Dating app Tinder has rolled out verified profiles for celebrities, athletes and other notable figures to help us figure out if it’s really, really Kit Harington we’re flirting with or if we’re just mooning at a heartless, pixellated photo copied off the internet.
It’s OK. Even his pixellated photo was way out of my league.
Similar to the verified badges you see on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook, verified users will be marked with a little blue check mark by their name.
Tinder announced the move on its blog:
Starting today, you may see a verified symbol on some profiles. Now when notable public figures, celebrities and athletes appear in your recommendations, you’ll know it’s for real.
When it comes to, say, Jimmy Fallon creating a Tinder profile for Britney Spears, making fun of people who drool over the idea of dating celebrities can be funny.
But when it comes to being able to spot a fake, it gets serious fast.
There are too many instances of imposters preying on the lovelorn or gullible, such as the guy who posed as Justin Bieber and lured kids into stripping in front of a webcam.
As well, romance scam gangs have fleeced thousands of people out of millions of dollars: the FBI and the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre have said that in 2014 alone, scammers operating through online dating sites defrauded thousands of people out of more than $86 million in the US and another $14 million in Canada.
Last month, some of those scammers got their comeuppance when the York Regional Police in Canada nabbed nine men who allegedly targeted women on dating websites, conning seven victims out of $1.5 million.
Verified accounts on Tinder? Bring it on.
But let’s keep in mind that this is no cure-all.
We’re still on our own when it comes to sniffing out fraudsters who pose as non-celebrities, such as the 22-year-old Facebook predator charged with posing as a teenager to stalk girls online.
But for those who are dead-set on dating the likes of Katy Perry, Lindsay Lohan (or at least her brother), Ashton Kutcher, Lily Allen, Made in Chelsea cast members or Hilary Duff, verified accounts might be just your cup of tea.
According to the Guardian, all those celebs are on Tinder, all ready to swipe left and send you into oblivion or to swipe right and make your night.
