narcissistic personality disorder dating

3 Dating Sites to Avoid That are Crawling with Narcissists

Sharing is caring

If you feel lonely and yearn for someone to fill a space in your heart, creating an online dating profile might seem like the logical thing to do.  With the billions of people on dating sites world-wide, there must be a person out there who is perfect for you, right?

Imagine meeting someone for the first time, the two of you gazing at one another over dinner, barely able to talk due to the butterflies in your stomach. 

Before you know it, barely a week has gone by and you’re imagining the contemporary wall art in your shared living room and the magnificent vacations the two of you will take together while sipping cocktails out of coconut shells.

Gosh, wouldn’t it be just cozy to share the holidays with someone this year? 

Hold that thought.  First off, if you’re feeling lonely and anxious to meet someone, it might not be the best time for you to look for love online…especially if you are trying to get over a recently-ended toxic relationship.

In fact, if you are feeling needy, lonely, or still hurting from a recent breakup, you are the perfect target for narcissists and other emotional predators.  In this state, you are primed for being love-bombed, conditioned, and hooked. 

Read 6 Ways to Fail at Dating after Narcissistic Abuse

How do you know who’s “really” on the other side of the computer?  How do you discern whether someone you might be meeting is who they say they are? 

There’s no way to know for sure, whether you meet someone online or at the grocery store.  Only time will reveal someone’s true character.  However, if you’re still eager to find love online, you can save yourself lots of time and heartache by avoiding these three dating sites, which are hotbeds for narcissists and other toxic manipulators:

1 – Tinder  

According to Google Play, “Tinder is the world’s most popular dating app. More than 9 billion matches have been made through Tinder. Try it and you’ll see why Time magazine called Tinder “The World’s Hottest App.”  *It’s FREE and takes only 60 seconds to set up.”

When you read this description as a lonely love-seeker, you might focus on the fact that nine billion people use the app and that it’s being touted by Time magazine.  There’s bound to be a match for you on this “trusted” site, right?

A narcissist sees ‘nine billion, free, and 60 seconds”.  Translated – quick, free, endless supply.  Further, Tinder may seem harmless, but it encourages promiscuity, relying on a “hook-up” culture that is irresistible to sex-crazed narcissists. It’s quite possible that the sweet and decent person you chose based on their Facebook friends and interests is actually a lying, cheating scumbag. 

The last place an empathic, intuitive person would want to meet someone is on Tinder.  Sure, the company behind the app may boast users getting engaged and married all over the place, but based on the comments I’ve read on my site and other forums, it’s bad news.  Bad, traumatizing news.  Find out for yourself on Tinder Nightmares, the Instagram account which illustrates the quality of people using the app. 

2 – Plenty of Fish

POF boasts “more dates, more relationships, more visits than any other dating site.  There are over 3 million active daily users on POF, we are the largest dating site.  You know of at least 1 person that has found someone on POF.  You never have to pay to message anyone!”

POF has been featured on popular magazines and they brag of their “Relationship Needs” assessment, which supposedly matches you with the partner of your dreams.

In reality, the users behind many POF profiles are fake.  Scammers who are looking to take money and assets from unsuspecting love-seekers.  These defrauders are often narcissists and other predators.  I personally tried POF a couple of years back and was approached by someone who tried unwaveringly to talk me into a dominant/submissive arrangement (with me being the submissive), other men who wanted me to try threesomes with them and their wives/girlfriends, and several who wanted me to send them more pictures – full-body and otherwise.  (BIG red flag!)

POF is a big thumbs-down for anyone looking for a genuine, reciprocal relationship.  There may be one or two genuine people on the site, but who’s got time to wade through the freaks and predators?  But don’t take my word for it.  Check out what this user had to say about POF:

POF Review 450x204

Seems the staff at POF aren’t overly concerned with the user experience.  Learn more here:  Sitejabber.com

3 – OkCupid

According to their website, “OkCupid is the only dating app that finds you matches based on what you really care about…and it’s 100% FREE. That’s why it’s the highest-rated dating app on earth!”

What they fail to tell you is that their dating service is like Tinder and POF rolled into one.

