8 Grindr scams and how to avoid them

With over 15 million monthly active users, Grindr is one of the most popular dating apps around. When opened, a grid of nearby profiles displays, giving users the opportunity to message people in close geographic proximity to arrange dates, share pictures (often intimate), or simply chat. Paying Grindr users (or location-spoofing bots) can message profiles that are farther away. It’s a useful app for gay dating, but unfortunately, Grindr scams pose real risks.

The shape that Grindr scams take often depends on the amount of time the scammer is willing to invest in deceiving their potential victim. In “short cons” scammers — or just bots — may try to entice you into clicking a sketchy link. In “long cons,” Grindr scammers may spend hours, weeks, or even months chatting with a victim to build trust before requesting money or personal information.

At best, Grindr scams are an annoyance; at worst, they could result in blackmail or physical violence. Read on for a run-down of common scams on Grindr — ordered from fairly trivial to very serious — and get some recommendations for navigating the platform more safely.

1. Grindr spam

Spam may be the most common Grindr scam of them all, with some users complaining their inboxes are flooded with taps and messages containing sketchy links from bots. Malicious links may appear in bots’ bios or in direct messages — sometimes with no pretext whatsoever. Some are even contained within explicit GIFs, presumably to bypass spam filters. Their goal is to get you to click on phishing links or drive you to malicious websites that could expose you to malware.

And the malware risks of sketchy Grindr links are not just theoretical. To investigate, I clicked on one (knowing my device was protected by cybersecurity software). Norton 360 immediately flagged the website it led to as malicious, as shown below. Several other scam links I received were also redirected to this site.

Next, I got in touch with a threat researcher here at Norton to see what risks this website might pose to unprotected users who click through. Our threat researcher found that the website in question was a push-notification trap site.

This scheme works as follows: when you land on the site, you’ll see something that looks like a CAPTCHA saying something like, “Click Allow to continue.” What the button is actually doing is enabling your browser’s notification permissions.

Clicking “Allow” lets the site spam your device with pop-up notifications, dodgy ads, and more scams, forever. The operators earn money every time someone clicks on those push notifications, making this a form of push-notification fraud and malvertising.

2. Phishing scams on Grindr

Some scams are more subtle than spam blasts. In phishing attacks, scammers attempt to trick you into revealing sensitive information — like personal details, login credentials, or verification codes. Clicking on a phishing link and entering information can result in compromised accounts, malware infections, or even identity theft. Phishing on Grindr takes multiple forms, including sketchy websites where you need to “verify your identity.”

Identity verification phishing

In one modus operandi, the scammer claims they’ve had negative experiences with Grindr in the past (for example, they may claim they’ve been assaulted), and they need you to register on a special website or app to “verify your identity” before you meet up — for safety reasons. Given the very real risks associated with meeting up with strangers from the internet, this pretext sounds plausible.

But, these apps and websites (which cybercriminals may have VibeScammed with AI in an hour) are nothing more than a ruse to capture your personal information or login credentials. Falling for it could compromise your online accounts and even put you at risk of identity theft.

In a similar scheme, you’re invited to an exclusive party, then asked to provide your email to make sure you’re real, or worse, upload an ID to prove you’re older than 18. Don’t fall for it. Disclosing personal information like this could expose more scams, identity theft, or blackmail.

Verification code phishing

In this phishing scheme, which Grindr warns users about in its scam awareness guide, a scammer asks for your phone number, then claims to have sent you a code to “verify you’re real.” What they've actually triggered is an SMS verification code for Grindr or another app. Hand it over, and they can register fraudulent accounts using your number, potentially getting it flagged or banned from the platform.

This trick is especially risky if the scammer has other details about you. SMS codes are a common 2FA authentication method used for resetting passwords, meaning a scammer who knows your number, email, and a verification code could gain access to your accounts. Never share verification codes with anyone.

Pay-to-chat phishing

In another type of phishing scheme on Grindr, scammers lure victims to pay-per-message websites or webcam portals where users are charged to send messages, share pictures, or video chat. Of course, there’s no guarantee that you’re really chatting with the attractive guy from Grindr who lured you there. It could be a paid ghostwriter who looks nothing like the picture — or an AI chatbot.

