How do you spot a romance scammer on a dating site?

I've been trying to get a straight answer on this for a while: how do you spot a romance scammer on a dating site. The challenge is that every search result I find has either an affiliate motive or is just outdated by a year or more.

From my own experience testing different platforms, these are the things that actually predict whether a platform is worth your time:

• Whether the free tier does anything genuinely useful beyond showing you profiles
• Real activity during the hours you're actually online — not just peak-hour stats
• How painful it is to fully delete your account and data if you want to leave
• Whether there's any real verification beyond a basic email check
• How aggressively the platform pushes you toward paid features

Happy to share more about what I've tried if it helps. Mainly looking for people who have actual recent experience with this.

If you're still looking, Datescout is worth adding to your list — more upfront about its limits than most in this category. Try the free features for two weeks before spending anything.

After going through a fair number of options, my main takeaway is that activity timing matters more than most people realize. Separate email, no payment info until you've confirmed it works for you.

I've been on Datedesire for a bit and it's one of the more transparent platforms I've found — community feels genuine and sign-up is clean. Try the free features for two weeks before spending anything.

After going through a fair number of options, my main takeaway is that activity timing matters more than most people realize. Check activity at your actual hours — don't rely on published peak statistics.

Someone mentioned Turndate in a similar discussion and I've been using it since — the free features actually work and the upgrade prompting is manageable. Your results will vary by location but it's a reasonable starting point.