Sure, they have decent ratings, but the truth is that narcissists are fond of OKCupid because they can basically sleep with and deceive as many people as humanly possible. Besides, you can’t really take the positive ratings at face value because a lot of them are left by people who have an interest in the company. 

Does this scenario seem familiar?

You’ve met someone on the site and before long, it seems the two of you have a lot in common.  After establishing a small amount of rapport, the person on the other side of your pc screen says they feel a deep connection with you and wants to know if you’re ready to take your budding relationship off of the site.  They suggest giving you their personal email so the two of you can see where things lead.

This could well be their very first attempt at isolating you.  If the person is a narcissist, of course they want to get you off of the site because then no one else can woo you, which gives them a much higher chance of successfully grooming you into their perfect supply. 

The Bottom Line

While this article highlights three favorite dating sites used by narcissists and other predators, you will encounter these same issues on most any dating site.  If you still feel the urge to find love online, make sure you follow these basic rules:  do a background check for anyone you plan to date seriously, don’t give out your address, don’t send extra pictures (definitely NO full-body pics), and don’t get too personal too fast.  Above all, don’t let a stranger convince you to do anything that feels uncomfortable. 

Download the Quick Guide to Dating after Narcissistic abuse and deflect narcissists and other toxic personalities!


Sharing is caring

Leave a Comment:

71 comments
K.A. says November 27, 2023

Excellent advise! However, the worst dating site on the web is not mentioned: Facebook / Meta. That’s where I met my now Ex who is a violent person with full blown NPD. These preditors will destroy you and use social media and anyone with a Google account to do it. They will go after your business on social media, too.

Reply
Anonymous says February 27, 2023

He did just that because Ivwas confused by his controlling tactics and no following through to prove he’d be a soulmate. Why give up my family and friends when you can’t keep promises and make me (the sick one) come to you and pay the gas, tolls, mileage, and break my child’s heart? Why!? Your promises were never justified/ followed through. You’d tell me you’ll help me (a single mom with an autoimmune that had to support her kid a the most expensive college in Florida. All those promises fell through, tgen the name calling, the control, the no trust. It all Jess me back to my dark place to make my son happy. Why dig myself deeper with someone who I can’t trust. This is all why I couldn’t be trusted. I went back to my ex, because you were not who you pretended to be. No one will ever say that about me. I’m loving Shannon that wants happiness and wants passion, love, but you were too controlling . You wanted to lock me down- like every man and rapist. Keep being friends with my rapists. Says a lot!

Reply
Julie says September 6, 2021

I have encountered narcissists on ALL the dating websites. They are a narcissists dream! My ex husband and recent ex N boyfriend admitted to using eharmony and Match, which are supposed to be reputable. I saw many of the same guys on Match and Plenty of Fish and OKCupid all at the same time. They are all shark-infested waters. Not to mention Facebook. They last guy I dated who is an alcoholic and a narcissist, was an acquaintance from high school who friended me on Facebook and started love bombing me on there.

There is no guarantee you won’t meet a narcissist in real life, but I feel like in person interaction helps you pick up on a person’s vibes and energy a lot better.

Reply
Morgan says August 6, 2021

I just broke it off with a narcissist I met on Tinder. He’s a drunk a cheater a liar and a loser. He’s back on Tinder looking for another victim.

Reply
Biscuit says May 2, 2021

I met my narcissistic ex on OkCupid. Later found out he was also on Tinder, Hinge, and Bumble. He was very quick on creating a sense of intimacy I had never experienced before. TOO sexual personality. Sense of entitlement to things he didn’t deserve. Very drastic mood changes. Manipulating tactics aimed at controlling. Low effort. Did not ask questions back. A looong history of exes. Not very long lasting previous relationships. Guilt shifting. Blatant lies. To name a few…

While he was chatting with me the whole time, he was still online, meeting other women. Not too much details to mention here but… I feel sorry for the new supply, and all the upcoming ones, unaware of this destructive monster that will cross their path cuz… he is still online.

Reply
    Morgan says August 6, 2021

    I had the same experience with a man from Tinder.