This may not be a problem for everyone. Norton research on AI and dating reveals that 67% of current online daters around the world would consider dating an AI chatbot, and 37% believe it’s possible to develop feelings for one. But if this is you, remember that mainstream LLMs like ChatGPT are probably a safer (and free) avenue for flirting with AI than potentially risky pay-to-chat websites.

3. Requests for cash before meeting up

Another common Grindr scam involves a fellow user striking up a conversation and arranging to meet, only to make a last-minute request for money. Of course, this is simply a social engineering ploy to get you to send cash, and the scammer will likely ghost you as soon as you do so. Some fake scenarios include:

• “I just need a little money for gas so I can come over.”
• “I just got pulled over/ticketed. Can you help me cover it?”
• “I’m at the hotel, but they need a deposit before they’ll give me the room.”
• “My account is frozen until tomorrow. Can you send it and I’ll pay you back when I see you?”
• “My roommate came home so I can’t host anymore. If you send money, I know a hotel nearby.”
• “I’m allergic to normal condoms. Could you send me an Amazon gift card so I can buy the kind I need?”

In more extreme cases, scammers invest time building a relationship with their victim, gradually requesting more and more money in long-con romance scams. These schemes, where the scammer consistently fabricates excuses to avoid meeting in person or even video chatting, are a particular risk in long-distance “relationships.”

Some brazen Grindr scammers use their real pictures or identity when asking for money and ghosting you — and you may see them misbehaving in person at local clubs or parties. But many others may be catfishing you.

4. Catfishing scams on Grindr

Catfishing, a major type of romance scam, is when someone enters into an online relationship under false pretenses — typically using fake pictures stolen from Instagram or generated with AI. It’s a common tactic used across multiple scams on Grindr and other dating platforms. According to Norton’s 2026 Artificial Intimacy Report, 35% of dating scam victims had been catfished.

The goal of many catfishers is to manipulate you, get you to click on a phishing link, or scam you; however, other catfishers may use fake pictures out of low self-esteem, believing they won’t get responses if they show their real face. Other Grindr “catfish” are simply AI bots, like in the example below.

Catfishing scams on Grindr follow a common pattern:

1. The scammer baits the victim with attractive fake photos.
2. The victim is hooked with sympathetic messages, building emotional rapport and trust.
3. The scammer reels the victim in, asking for money, personal information, or explicit photographs to be used for blackmail.

Some catfishers may even want a real relationship, hoping that once there’s an emotional bond, the victim will forgive them for initially sending fake pics.

Catfishing scammers on Grindr can pose as all types of people to gain your trust. They may pretend to be military personnel and say they are deployed and unable to video chat for security reasons. Then they will ask for money because they say their bank account is frozen, for example. Some pretend they’re so hard to reach because they work for NGOs abroad or as volunteer doctors in remote locations.

Yet others will use the identity of famous people. In one case, a victim was catfished by a fake profile of Singaporean actor Charlie Goh on Grindr. The victim even traveled to meet the impersonator before tracking down the real actor on Telegram (by randomly guessing his username) to ask why he hadn’t shown up.

5. Easy money scams

Scammers on Grindr may offer you exorbitant amounts of money to perform relatively simple (and perhaps titillating) tasks, like taking pictures of your feet.

But be careful, as these generous offers may be the first step in social engineering scams. After moving the chat off-platform, the scammer may claim they need data like your bank account number (IBAN, ABA, or SWIFT) for the transfer to go through.

This is just a ploy to get your personal information. Simply giving your bank account number to a scammer may not put your account at risk directly, but in some banking apps, the person initiating the transfer can see the recipient’s full name before completing the transaction. This could jeopardize your anonymity and expose you to blackmail.

The scammer may say there’s a “glitch” or extra verification step, and they need more personal information for the transfer to go through.

Sugar daddy scams

A subset of easy-money scams, sugar daddy scams are when someone reaches out to you on an app like Grindr posing as a wealthy, older man. They say they will pay you for your companionship or pictures. They might send you money at first, but there’s always a catch.

For example, one Redditor who was contacted by a sugar daddy scammer on Grindr writes that the “sugar daddy” first paid off his credit card debt — amounting to $4,000 — but then asked for $100 to prove that he was trustworthy before sending even more money.

6. Investment scams on Grindr

In investment scams, fraudsters claim you can make a lot of money if you let them help you invest your savings. On Grindr, these schemes are often long-con pig-butchering scams, where fraudsters “fatten up” their victims by building trust over time before leading them to “slaughter.”

