Listen: how to look out for fake dating profiles

1 in 3 singles say they’ve encountered fake online dating profiles before – but how many would fall for a scam?

With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, millions of singles are swiping in search of love. But while 36% admit to telling small white lies on dating apps like filtering photos (25%) or exaggerating interests (15%) – a more dangerous deception is on the rise – romance scams designed to steal money, not hearts.

New research from Nationwide Building Society reveals:

• Over half (52%) of online daters say they’ve received messages that felt suspicious or scripted.
• 22% have been asked for money by someone they met online – rising to 35% among under-35s.
• 1 in 10 (11%)—equating to over 7 million singles—admit they wouldn’t feel confident spotting a scam.
• And worryingly, 44% say they would still meet someone in person despite noticing red flags.

Aston spoke to Annya Burskys, head of fraud operations at Nationwide Building Society.

Photo by Markus Winkler on Unsplash