    Reply
Victoria says September 15, 2020

My ex narcissist was on E Harmony, Match, Ok Cupid etc … after many discards .. I joined these sites and would see him on … They are predators.. please be careful.. a big sign is that they move very quickly and call and text all hours of the day and night after you have given your phone number..I did a background check on my ex .. it showed he has/had been on over 15 dating and social media sites looking for women… please please be careful!

Reply
    Kim Saeed says September 16, 2020

    I’m glad you did the background check. It’s one of the smartest things to do when dating.

    Kim

    Reply
Lydia says July 23, 2020

I met the most hateful, wicked, demonic, cruel, bastard off of plenty of fish. I believe 70% of all men have narcissistic personality disorder.

Reply
    Morgan says August 6, 2021

    Most definitely

    Reply
NoLongerHis Supply says July 4, 2020

Another comment: running a background check is all good, but it is not fail proof. My family ran a background check on my ex, found nothing, and I still ended up with a Narc. I’m not exactly sure what I could have done different (nothing), but the background check didn’t help in my case. 🙂

Reply
NoLongerHis Supply says July 4, 2020

Farmers Only also – I reported my abuser and they came back and said there was nothing they could do. That was my last interaction with them! They lost any chance of my even considering being a member again!

Reply
ian says May 8, 2020

The gay sites are even worse. Full of disgusting married men and men with gfs trying to get quick sex and the lads are all willing to usually do anything with each other , hence the spread of stds etc through gay communities.

Reply
Ziva says April 4, 2020

Okcupid is by FAR the worst. In particular, you can tell a site has a lot of narcissists by the sheer number of troll messages you receive. People on Tinder are extremely shallow and flakey, but I haven’t gotten any troll messages so far like I did for years on okcupid. With Tinder, you just gotta keep your expectations low and not take it seriously. Okcupid gives you the chance to write a long-winded wall of text on your profile which is perfect for people with really huge egos to brag about themselves. The fact that they have so many orientations and genders is also a red flag: Narcissists gravitate towards alternative lifestyles and hookup culture and peeps who like this stuff use fancy labels to signal their interest in it.

Reply
Vine says August 16, 2019

All dating websites are full of narcissists and flaky losers running from their own emotions. Women would do better to go their own way until they meet a good partner in person. I don’t care how many comments, here or elsewhere, babble about so-and-so having “met a husband” through some dating website – I suspect it’s promotional nonsense from a dating site employee. They are failed enterprises, used only by the desperate. Society, we can do better!

Reply
Gloria says March 31, 2019

completely agree , black people meet and black singles, every single person I met was a straight up narc, found out early so I was able to kick the trash to the curb lickety split!!!

Reply
Sandra says August 29, 2018

I met my narc on Match. Nearly 8 years later, I regret ever going on the site. I was recently divorced, felt horrible about myself, and just wanted to move on. I didn’t realize that my ex husband was a narcissist, just thought he was an asshole and divorced him because he was not only verbally abusive to me, but started in on my son. That was the straw that broke the camel’s back. I made him leave, because it was my house. Then I meet the next guy on Match. He was much older and I wasn’t really physically attracted to him. He said all the right things, swept me off my feet, blah, blah, blah. I have been through hell with this man and now I am stuck in so many ways. The verbal, emotional, and psychological abuse have literally turned me into someone I no longer recognize. My finances are nil. I’ve had trouble holding down a job. I have been diagnosed with CPTSD and depression, 3 years after being with him. Long story short, I went from the frying pan to the fire. I don’t think I would even consider using a dating site again after living with this narcissist nightmare for going on 8 years, yes 8. Everyday is spent on strategies to get away from him. I don’t like him and he has killed any love I once had. Anyway, that’s my take on dating sites. When I think back, his M.O. was, too much, too soon, too fast. I believe if you are seeing those things in a relationship, you should RUN! Hope this helps.

Reply
    Anonymous says September 9, 2020

    Oh Sandra! It’s been 2 years since this comment – I hope you are ok now and managed to get away in the end! Xx

    Reply
Thepinch says May 3, 2018

If they call themselves ‘nice guys’, beware.

