avatarDanell teNyenhuis Black

Summary

The article recounts the author's humorous experiences and observations while navigating online dating profiles, emphasizing the prevalence of scammers and the challenge of finding genuine connections.

Abstract

The author, who is happily married, reflects on her time spent on dating websites, highlighting the entertainment value of encountering absurd and fraudulent profiles. Despite the rarity of genuine encounters, she met her husband through online dating. She provides tips on identifying fake profiles, supported by examples from her top 10 list of dating profiles, which include verbatim grammar, spelling, and punctuation. The author discusses the use of various dating apps and services, such as Been Verified and Lifelock, to ensure safety and authenticity. She also touches on the serious issue of human trafficking associated with messaging apps like Kik. The article concludes with a list of her top 5 online interactions, showcasing the absurdity and humor found in online dating exchanges.

Opinions

  • The author finds amusement in reviewing dating profiles, particularly those that are clearly fake or humorous.
  • She expresses surprise at the statistical success rate of online dating leading to marriages, as reported by the Pew Research Center and the National Academy of Sciences.
  • The author is cautious and takes measures to verify the authenticity of profiles, indicating a distrust of the online dating environment.
  • She is critical of the prevalence of scammers, especially those originating from Nigeria, and warns readers about common scamming tactics.
  • The author values honesty, humor, and intellect in potential partners, and believes that physical appearance, while important, should not be the sole focus.
  • She is skeptical of profiles without pictures and emphasizes the importance of a profile picture in attracting genuine interest

Top 10 Online Dating Profiles

Dating profiles can be very entertaining!

Online dating websites | Credit: RSMcLeod | iStock (under license)

I have been happily married for nearly 15 months. I’m happy that my time on dating sites is over, and I’m thrilled that I met Bruce! Is it wrong that sometimes I miss looking at dating profiles?

I’m not talking about searching for another man. I enjoy searching for scammers and ridiculous profiles! There are numerous writing angles for online dating, and I am missing out on a rich source of information!

Instead of signing up again, I am revisiting my writing from the time I spent online dating. I hope you enjoy it!

Online dating adventures

I won’t be providing details about actual dates, sorry to disappoint you. My online dating experience was mainly online; genuine encounters with real people were rare. Fortunately, that changed in August 2018 when I met my future husband, Bruce.

I spent much of my time on the dating sites looking for a good laugh! As a community service, I decided to review a few websites and give you some tips on identifying fake profiles. Along the way, I will present my top 10 dating profiles. I include original grammar, spelling, and punctuation.

#10 — I am a classy and fun Man who takes pride in his family and self. He is the light of my life.

According to the Pew research center, 30% of adults in the United States have used online dating. For those that participate in online dating, approximately 12% find a spouse or partner.

I was surprised to learn that the National Academy of Sciences determined that “marriages that began online, when compared with those that began with traditional offline venues, were slightly less likely to result in a marital breakup (separation or divorce).”

#9 — I’m a single father with my two little twins who lives with her nanny

Since so many people use online dating services, I expected it would be reasonably easy to meet people. For some reason, this was a little easier at first. Part of the reason it became more challenging was that I seemed to find the same group of men on the same multiple dating sites.

I had so much trouble because it is challenging finding real men among all of the fake profiles! I suspect that there are more of them who are focusing on my demographic, the middle-aged widow. Keeping this in mind, I am very cautious and suspicious.

#8 — I’m calm and down to earth and a well calculated am here to meet new people around the world.text if you look just good. I’m a licensed trader and into freelancing….there are lots you sure need to know about me

During my online dating adventures, I tried multiple apps. For security purposes, I paid for a service called Been Verified. I need to have a real name or phone number for it to work, and it doesn’t always work, but it has been relatively reliable.

If I can pull someone up, I know they are real. I’m sure these guys would be a little creeped out by this, but I need to play it safe. I also pay for Lifelock, and I think it works pretty well because I can’t pull myself up on the Been Verified app!

