How To Spot A Fake Bumble Profile

As if online dating wasn’t difficult enough, you have to contend with the possibility of the person you’re talking to being a fake or catfish. App dating is tough. It’s remote, requires very little thought and takes a lot of the humanity out of human interactions. Yet we all do it. Millions, if not billions of us use dating apps. That’s why we have put together this guide on how to spot a fake Bumble profile. So you have one less problem to contend with when trying to find love.

Of all the dating apps out there, Bumble is one of the best. It tries to balance humanity with dating. There are still gamification elements to it but there is a real attempt to make online dating less painful than usual. I think that is one of the reasons it is doing so well. One thing it is doing right is photo verification but I’ll get onto that in a minute.

Spotting a fake Bumble profile

If you know what to look for, fake dating profiles can be obvious. These clues aren’t perfect as they can also be a symptom of someone who couldn’t be bothered to complete their Bumble profile properly. But we don’t want to date lazy people either so it’s still a win. If you’re using Bumble to find love, be aware of these signs the profile may be fake.

Poor quality images or no face shots

Everyone knows that the main profile image is going to sell you or not. Everyone knows they have to make their profile images as good as they can possibly be. Even hiring a professional photographer to create studio quality images. So when you see poor quality images, blurry pics or non-face pics. Be aware.

Every user has to have at least one image but most users know more is better. Anything that looks or feels wrong about the profile pic should be a red flag.

If the images have not been verified by Bumble, that’s another danger sign. Verification is free, easy to do and most users know it will help reassure other users. There is no reason to not get verified so be extra vigilant of those who are not.

Poorly written Bumble bio

First a caveat. Not everyone is the second incarnation of Oscar Wilde so not all Bumble bios will be that good anyway. But it should at least show effort. A sparse or poorly written dating bio is a sure sign the profile is fake. Spelling mistakes, obvious grammar error and nonsensical bios are also clues.

Remember that not everyone can be good at English or even have English as their first language. A bad bio may not be their fault but if it comes with garbage profile pics or other warning signs, swipe left and move on.

They are the unluckiest person in the world

Some people are genuinely unlucky and working hard to overcome adversity but they are in the minority. If you match with someone and they suddenly have a death in the family, serious illness or something tragic happen when you’re about to meet or talk on the phone, be aware. Sometimes these things might be real but it’s a classic delaying tactic of someone who doesn’t want to, or cannot meet. You then have to wonder why…

Mismatch between questions and replies

If you match with someone on Bumble and initiate a conversation, it should ideally be a free flow of questions, answers and ideas. If there seems to be a mismatch between the question you asked or statement you made and the reply, it might be a bot or fake. If the catfisher is not English or is using a translation app, or is a bot, these mismatched replies are a key sign.

If any response you get in chat doesn’t make much sense, that’s another red flag.

Trying to take you out

If someone seems to be trying hard to get you to use a different website, dating app or chat platform, be aware. If a reply to a conversation includes a URL somewhere else, don’t click on it. You will know when a conversation has gone well enough for the ‘shall we switch to WhatsApp’ question to be legitimate. If it’s way too early or they seem eager to get you off Bumble and onto another app or website, be aware.

Trust your gut

One negative of Bumble and other dating apps is also a positive. That it’s a numbers game. If a profile doesn’t look or feel right, swipe left and move on. If a conversation is taking a strange course or doesn’t make sense, move on. If a dating profile seems genuinely too good to be true, it probably is. You don’t necessarily have to move on but be very aware of what you’re walking into.