Reply
    Moneytha D Burns says May 4, 2018

    Seriously, any guy (or girl) who feels the need to say how nice they are or how hot other guys think they are, is a red flag narcissist or not.

    Reply
Shirley Akpelu says May 3, 2018

I am not interested in another phony fake wolf pretending to be a sheep of the Good Shepherd. So no to fb dating site or any other site. No rebound relationships. This was a rebound and narcissistic marriage.
Lesson learned.
Interested in total healing.

Reply
Mag says May 3, 2018

Kim, you have been very helpful in so many ways. I agree with your article and believe all online anything can be dangerous. I’m wondering why a narcissist would ask for a full body shot? What’s the red-flag in that particular scenario? Thank you for your faithful guidance!

Reply
    Kim Saeed says May 4, 2018

    Hi Mag,

    Thank you for reading my article and for stopping by. Generally speaking, there are two main red flags involved when someone you have met online is asking you for a full body shot. 1) It’s an indicator that they have no interest in your personality or you as a human being. Anyone who asks for a full body shot objectifies people and is forming an opinion about someone in the same way they would as they scour a catalog for various items. People who want full body shots also tend to watch a lot of pornography and they will compare you to the people they’re looking at on porn sites, and 2) Again, generally speaking, sending someone a full body shot is really a personal thing. Narcissists (and other manipulators) ask for full body shots because it is their way of seeing if you’re willing to send them something so personal when they barely know you. People who are confident in themselves and have healthy boundaries would tell someone to take a hike instead of agreeing to send a full body shot to someone they barely know. It’s their way of testing boundaries to see if you’ll cave in.

    Hope that helps!

    Kim

    Reply
Mer says March 22, 2018

I met my covert narc on OKcupid. He even took a cover narcissist test and scored pretty high. He is in therapy now. I wish I read this before getting into a relationship with him. OkCupid said we were 89% compatible. I did not even look at HIS page. I was not really interested but he kept talking to me. We started to met up even though he really was not my type. I was looking to talk to 30-40 year old, and he was 41 but I did not want to be rude and say no. Within a year I read his answers to some question(I know I should have read them much earlier lol) because some of our values were the complete opposite. And sure enough, we both answered complete opposite to some important questions. Definitely, avoid OKcupid.

Reply
    Kim Saeed says March 24, 2018

    Yes, absolutely avoid the free online sites. They are hotbeds for users, abusers, and manipulators.

    Reply
      Lorena says April 14, 2018

      Don’t trust a site either just because it is paid. There are equal amounts of narcs in there than on the free sites.

      Reply
        Kim Saeed says April 16, 2018

        Absolutely. Match seems to be a haven for manipulators and users.

        Kim XoXo

        Reply
          Sandra Davidson says February 1, 2020

          Match drew to me Covert and Overt Narcs

          Reply
      Mary says July 9, 2018

      So true. I met the truest definition of a narcissist on POF.

      Reply
        Cinbad says January 1, 2020

        I did too, Mary. Ironic that his last name was Hurt.

        Reply
Deborah says January 9, 2018

I thought I would take a look at POF… and found this in the mail box… crushed the profile and removed it… I cant be bothered to play anymore!

“dave

1/6/2018 12:45:10 PM
Report this message for inappropriate content

Is there a nude image in this message? If so, click here to report it

Hi there ,good afternoon how re you doing today and how is the weather treating you over there right now ,it was your profile i found very interested on here and wanting to know you more better if you don,t mind and how long have you been on this site and what are you really looking for in a man on here as i,m all looking for that special woman that we can both spend the life together as i,m one man woman and hoping to meet the same in a woman …David”

Reply
    Connie says May 3, 2018

    OMG this sounds so much like the Master NARC I was with for 9 years. I seen some of his stuff and this so sounds like him check ou the bust a cheaters website his ex and others have bene posting on him. He is on so many dating sites like Tinder, POF and OKcupid, Craigslist personals, idating and so many others. Our accounts were still mutual when I got it slapped all in my face –

    Reply
Gloria says January 4, 2018

I was relieved to read this page I was begining to think ‘is it me?’.
I have been on’ ourtime ‘for over three months the anger Iv’e encountered because I had no photo was just unreasonable even when Iv’e explained that photo’s can be copied put else where.
I did not feel safe putting my photo on line to because of the fact I suspect
my ex is a covert narcissist and all that goes with it ,I really think we need to look at ‘on line dating sites ‘like they have in the USA and make them more accountable for the slap dash was they can some times run their sites.
your’s faithfully,
Gloria ,south east England.