#7 — I’m cool gentle and humble man I hate lies and cheating I’m old enough to play games, I’m for real relationship. My job I’m a business man, My Company is primarily involved in the developing and processing of Rare Earth materials in the High purity sector.

Another app I have downloaded is Kik. It’s a messaging service, and I think a lot of the scammers use it. Reportedly Kik is used for human trafficking, so make sure your teenagers are not using it.

I use Kik if I am suspicious as it is an easier way to message, and I don’t have to give out my phone number. You can also download burner apps that will give you a fake phone number to use for texting.

#6 — I’m a man who loves her family.

I finally caved and downloaded Tinder. I did this because you log in through Facebook, and it will show you if you have mutual friends. The mutual friend feature has helped identify a few real people, but most of the profiles I find on Tinder do not have any mutual friends.

I stayed on Tinder mainly to collect hilarious profiles! I know many people meet on Tinder, so I think it must just be that the scammers target my demographic.

#5 — Profile name: Phil_Magroin

I also tried Elite Singles. It has been a total dud. Most of the profiles don’t have pictures, and there are very few local people. There may be fewer scammers, but I usually don’t interact with profiles without images unless they are interesting or funny.

#4 — Am a man of integrity and I respect my pride.

Let’s talk about pictures. I hate to focus on appearances. The guys I met all looked even better in person. And many of the guys don’t smile in pictures.

If I were around someone a lot and got to know their personality, I might be attracted to them for that. Intellect and a sense of humor are also qualities that are important to me.

I did talk to a few guys with no pictures. When they finally shared their photo, I was just not attracted at all, which is awkward. So a picture is preferred.

#3 — Am just a man that wants a woman that has a good sense of human and am a man that can make a woman enjoy everything she desire…But am a man with respect and I like talking dirty am also that type that like to be told the truth and I hate cheating, confusion and fake life

As you can tell from my top ten list, these fake profiles are relatively easy to spot. Based on the fact there are so many fake profiles, there have to be people falling victim to them. I decided to investigate, and a lot of the scams originate in Nigeria.

There are also other places, but Nigeria has the worst reputation for this. The scammers establish a relationship with the victim and then there is usually a crisis where they need money. Or maybe they are trying to meet and need money for a plane ticket.

A few times, I communicated with someone for a bit, but I usually give myself away. The closest I have come to being scammed was one guy who asked if I could buy him an iTunes card. I said no, of course!

#2 — From a 22-year-old: Will you marry me? I can provide you with free medical and dental; lol

Aside from the poor grammar, the other way I identified the scammers is by their profession. Most of the time, they said they were in the military. They probably have no idea that there are very few active-duty military personnel in central California, and certainly not generals.

Some say they work for the United Nations. Then there are engineers, contractors, and doctors. They also seem to select cities randomly.

I see a lot who will put the name of a city on the map but has a tiny population. Or the town doesn’t match the occupation. I don’t think there are very many United Nations employees living in small California farm towns!

#1 — I’ve a great sense of humor, no games and I don’t hit my woman

That profile just really made me laugh! I didn’t include Jesus on here but, yes, Jesus loves me, and this I know because he swiped right on Tinder. He had a very recognizable picture! I hope this has entertained and informed you.

I have one final list, my top 5 online interactions. For the last 3, I copied the conversations to give you the whole picture. Enjoy!

#5 — Standard greeting from more than one person — “I will like to know you better”

#4 — your lips is adorable because the smiling on you bring out the real beauty in you

#3 — Counselors are equivalent to surgeons????

#2 — I’ve decided to start playing along, I usually can’t stay serious for long though!

#1 — This one blocked me shortly after the last message you see. I didn’t get a chance to copy the final interaction. He asked how the kids were, and I said I kicked them out because they were eating too much. And he finally figured out that I wasn’t serious! LOL

Originally published at https://www.danellt9.com on March 23, 2018.

Online Dating Sites
Online Dating Tips
Humor
Life
Illumination
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