If you’re single, you’ve probably tried to browse a few dating apps to try and find someone that you love. If you’ve ever done this, you’ve probably come across a few scammers that you’ve had conversations with, but it never progressed any further. These scammers are especially abundant on Plenty of Fish (POF). In POF scams, the scammer will begin contacting you as if they were interested in meeting you and becoming acquainted with you.
PlentyOfFish is an online dating service that is popular in the U.S. and many European countries. It is free to use POF, but they do offer premiums where you can pay to use special features, like being able to see who viewed your profile and also see when someone has read a message you sent. You can download the mobile app with your iPhone or Android.
Catfishing on POF is when someone pretends to be someone they aren’t on the dating site. In a lot of cases, these scammers will steal photos from other profiles and pass them up as their own. Which is why its always good to know the signs of a POF scam.
The most common way people are catfished on POF is to get money out of them using the 419 Nigerian Scam. With our users, pof.com was the site with the most catfish. This is based on our current and previous customers, and we’ve also seen that the larger the site, the more of a target it is. Also, free sites tend to have a higher percentage of catfish.
When they feel that you’re close enough, they ask you to send them money. They will use a sob story which usually involves them being stuck overseas without money because they haven’t been paid yet, or had money stolen from them.
A scammer’s excuses are usually along the lines of “I’m stuck in a foreign city and lost my wallet,” or “I need money for government taxes,” things along these lines. They never ask you to send them the money directly to them or their bank, always to a third party – that way the money doesn’t get traced.
Some people don’t scam for money either; some aim to hurt you physically and emotionally, by using you for personal pleasure or even stalking you. These instances are less common, but they still happen, and you never know who you might encounter.
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14 Comments
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I think that pof itself is in on some of the scams. I was contacted a few days ago by a girl who said she was interested in me, then tried to rush me into using her private email. After I told her I’d prefer to stay texting on pof for a while, she somehow removed all trace of herself from my pof app. It seems to me that only pof itself would have that access to my account.
I get it. Pof is a free site so anyone can join. I had a guy come on fast, literally talking putting a ring on my finger! Lol
I backed off after he sent an updated photo and clearly his profile pic was years old. Three days after I stopped talking to him he changed his profile from looking for friends to wants to get married!
Do your homework, never give your number or email until you know something.
This singer/songwriter has no trace of an online presence other than multiple hookup sites! Definitely NOT the Rockstar he claims to be.
Do your research! !
Has anyone came across a guy that goes by the user name xmike33 on pof he hasn’t asked for money or anything just wants me we message on kik but I haven’t heard from him since Tuesday night I’m hoping it’s that’s he’s busy working he says he’s in army in Afghanistan wants me to come live with him after he’s done I just wanna make sure some how he’s real not a fake or not married or already have q girlfriend he says were a couple.Please someone help any information or help would be greatly appreciated
Is there a beware page of some of these people on POF that we can review before corresponding back and forth?
I just recived a scam as a women in her 20s. She says her Internet isn’t working and would like to text with an unknown area code. My mistake I made was that I didn’t look at the phone nber close enough. After this girl and I text for a bit. She starts to warm things up by sendimg naked photos of herself and usally some story of her wanting sex. She also asked for pictures of me over text. Which I did. I then later the next day get a phone call from “her dad” saying she is only 16 and he is going to call the cops because I sent photos. But then he gives you the chance to pay for her phone the he is going to distory and the plane ticket for her to live with her grandparents. If you do that he won’t call the cops. It’s a scam and be carful who you give your number to.
I had a guy pretending to be an investigator with the sheriffs office after a girl contacted me and asked for my number then started sending pics. He told me I broke the law and he would be putting a warrant out for me and said if I contacted the girls dad that maybe I could stop it. The dad then told me I could pay $2000 to avoid any trouble.
Someone is showing a lot of interest in me but it says that he hasn’t viewed my profile. Is it possible that he viewed it anonymously and won’t show up as having viewed me or could this be a scam?
