Cold Profile › answers
Bots swipe indiscriminately, so everyone gets them. If they are the majority of your matches, that means your real match rate is low - the bots are a constant, not an increase.
So the fix is not avoiding bots, which you cannot do. It is raising the number of real people who match with you, so the bots stop being most of what you see.
Fixed the profile and still nothing? Sometimes it is the pool, not the photos - the same profile does different numbers on different apps. See which app suits you
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Model-quality photos with no candid shots. An empty or generic bio. An immediate move to another platform, or a link. Replies that do not quite fit what you said.
The reliable tell is pace: a real person's interest builds, a script's is instant and constant. A match calling you sweetheart in the second message, or asking about your job and finances before your name, is following a script.
Other signs are a location far from you and a story about being overseas or working somewhere they cannot be reached. Any request for money, gift cards, or help with an investment ends the conversation, no matter how good it has felt.
The whole point of the redirect is to get you somewhere with no moderation and no reporting. There is no legitimate reason to move before you have met.
A real person who is interested will happily keep chatting in the app until you set up a first date. If someone pushes for your number, another messaging app, or a link in the first few messages, unmatch and report.
If bots are most of your matches, fix the lead photo and add a real bio. A blank bio also attracts them, because it signals a low-effort account that may be easier to work.
Start with photo one: a clear, recent, well-lit photo of your face, with no sunglasses and nobody else in frame. Then write two or three specific lines - 'Teacher, weekend hiker, terrible at trivia but keep going anyway' - so real people have something to respond to. Give the change about two weeks before judging it.
Do not argue, test, or try to catch them out. Unmatch, use the app's report option, and move on - reporting is the only part that helps the next person.
If you have already shared a phone number or social handle, tighten your privacy settings and ignore any follow-up from unknown accounts. If you have sent money, contact your bank straight away and report the profile to the app with as much detail as you can.
Some areas and some apps simply have more fake accounts than others, and the apps do not publish how many they remove. If your profile is solid and you still see a lot of them, report each one, keep conversations in the app, and do not take the volume as a sign about yourself.