Catfishing in Senior Dating: What You Need to Know

If you’re dipping a toe into online dating, you should be aware of catfishing in senior dating. It’s an unfortunate reality of dating online, no matter your age, and they can be more common than you might think.

Our dating experts have reviewed every dating app out there. Click here for the best dating apps for seniors in 2025!

Here, we’re going to break down what a catfish is and why they do it, as well as give you some tips on how to avoid being catfished. We’re all about making sure that people can experience all the love and connection they want, and catfishes are online, breaking people’s hearts. We’ve put this article together to make sure people are as informed as possible, so that they can keep themselves safe and find love.

What is Catfishing in Senior Dating?

Catfishing is an upsetting form of scam that’s carried out online. Age UK, a charity helping seniors in the UK, defines catfishing as “someone who sets up a fake online profile to trick people.” That’s a brilliant, concise description: catfishes are people who deliberately mislead, typically on dating sites, in order to get you invested in what they have to say.

What happens?

Typically, catfishing in senior dating involves several steps. The catfish (the scammer themselves) will start by creating a fake account on social media or a dating site. They might use totally fabricated pictures and information, or they might appear to be a specific person by hacking into their account or making a profile that appears to be the real thing.

After the account is created, they will engage in several different tricks and techniques to gain your trust. This might be sending you a photo that they claim to be of them, or engaging in “lovebombing,” where they flatter you and send you gifts. During this stage, their lies may be compelling, and you may be eager to believe them. For instance, a profile of a hunky soldier might be very appealing, and when the catfish says that they can’t send you a picture because they’re currently on a mission, you might want to believe them.

After they’ve gained your trust, they will start to drill down to what they really want from you. The natural assumption is that they want money, but it can be more complex than that.

Why Do Catfishes Do It?

The primary reason that catfish do this is that it can be very profitable to make money in this way. They could have their phone in their pocket all day while at work, getting it out to send you a message every now and then. They’ve lost nothing by checking their phone every now and then, and they may be able to get you to send them large sums of money.

It’s easy to believe you wouldn’t send them money, but catfish use a number of tactics that genuinely work. By telling you a story, they can manipulate people into sending them anything from a basic money transfer to gift cards, cryptocurrency, or even gaming credits. This is the primary risk of catfishing in senior dating, since seniors are typically more likely to have spare money than younger people.

A catfish may also do this for other reasons. They may want to get your secrets or manipulate you into sending them sexual images. Once you’ve done that, they may flip and blackmail you into several different things. They may also be looking for someone who is happy to receive a sum of money, only to transfer it onwards to another person – this is a step in a larger chain of money laundering, and once you’ve done it, they may disappear completely.

The Red Flags for Catfishing

The red flags for catfishing in senior dating are, thankfully, quite easy to spot. While you’re chatting with someone online, keep your eyes peeled for these red flags.

• They keep asking for personal information — Asking someone for a little personal information might not be so bad, such as asking for someone’s maiden name to find out if you knew them long ago. In the case of catfishing in senior dating, though, it becomes an issue when it’s repeated and determined.
• You can’t find them online — In this day and age, we all have our digital footprint online. If the person you’re talking to gives you their full name and a couple of details about themselves, Google them. Typically, you should be able to find a Facebook page. If you can’t find anything at all, that’s a red flag.
• They ask for money — Typically, a scammer will ask for money while catfishing in senior dating by couching it as part of a sad story, like someone being unwell and needing medication. This can be heartwrenching, but consider how you would act if you were in their shoes. If you truly needed some money, would you really ask someone that you’re talking to through a dating app?
• Their stories contradict one another — If you’ve been chatting for a while, you may have a small “bank” of information that you’ve collected about this person. If they start to contradict themselves, there’s a chance they’ve gotten confused about their own lies.
• They ask for your secrecy — If someone asks not to be mentioned to friends or family, it’s likely because they know that they’ll be caught out catfishing in senior dating, and they don’t want that extra scrutiny.

How to Avoid Being Catfished

Being catfished is entirely avoidable. By taking some reasonable precautions and taking things slowly, you can weed out catfish, who tend to abandon a conversation if they feel it takes too long to get your money. There are some other great things to bear in mind, too.

It’s important to always keep personal details private to avoid catfishing in senior dating. This may seem a little over the top, but scammers can do a lot with relatively little information about you. Avoid sharing your date of birth, full name, or any of your banking information.

It’s also very wise to never send money to someone you’ve only met online. Until you’ve met them in person, you can’t be sure that they truly are who they say, and it’s not worth taking the risk of losing your hard-earned money.

Finally, it’s wise to avoid catfishing in senior dating by thoroughly checking them out online. Take a look at their profile, and Google their name along with phrases like “dating scam” to see if they get a mention. You can also search with their profile picture, which can be a good way to see if they’ve done this same scam with different names.

What to Do If It Happens to You

Being catfished is unpleasant, upsetting, and can have real consequences. Avoiding it is for the best: you can continue to look for love happily, without having to contend with scammers. The best thing to remember is a simple piece of advice, shared here by the Australian Government’s eSafety branch: stop the conversation.

You’re always free to step away from your devices and stop chatting with that person. Since you’ve invested a lot of time in someone, it can feel worth continuing the chat. If you suspect you’re being catfished, this typically isn’t the case. After stopping the chat, report and block them on the app or site you’re using.

Senior dating online can be great fun, but it’s not without risks. Like all things, however, you can keep yourself safe with some reasonable precautions. We hope this article has opened your eyes to catfishing in senior dating and helps you keep safe from now on.