Spotting fake profiles and scams
Written by Julien Lenaz, lead developer of cruush.
Signs of a fake profile
- The photos look like a model or a stock image.
- The profile has almost no information.
- They message first with very flattering, generic lines.
- They want to move to another app quickly.
- Their answers do not match what you wrote.
Money scams
Someone who asks for money, gift cards or crypto is running a scam, however nice they seem. A real person you are meeting for sex does not need your money first.
Links and apps
Do not open links they send, and do not install anything they ask you to. Real people usually do not need you to.
Check them out
Ask for a photo that proves it is them, or a quick video call. Someone real can do that. A scammer will have a reason they cannot.
What to do
Stop replying, block them, and report them. On cruush, blocking is on their profile and reports are read by a person. If you lost money, tell your bank straight away, and you can report it to the FBI at ic3.gov.