Some fraudsters may ask you to send cash directly, while others may link you to a spoofed website that mimics a legitimate cryptocurrency exchange or investment platform. Any money deposited goes straight into the scammer’s pocket. Getting scammed money back may prove impossible, since crypto transactions are largely irreversible and scammers typically operate anonymously across international borders.

On dating apps like Grindr, cryptocurrency scams often follow a familiar, oddly specific, pattern:

• You get a message from a very attractive man who’s “mostly looking for friendship and a genuine connection, but is open-minded.” He immediately introduces himself by name.
• He volunteers that he’s a white-collar professional working in finance, big business, or another lucrative profession.
• He’s recently moved — inexplicably — to a small town about an hour away, which isn’t known to be a hub for wealthy professionals.

If you look past the stilted messages and continue chatting, you’ll eventually be asked to move off-platform to WhatsApp or Telegram, and the conversation will eventually pivot to crypto.

Do not make investments, especially in cryptocurrency, after someone you know only from a dating platform suggests it. If a connection from a dating app approaches you with an “investment opportunity,” block them and report them to the app immediately. And always research any investments you do make thoroughly.

7. Blackmail and sextortion on Grindr

Blackmail scams on Grindr are commonly known as sextortion, and they’re particularly risky for closeted users — whom blackmailers actively seek out. In these schemes, a scammer poses as a genuine Grindr user and asks for explicit photos. But if you hit send, the scammer threatens to make them public or “out” you to your community unless you send money. In 2025, FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center received more than 75,000 submissions about sextortion (not from Grindr in particular).

In some cases, Grindr blackmailers may even ask to meet the victim in person, and then secretly film them, as happened to one man in Ahmedabad, India, according to reporting by Vice. The victim was blackmailed by a gang after he communicated with one of them on the app and arranged to meet in a hotel.

Another Grindr user told Q Salt Lake Magazine about how a scammer on the app threatened to post explicit photos of him on a child sexual abuse website if he didn’t send $1,000 in gift cards. He recounted: “It honestly was one of the most terrifying moments in my life.” Yet it’s a situation that has become all too common. Blackmail and sextortion are particularly insidious because they don’t just threaten to take their victims’ money, but also their sense of safety and privacy.

Underage user scams

In this unsettling blackmail scheme, scammers on Grindr use a fake profile to lure in victims. Then they exchange messages and ask for explicit photographs. Not long after, the scammer falsely claims that they’re underage. Sometimes, the scammer goes so far as to pose as the underage person’s parent or guardian, lying that the “underage” person killed themselves after exchanging the photos. In both cases, the scammer demands money from the victim to keep it quiet, or they’ll go to the police.

This scam can have particularly tragic consequences for the victims, with the BBC reporting on two men who committed suicide after a gang targeted them in an apparent underage user scam. Never send money to anyone who pressures you to do so. Do not respond to this kind of extortion. Immediately screenshot the chat, block the scammer, and report the incident to law enforcement.

8. Robbery and hate crime setups on Grindr

Robbery and hate crime setups are among the scariest of Grindr scams because they have the potential to turn violent. The concept is simple: someone asks to see you in person and then robs you or beats you up during the meeting.

The criminals can work as a gang, with one person communicating to you and then a group of thieves waiting to harm you and steal your belongings when you meet. Or, the thief can act as an individual, like one criminal in Australia, who, according to Q News, asked his victims to take a shower when they met and then copied their ID and bank cards while they were in the bathroom.

In countries where homophobia is state policy, like Russia, such hate crimes can be a systemic problem. According to investigations by the Russian publication Novaya Gazeta, police and security forces have themselves been documented setting up fake dates to entrap, rob, and blackmail gay men. Researchers tracking far-right violence in Russia documented a sharp rise in filmed attacks on gay men lured through dating apps, from 30 incidents in 2023 to 68 in 2025. Victims may not report crimes out of fear of further persecution.

Sadly, hate crimes originating on Grindr are a problem the world over, even if you don’t live in an overtly homophobic society (as exemplified by recent violent incidents in the UK and Australia). To help stay safe when setting up a Grindr date, meet for the first time in a public place. Share your location with a friend and use your own means of transport to get there and back. And don’t leave your valuables unattended.

