Ashley Madison Scams: Fake Profiles, Catfish Scams, etc.

What is Catfishing on Ashley Madison?

Ashley Madison is the best of what modern relationships have to offer the cheaters of the world. Their tag line is, “Life Is short. Have an affair.” which makes the process sound about as easy as choosing between a Venti or a Grande for your morning coffee. Since this process is so easy, it is also a good place to introduce Ashley Madison scams.

Ashley Madison is the leading site for discreet married encounters, that is, between people who aren’t married to each other. In other words, it’s a window to the next fantasy or hookup and you don’t even have to dump the person you’re with.

Even on traditional dating sites, about 30% of the folks who list themselves as single are legally married. This means Ashley Madison has tapped into the market of the unhappily married and has a stronghold. The site is also frequented by single folk who happen to like being the other man or woman.

This is also the perfect recipe for a Catfish disaster. Married folks desperate for the hottest most convenient hookup are putty in the hands of an experienced Catfisher. This can involve fake profiles, requests for money, and photos that don’t lead to a married person, but someone wanting money for sex or any number of reasons. Sometimes the Catfisher is even a jealous spouse, trying to catch their husband or wife on the site. More often than not, the attractive woman who is ready and willing to have an affair is a hooker.

How Ashley Madison Works

You connect and sign up on your Apple or Android device such as an iPhone or Nexus tablet, or via your computer. Once you have an account, you can use photos publicly or privately. Anonymity is the gold standard of the cheater who wants to stay in the shadows.

The profile itself takes 30 seconds to create and searching profiles and getting matches begins right away. Ashley Madison frequently emails matches, according to your settings, and no login information is required when clicking to profiles that you are interested in, straight from their email.

This can be dangerous for a married person who doesn’t want their profile discovered by their partner. You have the option to send paid messages and use credits. Typically men send out far more paid-for messages than women.

How The Catfishing Scam Works With Ashley Madison

As with other sites, spammers and scammers create fake profiles and start the process of finding matches. However, Ashley Madison also draws in other demographics: The spouse who is worried their husband or wife is cheating on them? They’re on there! The sad, lonely executive could find an amazing, sexy girlfriend, who is actually a Brazilian immigrant living in Toronto. The well-known football player Manti Te’o learned that one, the hard way.

Professional boyfriends and girlfriends, i.e., hookers, also find their home on Ashley Madison, as a way to capitalize on the sexlessness which comes along with many modern-day marriages. A warning sign is being sent to outside links to view private photos or get contact information. They can view your time on Ashley Madison like your time in a bar.

Would the hottest man or woman approach you down at the local Micro Brew? Yes, no, maybe? If not, and you’re hearing from them on Ashley Madison and being told you’re their ‘sweetie’, then use caution.

Getting Hooked By Ashley Madison?

Hookers abound on the site. Sometimes, the average suburban dweller wants an honest to goodness old fashion affair and Ashley Madison tricks them into paying $250 (or another option) to sign up for the “Have An Affair” guarantee package, which then leads to being inundated with messages from escorts and prostitutes. However, the guarantee seems to be fail-proof, as they offer a refund.

The problem is, that when you fill in the refund request form, the only way to get a refund is to get an Ashley Madison to send a check in the mail to your home address where most married people live with their spouse. Not to mention the problems that will potentially come with depositing such a check into a joint checking account.

The site will not refund credit cards and often doesn’t even answer requests about alternate refunds. That, folks, is how the site itself becomes the Scammer.

What Do Ashley Madison Bots Do?

Spammers create automated bots for Ashley Madison. These bots send you auto-replies and either try and steal your information (known as phishing) or send you to an external site to try and get you to sign up for services (see above).

You can recognize a bot by its general replies, which don’t seem specific to your conversation. You should also be suspicious of any profiles which have been up for 7 days or less.

Ashley Madison Scammers

While most Bots are relatively alike, a Scammer can feel like a real person, as there is a real person communicating with you. They may not really be the gender they say they are or look like their pictures, but they’re after one or more things:

1. Money. If anyone you haven’t met (or even someone you have) asks you for money, this is a red flag that you might be dealing with Ashley Madison scams. Remember, most Scammers do this for a living and the excuses and reasons why they need you to give them money might sound legit. Decide in advance to never give money.

2. Harmless Reasons. Someone who has created a fake profile, just because. These are typically looked at as less harmless catfish. They either have confidence issues or maybe they are trying to just meet someone online without revealing their identity.

Fake Profiles On Ashley Madison

Other scenarios include someone who has created a fake profile. The reasons people do this vary. They might have confidence issues or not be the body type or identify the say they are.

Sometimes valid affair seekers, do try to meet someone online without revealing their identity, for privacy reasons. If you failed the “bar” test above (i.e., would this person actually speak to me if we met in a bar) then you’re likely dealing with a Catfish, hooker, or Ashley Madison scams.

Signs That You’re Being Catfished on Ashley Madison:

Use common sense. If the profile looks like that of a prostitute, celebrity, or famous person, it’s a Catfish.
The person responds but wants you to click on a link to an outside source, often ‘pay for’ or phishing site.
The location of the individual is in another country or too far to meet.
The responses don’t sound like an actual person is writing them.
They ask you for money.
They won’t meet you in person.
They come on too strong, saying they love you before even meeting.
They only have a few pictures on their profile or won’t send you any.

How to Avoid Being Catfished on Ashley Madison

Do your research. Read articles like this or look to the site itself for tips.
If something doesn’t seem right, usually trust your instincts. Most people who end up reading this article because they think they’re being catfished, usually are.
Most importantly, use our dating background check to run a reverse search that include a catfish reverse image search and reverse username search. This, especially, can be valuable. Many Scammers and Spammers use the photos of attractive people they find online. If you see the photo of the person you’ve been communicating with attached to someone with a different name than you’ve been given, stop all communication, and get to the truth.

And lastly, be careful out there when it comes to Ashley Madison scams. Like your mama always said, the Internet is a big place. Keep your wits! Even when looking for sexy time.