Identifying Fake Profiles

📍 IP Tracking & Location Exposure

• Grabify Link Trap: Use Grabify.link to send a disguised link. When they click, you'll see their IP, location, device, and VPN status. Compare it with what they claim. If it shows a proxy or VPN, they are likely faking their location (common for scammers, a major red flag).
• Flag Chat Rooms: Ask them to join a chat room like World of Chat that shows IP-based country flags. If the flag doesn’t match their claimed origin, or if they can't access it (suggesting VPN/proxy use), it's a red flag. You can ask a moderator or admin in the chat room for help if you need them to confirm the flag with you.
• Ask for Local Time: Casually ask what time it is where they are. Cross-check against their claimed location.
• Check Weather Trick: “What’s the weather like there right now?” Then look it up — fake answers expose lies.

📷 Photo & Identity Verification

• Reverse Image Search: Use Google Images or TinEye on every photo. If it appears with another name or on suspicious sites, it's likely fake.
• FotoForensics Tool: Upload images to fotoforensics.com to check for signs of alteration.
• Metadata Scan: Use Metapicz or similar tools to look for GPS tags, camera model, or editing history in images.
• AI Face Detection: Use tools like Hive AI's detection to check if a profile picture might be AI-generated.

🎥 Video & Audio Proof Tests

• Specific Video Request: Ask for a video of them saying your name, today’s date, and a random, specific phrase (e.g., “Purple elephants enjoy tea parties”) — very hard to fake convincingly.
• Spontaneous Video Call: Suggest a quick, spontaneous video call, even just for 30 seconds. Frequent excuses are a major red flag.
• Voice Note Challenge: Ask for a voice note saying something silly or specific. Listen for their accent, tone, hesitation, and consistency with previous voice notes if any.
• Spoon Selfie Challenge (or similar): Ask for a photo of them doing something slightly unusual and specific that AI image generators struggle with, like holding a spoon to their forehead or waving with a uniquely described object in their hand.

🧬 Behavioral Red Flags

• Love Bombing: Are they declaring deep love or strong attachment very quickly? Overwhelming flattery?
• Unrealistic Declarations: They claim to be in love with you despite never having met. Ask yourself: is it genuinely possible to love someone you've never met in person? This is a classic manipulation tactic.
• Early Sexualization: Do they try to steer conversations to sexual topics very early or ask for nudes/explicit photos quickly?
• Mirroring Interests: Do they seem to like *everything* you like, a little too perfectly?
• Lack of Normal Photos: Do they avoid sharing everyday photos (e.g., in a messy room, with a pet, in various real-life backgrounds)?
• Constant Video Call Evasion: Always have an excuse for why their camera is broken or they can't video call?

🚨 Core Personality Red Flags

These traits, sometimes referred to as the "Evil Eight" and associated with narcissistic or antisocial personalities, are common in serial scammers. Be cautious if you see a pattern:

• Arrogant Entitlement: Do they act like they deserve your time, money, or attention? Do they get angry when you don’t give it to them?
• Lack of Empathy: Are they dismissive or uninterested when you talk about your own problems or feelings?
• No Remorse/Guilt: Do they lie or manipulate without showing any guilt? Do they blame others for their own bad behavior?
• Irresponsible/Self-Destructive: Do they have a history of drama, financial problems, or unstable behavior they blame on others?
• Thrive on Drama: Is there always a new crisis or conflict in their life that they need your help with?
• Brag About Outsmarting Others: Do they boast about tricking or getting one over on other people? They may eventually do the same to you.
• Short-Term, Intense Relationships: Do they have a pattern of intense but brief friendships or romances that end badly?
• Fantasy World/Delusional: Do their stories seem too grand, too good to be true, or completely detached from reality?

📱 Social Media & Digital Footprint

• Suspicious Profile: Their Facebook, Instagram, or other social media has very few friends, minimal posts (often generic), and no tagged photos from others? 🚩
• Inconsistent Information: Check for reused bios, stolen celebrity quotes, or inconsistencies in their story across different platforms or conversations.
• Tagging Hesitation: Ask: “Can you tag me in a post on your socials?” Observe their reaction and whether they follow through.
• Lack of Connections: No mutual friends (if applicable), no check-ins or location history, no shared connections or groups? Highly suspicious.
• Platform Avoidance: Offer to add them on platforms that often require more verification or show more of a real identity (e.g., Discord, LinkedIn). Scammers often avoid these.

🧠 Psychological Trick Tests

• Memory Test: Ask the same non-trivial question a few days or weeks apart (e.g., “What was the name of your first pet again?”) — see if their story changes.
• Fake Fact Test: Casually mention a fake, minor fact about yourself and see if they later pretend to remember it or incorporate it.
• False Memory Implantation: Claim to have told them something you didn’t (e.g., “Remember when I mentioned I lived in Leeds for a year?”) — a liar might agree to maintain rapport.
• Obscure Local Reference: If they claim to be from your area or a specific place, mention an obscure local landmark, event, pub, or shop — see if they feign knowledge or get caught out.
• Reporting Reaction (Use with Caution): Casually mention you were concerned and spoke to a friend in law enforcement or reported a suspicious online interaction (without directly accusing them). Real scammers may panic, become defensive, or ghost.

💬 Conversation Manipulation Patterns

• Rushed Emotional Connection: Phrases like “You’re the only one who understands me,” “I’ve never felt this way before,” very early on. 🚩
• Platform Switching Pressure: They push hard to move the conversation to WhatsApp, Telegram, Snapchat, or another less moderated platform very quickly.
• Guilt Tripping: They make you feel guilty if you don’t reply fast, or say things like “I thought you cared about me...”
• Information Phishing: They start asking for very personal details too soon: full name, address, date of birth, mother’s maiden name, childhood stories (potentially for identity theft).

💸 Money & Gift Traps

• Any Request for Money: Any request for money, gift cards (iTunes, Steam, Google Play, Amazon), cryptocurrency, or help with “a stuck payment” or to “unlock an account” is a 99.9% certain scam.
• Bank Access Excuses: “I can’t access my bank right now, can you just send me [amount] for [emergency]?” — standard fake excuse.
• Reverse Gift Scam: Romance scammers sometimes offer to send *you* money or an expensive gift first. This is often a setup for a later scam (e.g., “You need to pay a customs fee/shipping fee/tax to receive it”).
• Classic Emergency Scenarios: Claims of sudden emergencies like hospital bills, being stranded abroad, needing money for military leave fees, urgent business investments are classic scam narratives.

🔐 Privacy, Control, & Sextortion Risks

• Early Nude Requests: They ask you to share nude or explicit photos/videos quickly or get overly sexual very early on = grooming for sextortion or other scams.
• Social Media Access Demands: They want access to all your social media accounts or passwords quickly — for manipulation or blackmail.
• Risky Video Chats: They suggest FaceTime nudes or sexual live chats — they are often secretly recording you for blackmail material.
• Secrecy Demands: They insist on secrecy: “Don’t tell anyone we’re chatting,” or “This is just between us” = an isolation tactic.

🧯 Gut Check Questions

• Fear of Challenge: Are you afraid to challenge them, ask direct questions, or insist on a video call? Why?
• Emotional State: Do you often feel pressured, overly flattered, confused, or anxious after interacting with them?
• Generic Personality: Does their personality seem somewhat generic, or like they could be talking to anyone?
• Ignoring Your Input: Do they ignore things you’ve said, gloss over your questions, or change topics quickly when pressed?