Tinder is basically a social networking and online dating application that made it easier for people to meet online.
Tinder’s popularity among Kenyans grew tremendously during lockdown season. When you go through some of the profiles, some users clearly indicate was the reason they joined.
While some popularized the ‘quarantine partner’ phrase, others were seriously looking for them on Tinder.
With schools closed countrywide, some saw It as a perfect way of passing their time and I would be dumb not to admit it worked for many.
Truth be told even before Rona, the writer had vowed to join Tinder before the year ends, just to quench his curiosity surrounding the now 8-year-old application. (NB: Tinder turns 8 tomorrow 12th of September)
We all know that not everyone on social media has genuine intentions, and that is where the issue of catfishing comes in and just like any other social media application, Tinder is no exception.
Catfishing is where one lures someone into a relationship by means of a fictional online persona. People tend to use fake identities or fake accounts commonly known as pseudo accounts.
On Tinder there are men and women who use celebrity or other people’s photos and names to create fake tinder profiles and if you are not keen enough you might easily be lured by them.
Having being on the app for a few months, I have come up with a few pointers to help you avoid being catfished.
Real name
Like any other app, the name is definitely important, a real user won’t have a problem using his/her real name. However, Catfish accounts come up with all sorts of weird names like’ ‘Pinky’ ‘sweet pea’ and ‘Cateleia’
Bio
Catfish accounts don’t have time to write about themselves and would rather state they are there for sex and nothing serious.
Other accounts are also too quick to not write anything on their bio.
Real profile photos full image
Age
When it comes to age, it is easy to tell someone’s age just by looking at their faces. I mean you can’t have a 30-year-old face yet claim to be 20. So that is also another red flag, I mean even if you are lying at least be smart about it.
Gallery of photos
Speaking about photos, apart from using celebrity photos, a real user won’t see any problem in having a gallery of photos on the profile.
Also it is paramount to always look out for the user’s full photos because it generally screams confidence.
Profile linked to Instagram
Anyone who is proudly on Tinder does not see the need hide any information about them and normally I tend to trust a user more when they link their Instagram pages on Tinder, that way I get to stalk them and swipe right, if they match what I’m looking for.
I hope those simple pointers will help you avoid those catfish landmines this weekend. Happy swiping guys!