LGBT Dating Apps: The Debate Between Hornet and Scruff on the Pros and Cons of Verifying Profiles

As we are looking for the person we are supposed to be with on dating apps, we have definitely encountered those few profiles that are either super shady or super sweet. However, many times these people only act sweet to get in our bank accounts. The amount of catfish on many of these dating apps can be overwhelming, especially on the LGBT dating apps.

Many people from the LGBT community have noticed a surge of catfish on their dating apps, and have been getting sick of wondering whether they were talking to the person of their dreams or someone who is only attracted to their bank accounts and just wanting to steal money from them.

This is why many LGBT dating apps have contemplated whether or not they want to set up a verification system, kind of like what Twitter and Instagram have, where there is a checkmark next to people who have been verified as real versus a catfish. There are some LGBT dating apps that like verifying their users for a variety of reasons, while others don’t and also have good reasons for it.

Hornet has a verification system set up within its app that uses an algorithm that detects if users are being trustworthy within their app or not. If they deem themselves trustworthy enough, they have a chance for their account to be automatically verified within their app. This tells people that they are a verified person with good intentions, and are not a catfish.

However, Scruff and Grindr have argued against their competitor stating that a verification system may not be the best idea. They argue that they have users on their platforms that wish to remain anonymous since they are still exploring their sexualities and in some cases, it is dangerous to be out of the closet. Some countries still outlaw homosexuality, while some workplaces and schools discriminate against the LGBT community in the United States.

Therefore, by inputting a verification system within their apps, they fear that the anonymous profiles won’t have a chance in finding their partner since people won’t want to talk to them fearing that they are a catfish.

This is why there are both pros and cons of having a verification system on LGBT dating apps.

Pros of Verifying Profiles on LGBT Dating Apps

There is less of a chance of meeting a catfish on that dating app. This means less of a chance of becoming a victim of a romance scam losing your life savings, and more of a chance of finding your true love.
You know you are looking at legit pictures of the person you want to message. If a profile is verified, there is a less than likely chance that you’ll stumble across their fake pictures since they had to go through a verification process.
You know they are trustworthy and have good intentions. Since Hornet screens messages and user activity to prove if a person is trustworthy enough for a verification badge, you’ll know that they are looking to actually get to know you versus taking advantage of you.

Cons of Verifying Profiles on LGBT Dating Apps

People who are scared of coming out that are using anonymous profiles don’t have a chance to be verified. This leaves them with less of a chance in finding someone versus someone who is actually verified. Some countries and workplaces in the United States still discriminate based on sexuality, so some people can’t be open on LGBT dating apps even though they want to be. This could be dangerous to these people who want to remain anonymous, yet can’t find anyone to date since they are only judging off the verification mark.
People can use fake verification systems, claiming that it will prove you are real, when really it’s a scam. They will send you links that will send you malware and steal your information. It will also ask you to pay a small fee to use the system, then it will proceed to steal your hard-earned money from you.
There are still catfish that can bypass the verification system and pass as a real person. Meaning while verified people are usually who they say they are, you still need to watch out for those few verified people who have cheated the system and now have a mark claiming they are real.

Do the Pros Outweigh the Cons?

When it comes to LGBT dating apps, anonymity is important for those who wish to find their significant other, but yet don’t want to come out of the closet. This is because some countries still outlaw homosexuality, some workplaces discriminate based on your sexuality, and even people at school still poke fun at who people are attracted to and love. Therefore, these people should have a chance at love even if they are anonymous because in some areas it is necessary to hide who you are in order to feel safe.

However, it is also necessary to filter out the catfish from LGBT dating apps so that people aren’t getting scammed out of their hard-earned money. People deserve to know who they are really talking to, especially when they are trying to find their lifelong partner. People shouldn’t have to risk talking to someone just to get taken advantage of and lose out on their hard-earned money.

This is why if you’re comfortable being out of the closet, you can make the decision on what LGBT dating apps you would like to try out based on if you want to give anonymous profiles a shot. If you want to be anonymous, choose a dating app that doesn’t have that verification system in it. However, no matter what decision you make, it is always necessary to be careful on who you’re talking to. Verified or not, people can still have bad intentions that they are not revealing within the app that you should be cautious about.

Social Catfish is Here to Help Rid of the Scammers

If you feel like you’ve been catfished on any of these apps, or need help verifying if a profile is real, Social Catfish is here to help! You can reverse search any information you have, such as a name, email address, phone number, social media username, or an image. With this information, we can search up who you are really talking to and verify if they have good intentions.