell if a Tinder user is using their real phone number. Usually, phone numbers are registered to a person or a phone provider. Tools will be able to pull the name of the person to which the phone number is linked. An example of a tool with this functionality is Social Catfish. Just search “Social Catfish phone lookup” via any search engine.
Social Catfish will then allow you to use the reverse phone search to track a phone number to know if it is really registered to the Tinder account or whether it is a VOIP (Voice over IP) phone line.
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In most cases on Tinder involving scams, swindlers use VOIP numbers to hide their location and real identity. So, make sure to use the tool mentioned above or any other tool you know that allows you to look up phone numbers.
2. Run a reverse image search
Another way to track a fake Tinder account is to run a reverse image search. This also allows you to know if someone is using your photo to pretend to be you or a friend on Tinder or other popular networks.
There are several tools to run an image search, including Google Image Search, Yahoo Image Search, and Bing Image. Other tools like Social Catfish also allow you to reverse search a photo you download or screenshot from a Tinder profile to know if it is fake or authentic. Refer to this article https://news.yahoo.com/reverse-image-search-155900359.html to see how to run a reverse image search for free.
Scammers opening fake Tinder accounts typically use existing photos from the internet. They download these photos on platforms like Facebook and Twitter. They usually use a dormant profile or the profile of a deceased to pretend to be them.
As such, an image search can link you to several images similar to that particular one you’re searching for. But you need to be aware that some Tinder swindlers have a way of bypassing getting busted through image search. They can collect their pictures from platforms like Instagram because Instagram does not allow search engines to index user images, making it difficult for tools like Google Image to know if a similar reverse search image is on the platform.
To reverse search an Instagram image, it needs to be geotagged on the Instagram feed by its publisher. Otherwise, you can’t determine its original location—Instagram removes all the camera data and metadata (EXIF and IPTC) and, the phone used to upload the image may not have included GPS chips or have geotagging enabled.
3. Run a dating background check
Running a background can help to track a fake Tinder account. You just need a background lookup tool like TruthFinder to conveniently run dating background checks on any Tinder profile.
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Just enter the name, state, and city as seen on the Tinder profile on the tool to explore every profile associated with the user on platforms like Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.
TruthFinder, for example, allows you to see even the person’s background information like criminal records, education, and property, to mention a few.
Just visit truthfinder.com or any other tool with this functionality to track that Tinder account. Use the menu option to access other features that will help you know if a Tinder account is fake or not.
Another tool you can use is Spokeo to run a background check. You just need the person’s phone number, name, and address to complete this check.
4. Profile has limited information
A Tinder profile with limited bio information and only a few photos could be fake. If a scammer is behind the account, they only managed to get those few lookalike photos for their Tinder account and would be looking to add more.
Nonetheless, some authentic users prefer not to use many pictures. This is where an image search, phone lookup, and background check are important.
5. Picture quality
Look out for Tinder profile photos that are perfectly edited. These could be fake pictures a scammer tries to modify to bypass reverse image search.
Usually, these pictures use filters and have been renamed by the filter. For example, if a picture has been edited with PicsArt, the name will contain “picsart” if you manage to download the Tinder picture or ask the Tinder user to share their pics via a different platform. Go ahead and see if the pic has been renamed—that could be a sign that it was edited with an app.
Other editing types that change pictures include adding filters and flipping the image. These could make it even tougher for reverse search tools to distinguish between that photo and similar shots across the web.
6. Profiles with no linked social media accounts
If the profile of a Tinder user has no linked social media account, it could be a sign that it is fake. Even with that, romance scammers and others can create fake social profiles to link to their Tinder accounts, making it look real. This means you also have to check if the linked social accounts are authentic or not.
Meanwhile, it’s not advisable to click links you find on a Tinder user’s bio—you could be visiting a malicious webpage that compromises your personal information.
7. User tells stories too good to be true
A fake Tinder account holder will usually make up stories that seem too good to be true. Don’t fall for the tales, they are meant to incite pity and move you to do whatever the user requests.
Scammers will tell catchy stories in an attempt to build an emotional connection with you as quickly as possible. They may then be able to lure you to do what they want, typically sending money to them or clicking malicious links that compromise your privacy and security.
8. They try to move you from Tinder
You can tell a fake Tinder account if the user is trying to move the conversation to a different platform. They will usually try to request your personal details such as name and address. And when they think they’ve built a stronger bond with you, they will request your credit card information and make up excuses about misplacing theirs or getting robbed recently.
9. Fake Tinder users avoid video calls
A sincere Tinder user will not refuse to meet you in real life or have a video chat with you. It is a sign that they are lying about their identity and keeping you in the dark until they achieve their aim.
To track a fake Tinder account in this case, request a video call and stick to your request. If the Tinder user makes up excuses, ask them to give a time they’d be free for one.
If they eventually accept a video call, look out for signs that the user is a scammer. For example, they refuse to change the position of their camera or they always use a specific place whenever you hold a video time with them.
10. Immediate response
A Tinder account is fake if you get a response immediately. It could be a chatbot on Tinder trying to steal your information. Usually, you will get short or even unrelated responses and unnatural conversations. You will then be presented with a link to click or download an app, which is typically malicious.
Reporting a fake Tinder profile
If you’ve just tracked a Tinder profile you know is fake, have it reported to help other users avoid catfishing or scamming.
Tinder doesn’t allow users to impersonate, or misrepresent an association with any person or entity. Do the following to report the fake Tinder account you just tracked:
- Select the fake profile on the chat page.
- Tap the three dots icon at the top right corner.
- Tap report.
- Enter the reason for reporting that user and submit.
Is it possible to track someone on Tinder?
Tinder does not allow you to search for a specific person on the app. Generally, however, Tinder users can adjust who they can see by updating their Discovery preferences.
What to do if someone makes a fake Tinder account of you?
If someone makes a fake Tinder account of you or someone that you know to pretend to be you on Tinder, use the report form to report them. Make sure to select “Someone is impersonating me” from the dropdown menu and add every required information, including any details of the fake profile.
Does reporting someone on Tinder do anything?
When you report someone on Tinder, a member of Tinder’s Trust & Safety team will investigate and determine what to do to the person you reported. If the person is found to be in violation, they can be banned.
