How to spot a fake profile or a scammer

Romance fraud is big business. Report Fraud said in May 2026 that UK victims reported losses of more than £102 million in a year, from 10,784 reports, up 29% on 2024, with an average loss of around £9,500. Every dating site attracts some of it, and casual sites get their own variety too, built around intimate photos rather than long-distance love stories.

A fake profile is one where the person behind it isn't who the photos and bio say: a scammer, someone using borrowed pictures, or an account set up to sell you something. Here's how to tell.

What Local Slags checks, and what it can't

Local Slags reviews every profile photo, but it doesn't check what members write about themselves. That includes name, age, job and location. ID verification (an ID document plus a selfie, checked by LEM Verify) is an optional paid badge, and only required in some cases, such as sign-ups through a VPN. Profiles are also shared with partner sites in the same network, so you may hear from members of other sites.

So a reviewed photo tells you the picture is allowed on the site, not that it belongs to the person using it. The checks below fill that gap. For how the site works more generally, see how Local Slags works.

The tells in the profile itself

A fake profile often looks too polished or too empty. Look for:

• Photos that look like a shoot. Professional lighting, the same outfit in every picture, nothing that looks like an actual life.
• A face that turns up elsewhere. On a model's portfolio, a stock photo site, or a social media account with a different name.
• One or two photos and nothing else. No bio, or one that reads like it would fit anyone.
• Details that don't sit together. Says they're local but can't name a pub; says they're 34 but the photos say otherwise; the job changes between messages.

None of these alone proves anything. Plenty of genuine people are camera-shy or lazy with bios. It's the combination, and what happens next in the conversation, that tells the story.

How do I check if someone's photos are real?

A reverse image search shows where else a photo appears online, and Report Fraud suggests using Google image search or TinEye. It takes a couple of minutes:

1. Save or screenshot the profile photo. Crop out the site's borders so only the picture is left.
2. Open a reverse image search, such as Google image search or TinEye, and upload the picture.
3. Look at the matches. A model's portfolio, a stock photo library, or a social account under a different name is your answer.
4. Try a second photo from the same profile if the first one comes back clean.
5. Then ask for a short video call. No matches is a good sign, not proof; a live call is the check that counts.

The tells in the conversation

They want to move off the site, fast. Police Scotland lists being asked to switch to a different app as a warning sign. Off the site, there's nobody to report them to and their messages are harder to trace.

They won't do a video call or meet. There's always a broken camera, a shift, a trip abroad. Report Fraud warns to be wary of anyone who avoids in-person meetings or live video.

It gets intense, quickly. Big compliments, big promises, and an odd amount of interest in your job, your money or your living situation.

They want it kept secret. Report Fraud says to be wary of someone you meet online who asks you not to tell anyone about them. Discretion is normal in casual dating; being asked to hide a "relationship" from friends while money is being discussed is not.

Then comes a crisis. Police Scotland describes the pattern: a sudden emergency needing money, often urgent and secret, for medical bills, travel to meet you or vouchers. It often starts small and grows.

Or an opportunity. A "can't-lose" investment, a crypto platform, a favour moving money through your account. Report Fraud is clear that any request for money, vouchers, cryptocurrency or investment should be treated as a red flag.

Or a link. Anyone who sends you to another website to "verify", "prove you're safe" or unlock their photos, and wants card details to do it, is after your card details.

Genuine member or scammer? A side-by-side

On adult sites: intimate images and sextortion

Sextortion is blackmail with intimate images: someone gets explicit pictures or video of you, then threatens to share them unless you pay. It's the scam most particular to casual dating. Someone flirts hard, moves to a video call or asks for explicit pictures, records what you send, then threatens to send it to your friends, family or employer. Police Scotland calls it sextortion.

If it happens:

1. Don't pay. Report Fraud says paying doesn't guarantee the threats stop and often leads to more demands.
2. Stop all contact and block them, on every platform.
3. Keep the evidence: messages, usernames, payment details. Don't delete the chat.
4. Report it to the police on 101, or 999 if you're at immediate risk.
5. Get help with the images. The Revenge Porn Helpline supports adults in the UK, and StopNCII.org can create a digital fingerprint of your images on your own device, so participating platforms can block copies, without the images ever being uploaded. StopNCII is for images taken when you were 18 or over.

Threatening to share someone's intimate images is a crime in England and Wales (since 31 January 2024) and in Scotland. The shame belongs entirely to the person making the threat. More on keeping your images and identity under your control is in the discretion guide.

Not every odd profile is a scam

Someone being on a partner site, replying slowly, or having only a couple of photos isn't evidence of anything. The line that matters is simple: real people looking for a casual date want to meet you, and scammers want something from you before you meet. Money, gift cards, crypto, card details or intimate images, requested before you've met, is where you stop.

What to do when you spot one

• Stop replying, and don't send anything else.
• Report the profile through the members help centre with the username, so it can be looked at.
• If you've sent money or details, call your bank straight away, then report it. Our guide to reporting a dating scam in the UK has every number you need, nation by nation.
• Watch for a follow-up. Report Fraud warns that fraudsters sometimes get back in touch with previous victims claiming they can recover lost money. Hang up on them.
• Don't be embarrassed. Report Fraud says romance fraud is never the victim's fault. These people do it all day.

Before you meet anyone, run through the meeting safely checklist, and keep the safety and consent page handy for the key numbers.