Reply
Anonymous says September 9, 2017

Hi Kim my advice for anyone who is involved with a narissist.. RUN.. Pack your bags anger as far away from them as you can. They are not nice people mean selfish and cruel. They have to put you Down to f3l good about themselfs sad really. But if you do nt get away from them when. Your feel ng strong it will get harder. Just go. Go live yourife with nice kind loving peoe. Fill suround yourself with kind loving people. Love yourself and get rid of that nasty person. I meet one on a dating site I never heard of them before that. I managed to get him out of my life it’s wasn’t easy. I think he was only after my house. And when he relised he wasn’t getging it. He eas nt hard to get rid of. Thank god.

Reply
Paula says August 19, 2017

Don’t forget match.com, single parentsmeet.com, bumble, and now zook…sorry but haven’t seen a single person worth the time or heart ache on any website!!

Reply
    Kim Saeed says August 21, 2017

    Hi, Paula, it’s absolutely a challenge to find a genuine person on dating sites. I would avoid them altogether, at least the mainstream ones.

    Kim

    Reply
kathy says August 13, 2017

I have been single three years now and remain friends with my ex bf no sex involved but he wants to I don’t we don’t argue about it I tell him I’m just not interested in having sex anymore it’s a lie im just not interested in having sex with him.I don’t want to hurt him but I don’t want to lose him as a friend am I wrong should I tell him and take a chance of losing him or keep my secret?

Reply
A few more resources for you… – rebuildingmylife2016 says May 6, 2017

[…] honestly?  I kinda laughed at this one… there are not 3, they ALL ARE full of narcs… does that mean not to use them? that’s up to you but it’s good to be aware that they all contain a LOT of narcissists and to protect yourselves accordingly – thankfully most of them have ways to block folks.  THIS is the perfect time, if you plan on dating again (personally I’d enjoy my newly recovered freedom for a while and avoid dating sites, but that’s me and you are not me) to go back and look up cyber safety documentation and learn how to not give away too much info… in fact I would keep a low profile and just browse other people’s profiles and try to see who might not be a narc…  3 Dating Sites to Avoid That are Crawling with Narcissists […]

Reply
Shirley says March 31, 2017

Pof is full of what you said. Have sense to run back ground checks. Alcoholics say they r social drinkers. Drug users and they have no license. Beaware.

Reply
That Never Again says February 27, 2017

You forgot LinkedIn as the new dating site!!!

Narcs get to “show off” and titles and credentials while looking for those secretary girls OR sugar Mamas- but she can’t make more than him (can go either male or female here) and that Narc can think that’s s a “federal employee” he is “amazing” and makes a lot of $, “is a great loving father” (that could care less about his kids), and that LinkedIn member is sure to find plenty of supply with a “job” (bc stay at home mom’s raising that Narcs kids alone for 15 years are gold diggers and stole his kids). It’s the new Tinder! Yuck.

Reply
    Marie says July 10, 2017

    You are right about LinkedIn, it is definitely become a NARC site, being that an ex whom is an extreme serial relationship and marriage narcissist was always pushing his and trying to get everyone elses’ info.

    Reply
Livia says January 18, 2017

I’ve tried Match and POF and Senior People Meet and got nothing. Well, on Match I got a narc charmer who wanted to marry me within three months. Everything out of his mouth was a big fat lie. I’ve went on dozens of dates and the only men I might be interested in have no interest in me. I’m not sure why. I’m attractive, slim, employed, etc. I don’t get drunk and fall in salad bars while out with them. It’s like they think they are WAY cooler than they really are. I’m done with dating sites for good.

Reply
CassDeCourcy says August 18, 2016

I used okcupid for several months after a breakup, hoping to meet friends and slowly get to know them and see if it develops into more. It was a disaster. I ended up enduring a covert narc who could actually be more avoidant, and then a particularly nasty covert narc after the first one!

