Is A Dating Profile Real or A Bot? Here’s How to Tell

If you’re on an online dating site, you’re probably expecting all of the people you interact with to be real people. Yes, there are imposters, con artists, and other such individuals, but aren’t they all human? Wrong. Numerous dating profiles are run by bots, which are computer programs. These bots take advantage of you to the farthest extent possible. Your biggest challenge, then, is deciding if a profile is real or a bot.

What’s the deal with these bots? And, more importantly, how can you detect bots and avoid becoming a victim of their deception? How can you tell if the profile you’re swiping right on is of a real person searching for love or a computer program? There are some telltale signs that the person you matched on these online dating sites with isn’t who they claim to be. Read on, and we’ll walk you through so that you will have a smooth and secure dating experience, especially on online dating sites such as TrulyThai. 

But first, let’s learn about bots and how they work. 

What Are Bots?

Bots (sometimes referred to as chatbots) are computer programs that send and interpret messages. They can be found on a variety of websites and applications, not merely dating sites. In response to human-typed keywords, other less advanced bots convey customized messages. Advanced bots, on the other hand, can personalize their messages to humans and maintain a dialogue. These bots are built to recognize specific keywords in your message and answer appropriately based on those keywords. 

Not all bots are harmful irrespective of the online dating realm. Some chatbots assist businesses with after-hours customer care, while others monitor live social media dialogues. The bots behind bogus profiles on online dating sites, on the other hand, are designed to deceive you of something – frequently money, essential things, financial data, or personal information. They may explicitly request this information at times. Other times, even if you did not even ask for a link, they’ll offer you odd URLs to accomplish this goal indirectly. These bots aren’t coming in peace.

How to Tell If You’re Talking to A Bot

1. Their messages are often unrelated to the situation

Is your match’s response to your topic illogical? Or was their reaction illogical in the light of your discussion? If so, you are almost certainly conversing with a bot. Their messages are usually scripted and sent to thousands of people at once. Bots frequently send out identical messages to many recipients. Many are set to send a particular pattern of messages to persuade you to give money or click on specific websites. If a program doesn’t create the profile, you are probably dealing with a lazy human fraudster!

2. They type exceptionally fast

The dating profile bots you come across are exactly that: bots. They aren’t actual people at all. One major red flag is that as soon as you are matched with a bot on these online dating sites, they’ll message you, most likely in microseconds. Is it possible that the person you matched with is a real person who wants to talk to you? Perhaps, but it’s more probable that the bot was initiated by the match and sent the initial message to get you hooked as soon as possible.

While not definite, it is the first indication that anything is wrong. Because the replies are written and prompted off of your responses, they are nearly quick as you continue to communicate.

3. You don’t have anything in common

To get on online dating sites, online dating bots use details from false Facebook profiles. You presumably won’t have any mutual Facebook friends with them because they’re not real. They might share some broad interests with you, but it’s unlikely. 

4. They try persuading you

If someone unnaturally promotes a product or website while you’re communicating with them, they’re either a bot or another form of false account. True people interested in real relationships rarely bring up products unless it’s a necessary part of the discussion like when you ask them what they do for a living, they usually say they work for a particular company. 

5. They always recommend premium memberships

Yes, dating sites employ bots for their ends, primarily to get you to pay for premium perks. Some attractive-looking, but completely false, bot profiles claim that they only receive messages from premium users. Other bots may like your profile, send you brief messages, or express an interest in meeting you. However, the dating site will conceal their messages and charge you to view them or demand payment in order to respond to them. All of this is done to persuade free members to pay for a subscription. And, although the bot profiles that do these heinous acts are frequently mentioned by name in the notification section, you are usually unable to search their profiles.

Related reading: How Thai Women See Foreign Guys

6. They send you a barrage of messages

Understandably, quick responses are exciting; but, a quick response may give the impression that the person you’re conversing with is interested in you. But what if they continue to respond in just a matter of seconds after you send a message? People can’t answer that quickly all of the time, especially if they have other commitments outside of the dating site.

Other bot profiles send you a barrage of messages to trick you into thinking your profile is getting a lot of attention. This frequently occurs shortly after you register with the site. You’ll get a push alert while receiving these messages that try to persuade you to subscribe to premium services. You may also be unable to view some of the messages except if you pay. The messages from the bots and this premium alert are inextricably linked! 

In most of these cases, bots on dating sites will send you identical or almost similar messages, such as “Hey there! Do you want to talk?” or have profiles or photographs that appear to be eerily close. Bot profiles frequently include characteristics that appear suspiciously suited to your desires: a comparable age, shared interests, and a close location – all with an appealing photo.

When a user pays, the previously obfuscated messages are shown to be meaningless. Then, for a brief period, some site-run bots may have a conversation with the user, though perhaps a shallow one. 

7. They either seem too casual or too formal

Is the individual you’re speaking with usually responding in formal, complete sentences, much more so than the typical person? Or do they appear to be attempting to be casual by using an excessive quantity of jargon, acronyms, and emojis? Bots on online dating sites don’t always know how to sound like actual humans while they’re online. However, some of them are improving their ability to seem like real potential partners, so be on the lookout!

8. They send you suspicious links

You may have received a couple of messages on dating sites, but eventually, a bot must come to the point and deliver the message that convinces you to install malware on your phone or laptop or pay for something. This could take the form of a strange-looking URL that you’re frightened to open since none of the characters look familiar. Or it could be a shortened URL that hides the real stuff. Webcam sites are frequently linked to. The bot will try to persuade you that they are unable to speak at this time, but if you click through, you will be able to send them a message.

If you receive a message from a dating bot, block them from your match list using the app’s blocking tool. It’s quite unlikely that you’ll hear from them again after receiving this message, except for repeated demands to execute the same activity they requested in the initial message.

What Should You Do If You Come Across a Bot?

Is your match’s dating profile real or a bot? If you suspect a bot has targeted you, online dating sites like TrulyThai provide ways to report it.

1. To report a user, simply navigate to their profile and click Report User.
2. After that, click Submit Report and explain why you wish to report the individual.
3. TrulyThai’s support team will review your report right away.

You can also block the user by:

1. Navigate to the user’s profile and click on Block User.
2. Confirm your decision. The blocked user will no longer be allowed to access your profile or reach out to you after this is done.

In Summary

What is the most important lesson from all of these bot-outing points? Look for out-of-context responses, such as replies that don’t address the question you asked or “diversion” replies that alter the subject, as you try to figure out if your match is a real person. Did you manage to spot a bot using these methods? It’s time to report the user to the dating site and block them!