Some useful dating statistics
- A fraud-analysis study by Sift found that roughly 10% of newly created dating profiles were fake across the dating platforms it analyzed.
- A 2026 UK study by GBG found that 61% of online daters had matched with a profile they later discovered or strongly suspected was a bot, scammer, or catfish. The same study found that 42% struggled to distinguish real users from fake ones.
- Recent McAfee research found that 1 in 5 UK users reported encountering a fake profile or AI-generated bot online. In Australia, the figure was 50%, and in India, 75% reported encountering fake profiles or AI-generated images on dating platforms or social media.
- A 2026 survey reported that 84% of UK singles believe AI-generated content is making dating apps harder to trust, while 61% said they had personally been deceived by fake profiles or knew someone who had.
Where this live us?
While most users recognize bots as an annoyance, their impact extends far beyond a few unwanted messages. Fake accounts can undermine trust, and slowly erode the entire dating experience.
The trust issue
Trust is the foundation of every dating platform.
When users join a dating app, they expect that the people they interact with are genuine individuals looking for meaningful connections. The moment that expectation is broken, confidence in the platform begins to decline.
Consider a user who matches with three attractive profiles in a single week, only to discover that all three are fake.
The immediate reaction is frustration.
The long-term reaction is distrust.
Users begin questioning every new match:
- Is this person real?
- Is this another scam?
- Is anyone actually using this platform?
Once trust begins to erode, engagement follows.
The Psychology Behind the Damage
Bots exploit one of the most powerful emotional drivers in online dating: hope.
Every match carries the possibility of connection.
Every message carries the possibility of attraction.
When users discover that those opportunities were never real, they experience more than simple disappointment. They experience a violation of expectation.
The result is emotional fatigue.
Many users eventually stop investing effort because they no longer believe the rewards justify the risk.