Bonus scam: social media clout farming

Social media clout farming on Grindr is when a user interacts with you with the sole intention of getting you to follow them on Instagram, OnlyFans, or similar platforms. It may not be a scam in the strictest sense, but it can certainly feel like one. Unfortunately, there’s not much you can do about this one, except to ignore users who push you to social media.

How to spot a Grindr scammer

The best way to spot a Grindr scam is to look for indications that a profile is fake, or the user’s intentions are potentially malicious. Avoid anyone who tries to emotionally manipulate you or offers something too good to be true. Look out for these signs of a scam:

• They’re way too good looking: Keep your expectations realistic. If someone who looks like a fitness model is showering you with attention, question if this is the sort of person you normally attract. Scammers often use stolen photos of attractive people to lure victims in.
• Their pictures are stolen: Conduct a Google reverse image search of the suspected user’s profile photo. If the same image shows up on an influencer’s Instagram page or in a stock photo database, it’s likely a scam.
• They avoid video calls or dates: If someone you’re chatting with consistently avoids dates or video calls, the profile might not be real; they might be trying to catfish you.
• They try to move the conversation off the app right away: It’s normal to want to move off the app eventually, but watch out for people who want to move your conversation to Telegram, WhatsApp, or Snapchat immediately. Also avoid obscure apps you’ve never heard of, especially ones that ask you to pay per message sent.
• They ask for money: If someone asks for your money or wants to help you “invest,” steer clear. You should not give money or trust your finances with someone you only know from a dating app.
• They love bomb you: People can try to manipulate you and gain your trust by giving you lots of attention and agreeing with everything you say. Watch out for anyone who rushes to say “I love you” before you’ve even met in person.
• They ask for sensitive information: Be suspicious of Grindr users asking for information like your email, phone number, or full name, let alone personal ID.
• They threaten you: If you feel someone is blackmailing or threatening you, report the profile and block them.

What to do if you fall for a Grindr scam

If you fall for a Grindr scam, it’s important to take action quickly to protect yourself and others. Many people feel ashamed when they fall for a scam, but you shouldn’t stay quiet. Report the scam, secure your accounts if necessary, and block the scammer. Here are some steps to follow:

• Report the scam to Grindr and law enforcement: Let Grindr know you’ve been scammed so they can remove the profile and protect others. Then, report the scam to law enforcement, like the FBI.
• Block the scammer on all platforms: Make sure the scammer can’t contact you again. Block them on Grindr and any other place they may be able to communicate with you.
• Report lost money to your bank: Financial institutions rarely refund money sent directly to scammers, but you’ll still want to inform them of the incident to get advice on next steps.
• Secure your accounts: If you’ve revealed your account credentials or 2FA codes to a potential criminal, change and strengthen your passwords to prevent them from accessing your accounts. Consider upgrading your 2FA method from text messages to biometrics or an authentication app.
• Keep an eye on your credit: If you’ve fallen for a scam and revealed sensitive personal information, monitor your credit for suspicious activity and consider placing a credit freeze.

Protect yourself from dating scams with Norton

Anyone can fall for a scam. But that doesn’t mean your hands are tied. Adding a layer of digital protection can help you use dating apps like Grindr more securely. Norton 360 Deluxe offers AI-powered scam detection, deepfake protection, device-level malware protection, and warnings about malicious links and websites to help you stay cybersafe as you look for love on the Grindr grid.

FAQs

Can I report scammers to Grindr?

Yes. To report a scammer to Grindr, go to the top right of the profile and tap the icon for Block/Report. Select “Report”. Then follow the instructions to report the type of fraud.

Should I give out my number on Grindr?

It’s natural to want to switch off Grindr for your communication, but be careful who you give your number to. Avoid anyone who wants to switch to a messaging app within the first few messages.

What should I do if I sent money to someone on Grindr?

Never send money to anyone on Grindr, but if you do, block and report the profile, then alert your bank.

Can I get my money back after a Grindr scam?

It’s difficult to get your money back after a scam, but sometimes it’s possible. Immediately alert your bank of the fraudulent transaction and report the scam to Grindr.

Will other users be notified if I take screenshots on Grindr?

No. Grindr won’t notify other users if you take a screenshot of their profile or your chat history. Just keep in mind that Grindr normally prevents you from taking screenshots of pictures sent in DMs or the contents of other users’ private albums.