Experience the same thing with a beautiful beautiful former Miss Mississippi Bernice this girl in the picture is actually exists and she’s in on it
I have a beautiful former Miss Mississippi from Little Rock Mississippi named Bernice wells the weird thing is is that girl in the picture is down there somewhere
someone recently attempted to catfish me by claiming to be visiting town soon wanting to hook up but had no photo and requested an email to send the photo to. My yahoo flagged the email due to the ip address being blackflagged due to reported as sending inappropriate content. They were trying to harvest my email addy.
Watch out for mjfbern….scammer…will ask you to get off POF and get on Whatsapp….good looking guy…falls in love fast, then hits you up for money!!!
Beware of grad284 on Pof… Will try to get money out of you!!!
Several guys claim they are on oil rigs in different parts of the world and two of them asked for money several times. Thank goodness I didn’t believe their inconsistent stories. This scam all started with playing Words With Friends.They all claimed they lost their wife’s tragically and all had a 14 year old child in boarding school.
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I think that pof itself is in on some of the scams. I was contacted a few days ago by a girl who said she was interested in me, then tried to rush me into using her private email. After I told her I’d prefer to stay texting on pof for a while, she somehow removed all trace of herself from my pof app. It seems to me that only pof itself would have that access to my account.
I get it. Pof is a free site so anyone can join. I had a guy come on fast, literally talking putting a ring on my finger! Lol
I backed off after he sent an updated photo and clearly his profile pic was years old. Three days after I stopped talking to him he changed his profile from looking for friends to wants to get married!
Do your homework, never give your number or email until you know something.
This singer/songwriter has no trace of an online presence other than multiple hookup sites! Definitely NOT the Rockstar he claims to be.
Do your research! !
Has anyone came across a guy that goes by the user name xmike33 on pof he hasn’t asked for money or anything just wants me we message on kik but I haven’t heard from him since Tuesday night I’m hoping it’s that’s he’s busy working he says he’s in army in Afghanistan wants me to come live with him after he’s done I just wanna make sure some how he’s real not a fake or not married or already have q girlfriend he says were a couple.Please someone help any information or help would be greatly appreciated
Is there a beware page of some of these people on POF that we can review before corresponding back and forth?
I just recived a scam as a women in her 20s. She says her Internet isn’t working and would like to text with an unknown area code. My mistake I made was that I didn’t look at the phone nber close enough. After this girl and I text for a bit. She starts to warm things up by sendimg naked photos of herself and usally some story of her wanting sex. She also asked for pictures of me over text. Which I did. I then later the next day get a phone call from “her dad” saying she is only 16 and he is going to call the cops because I sent photos. But then he gives you the chance to pay for her phone the he is going to distory and the plane ticket for her to live with her grandparents. If you do that he won’t call the cops. It’s a scam and be carful who you give your number to.
I had a guy pretending to be an investigator with the sheriffs office after a girl contacted me and asked for my number then started sending pics. He told me I broke the law and he would be putting a warrant out for me and said if I contacted the girls dad that maybe I could stop it. The dad then told me I could pay $2000 to avoid any trouble.
Someone is showing a lot of interest in me but it says that he hasn’t viewed my profile. Is it possible that he viewed it anonymously and won’t show up as having viewed me or could this be a scam?
Experience the same thing with a beautiful beautiful former Miss Mississippi Bernice this girl in the picture is actually exists and she’s in on it
I have a beautiful former Miss Mississippi from Little Rock Mississippi named Bernice wells the weird thing is is that girl in the picture is down there somewhere
scams going on with miltary guys ask for iPhone mailed to ghanna
someone recently attempted to catfish me by claiming to be visiting town soon wanting to hook up but had no photo and requested an email to send the photo to. My yahoo flagged the email due to the ip address being blackflagged due to reported as sending inappropriate content. They were trying to harvest my email addy.
Watch out for mjfbern….scammer…will ask you to get off POF and get on Whatsapp….good looking guy…falls in love fast, then hits you up for money!!!
Beware of grad284 on Pof… Will try to get money out of you!!!
Several guys claim they are on oil rigs in different parts of the world and two of them asked for money several times. Thank goodness I didn’t believe their inconsistent stories. This scam all started with playing Words With Friends.They all claimed they lost their wife’s tragically and all had a 14 year old child in boarding school.