How to Identify Bots on Dating Apps and Sites?

How to spot a dating app bot?

Dating online has become a popular option for most people today. Besides offering an easy-to-connect route, credible online dating sites offer a secure and safe ecosystem for individuals looking to find husbands and wives, serious or casual dates, etc.

In a study published by Stanford University in 2019, it was reported that online dating had been the most common choice for men and women to meet potential partners in the US.

Amidst this growing popularity, many users have noticed that not-so-human touch while chatting with a potential suitor online. As a result, the use of dating bots or chatbots has been on the rise.

Chatbots generally are used by online sites to help provide users with quick answers and support them with empathy, and make conversations that feel natural. Dating bots are especially-coded software designed to carry out normal chats and mimic conversations using NLP (Natural Language Processing).

Technology comes with the good and the bad. Sometimes bots are used for an evil purpose, especially on online dating sites. The intention is malicious, to fool or to cheat the other person. It is essential to look out for such bots when chatting on online dating sites because, in most cases, these are used to spam or scam the user.

The question is – how to identify dating bots? We’ll share some tips to detect malicious AI-software.

Checkout Repetitive Patterns in Conversations

Bots typically have a certain way of answering or asking a question. Converse with them for a while, and you will start to pick up patterns. If a pattern does exist, chances are high that you are in a conversation with a dating AI software.

The best way is to repeat a question or two and see if you get a similar patterned answer. Most humans will answer differently each time to the same question. That’s how the human mind works. Bots can be programmed for a certain amount of randomness, but technical guys usually avoid doing so as it means additional work for them.

Pay Attention to the Profile Picture

When a profile looks too perfect, there are chances that it’s a scam.  To encourage users to swipe right, most scammers will post picture-perfect images. It should tick you off the moment you see such profiles. It is highly possible that when you start chatting, you will do so with a dating bot and not a real person.

Most of these pictures are stolen – maybe from the profile of other users at other dating sites and apps or belong to models. A quick reverse search on Google images may reveal more about the true identity of the pictures.

In any case, stay away from images and pictures that sow doubt in your mind – in all probability, these are a scam, and the communication will most likely be bot-based.

There’s Something Fishy About the Bio

Empty bios? Use of too many inspirational quotes or grammatical errors? Or, seems too good to be true? Online dating profiles are supposed to be catchy and impressive. The alarm bells should start to ring if it's not so. In all probability, this is a big scam, and you should stay miles away from it.

Conversing with such a profile can get you into a mess with an AI-enabled chatbot, leading you into a malicious network.

Responses Have No Link To the Question

We all know that chatbots are programmed to answer in a particular way. After all, they are machines and not human beings. Look out for signs like a disconnect in the answer vis-a-vis the question that you asked. A repeated case of mismatch reverts to your queries should not be overlooked. Beyond any doubt, you are most likely dealing with a machine that can get you on a bitter trail.

If you still want to be doubly sure, you can keep asking specific questions and verify the answers with what is written in the bio or the previous answers.

Typical Behavior On a Match

Watch for these typical behaviors when there’s a match. The profile will start to message almost instantly like you can feel that it is a bit automated – the speed at which you are contacted by the other profile.

Another reaction that’s very bot-typical is that you will be asked to join some other platform like WeChat, for example. Or, the answers to all questions are pretty generic and nothing unique. All of this should nag your sixth sense – enough to warn you that something is amiss.

The Messages Have a Scripted Look

Very generic looking message, and you instantly know that it is a message that can be sent to multiple people. The messages might ask you to visit certain links, opening which could be harmful. Or, the messages could be asking you to send them money – this kind of message should instantly make you suspicious about the person on the other end.

There’s An Abrupt Stop to the Conversation

You will feel like you have been left in the lurch as there’s no response from the other end, and that is too abrupt. If it was a scam bot, you are saved though, so you can thank your stars.

The typical process involves eager messages back and forth for some time, and then all of a sudden, there’s no contact. No notice, nothing; simply gone. It means that you have been ghosted and most probably by a machine. It is possible that the bot has run out of responses. Or, you may not have followed its trial by chatting on an outside link or paying money, etc.

What to Do If You Doubt A Bot?

Try the tips below:

Enquire About a Recent Event

One extremely interesting way to gauge if you are having a conversation with a bot is to ask for details about a recent event that’s occurred in the locality or maybe international news. It is a sure shot way to catch the scammer. Bots, luckily, cannot read newspapers, online or offline.

And they cannot be programmed to know news because the future is uncertain. Some bots have search facilities to look for recent events, but asking them about a not-so-cruicial local event can take them off-guard.

Try Talking in a Non-English Language

If your mother tongue is not English, you are lucky with higher chances of identifying if the person on the other side is a machine or a human being. Most bots are still programmed to talk in English and maybe a few local dialects. But, something like a Catalan-speaking bot is too far-fetched an idea. If you are a native of France, Spain, or Italy, you may not be so lucky as there are bots well-acquainted with these popular languages.

Avoid Discussing Common Topics Initially

Till the time you are not too sure that the person on the other side is a real person genuinely interested in you, try not to get too comfortable during conversations. Be creative and come up with novel ideas as conversation starters. Steer away from discussing common topics because most bots are programmed for such topics.

Other than asking about current events, which we spoke of earlier, you could try unconventional topics that a machine might find difficult to talk about.

Conclusion

Reporting bots to the dating site might not usually help. However, if you think that you have identified a machine, you need to be extra careful. There are two things to do – either call off the entire chat and block the profile, or you can give it a bit more time to find out if there’s a bot or a real person at the other end.

There are chances that you might block off someone who is not a bot. But isn't it better to stop communicating with someone who sounds boring and dull, like a machine with scripted responses and generic reactions?