At Social Catfish, we interviewed three different women about what their experience has been like dating over 50 years old. The women we interviewed were Cynthia, Stac, and Cheri from past Scamfish episodes. Cynthia is a little more experienced with online dating she has been catfished in the past. Cheri hasn’t dated since her divorce in 1981 and decided to turn to online dating to find someone. Stac is a black transexual woman who is consistently hit up by scammers all over the world. We did our research on what online dating over 50 is like for someone and wanted to share it with our audience.
Why Do People Try Online Dating Over 50?
We are living in the internet age where you can pick up your phone and chat with anyone in the world at any given moment. Millions of men and women have turned to online dating to find a companion. According to Eharmony, 50% of the US population are single adults. According to AARP 7 out of 10 men and women who are 50 and older are on social media.
Online dating is convenient since most of the dating sites are free to join. Within minutes, you can connect with people from all over the world in the comfort of your own home. However, online dating can be very dangerous.
How Does Online Dating Over 50 Attract Romance Scammers?
Vulnerable seniors are victims of scams that leave their bank accounts drained. Many people online dating over 50 lose their life savings by communicating with these romance scammers. This is due to the feeling of being lonely and not being educated on the potential dangers that could come from online dating.
Cynthia was not aware that there were people out there who created fake profiles. She was catfished by someone when she first tried online dating. Because of this experience, she learned the signs of a romance scammer and how to avoid them.
How to Avoid Romance Scammers and Fake Profiles
Romance scams are a major problem when online dating. 1 out of every 10 dating profiles is fake, which makes it hard to find true love when dating online. $304,000,000 was lost due to romance scams in 2020.
Here are some ways you can spot out a fake profile when you are online dating over 50:
Empty Profiles: You’re going to want to avoid profiles that only display one photo. This usually means that this profile was just created by a scammer using stolen photos.
Famous People: Celebrities can be found on dating sites, but these accounts are usually fake. You’re also going to want to watch out for Nigerian Princes. These are some of the most commonly found online scam profiles.
If It’s Too Good to Be True… It’s Probably Not True: Many men and women are scammed by a gorgeous face and a nice body. If the picture of the person you’re talking to looks too perfect, then they are probably a scammer. A lot of romance scammers have a certain look to them and are a little too good to be true.
They Start Asking for Personal Information or Money: Scammers have one goal and that is to steal your money. You can spot a scammer quickly if he asks for gift cards or money. They also might have a lot of questions about your personal information like phone numbers, addresses, and credit card numbers.
Military, Engineers, and Doctors: These are the most common occupations scammers use on their dating profiles. They love to use an attractive face in a uniform. Not all of these profiles are fake, but just be cautious when you’re talking to people with these job titles.
How Has the Dating Scene Changed For These Women From Their 20’s to Now?
Cynthia recalls what dating was like when she was 20 years old. You can just walk into a coffee shop and meet someone. She thinks it was easier to do this since people weren’t staring at their phones and getting caught up in their social lives on their iPhones.
She doesn’t know whether or not online dating is looking for a relationship or looking for a one-night stand anymore. When a guy asks if he can show her a photo, she wonders if it will be innocent or if it will be of something inappropriate. She wonders if there is even a guy on an online dating site that will ask her to coffee first.
Stac claims that the online dating scene isn’t the same for her as it was when she was 20. She said her weight has definitely changed since her 20’s. She also feels like she didn’t look at her responsibilities the same way in her 20’s as she does in her 40’s and 50’s.
In her 20’s, she wasn’t thinking about buying a house. She was thinking about going out and teasing the men. In her 50’s, she feels like it’s more about building a future with someone.
She does online dating on a bunch of dating apps to fill that void of being lonely because no one likes the feeling of being lonely. However, she feels like most men nowadays go online dating apps to look for sex.
What is Something that Cheri Felt Like She Was Missing Out On?
Cheri thinks that the biggest thing she was missing out on was a best friend. She wants someone she can go do things with, someone she can talk to, someone she can share with and do a lot of things together.
She also wants someone she can go to church with or have friends and family over for a get-together. She wants to feel loved, needed, and wanted within a relationship. That is why she is looking for love on an online dating app.
Social Catfish is Here to Help You!
If you think you’re dealing with a romance scammer or have had your pictures stolen, Social Catfish is here to help you, especially if you’re online dating over 50!
If you want to be a part of our next YouTube video or blog post and share your story, now is your chance. You can educate our audience about what you have gone through and make sure no one else goes through the same thing. All you need to do is email ShareMyStory@socialcatfish.com, and we will get back to you with more details.
You can also reverse search any information you have on the Nigerian romance scammer to see who it is you’ve really been talking to. If you have their name, email address, phone number, social media username, or image you can search it up in our search bar to see if there is more information on the suspected scammer you are talking to.