– Both porn addicts, one into photoshopped still images of women who were beyond out of his league, the other into some disgusting daddy dom crap where he liked pictures of women sucking on lolipops saying things like “practicing for daddy.”

– Both compulsive and chronic liars, omg, lying about literally everything just to keep extending the ride. They pretended to be into things I was into, pretended to agree with me even though my intuition caught that they were pretending.

– Resisted and put up a struggle when I wanted to end things.

– No or few irl connections with real people — one of them had no friends and the other had one who also seemed narcy, and this one also held onto his ex as a friend with benefits behind my back.

– One of them was too meek to pull this, but the other negged me horribly, trying to break my confidence down to convince me that I couldn’t do any better. People often tell me that I am very attractive, well this horrible man told me that I’m so physically flawed no other man in the world could want me.

– Video game addiction. They get some kid of fix from winning in video games that they can’t get irl because they are too lowly.

They will set up a certain image for themselves in a dating profile and then try to lure you in by letting you think theres a lot more than there is to them and then making you think you have so much in common — the covert maggoty ones anyway. I could see the more swaggering narc being mr. pedestal; too cool for everyone, oh but you, you are lucky enough to have him, eh?

Reply
    ThePinch says August 18, 2016

    I am sorry that you went through this, particularly in the wake of a break up.

    My psychiatrist encouraged me to go on POF because it was free, and a cast of millions.

    I just couldn’t get it right, even after trying 3-4 times.

    Of the ones who were not obviously loaded, obvious predators, or blatantly insulting – that is, about 75% – The balance wanted a pen pal or a woman to call them. Less than 1% were actually interested in meeting.

    Reply
    Ki says November 24, 2016

    This sounds like such a frustrating experience. Thank you for sharing – I checked OK Cupid recently to find friends in the area I had moved to, and it was a total waste of time for me as well. Nothing worth telling – no need to upgrade the experience with a story. OK Cupid changed considerably in the past years. I remember checking it out after a long term relationship ended six years ago, and it seemed a colorful and fun place to explore online dating and see “what’s out there”. Back then, I corresponded with three people who were too far to meet in person, and the pen friendship was helpful in re-discovering how to gradually get to know a new person. The one man I met in person seemed very interesting and interested, but shared early on that even eHarmony had told him he was not “matchable” due to his social awkwardness. After a rather disconnected experience sitting through an experimental movie, I ended the conversation. I met two of the international contacts, I traveled to one, the other traveled to meet me, and in both cases it was obvious that we would be friends, but no more. Even those two fizzled out in the past 2 years, but I still feel enriched for the encounters and lessons. –The key to success really seems to be to practice self-validation and go out in the real world, attend meet-up group events, and be very attentive to the people around you in every day situations. Smiling, saying hello, being open… all those things can help connect. I know this is a stretch and an emotional work-out for introverts, but there are meet-up groups and coaches for that, too 🙂 . I am grateful for Kim’s transparent description of Tinder and POF, no need to waste my own time or recommend it to anyone, thank you much! <3

    Reply
Kathleen Reddy says August 13, 2016

I am a gay woman, I met a woman on Match. com We dated a year. I went into the hospital, unable to keep our date. she broke up with me in an e mail I read after I got out of the hospital, saying she’s going to work on her relationship with her husband of 35 years. One I didn’t know she was bisexual, and has four grown children, Or that she was married. I did catch her lying, saying she had an Md. But I found out she had a Ph.D. She had more than one home, so I never new about her other life. I met her at the hospital she works at, She is a ceo of. What can I do besides therapy, and working out, and affirmations? It’s been a year and I can’t get rid of my anger. PLEASE HELP.. I have read a couple of your books. Kathleen

Reply
    Kim Saeed says October 2, 2016

    Hi Kathleen,

    Thanks for commenting and for reading my books. I wish I had an easy answer to help with your anger, but it’s definitely a process. However, healing is possible. There are typically four phases to recovery from these relationships, which would require more than I can offer here in the comments, but a good place to start would be the Beginner’s Healing Toolkit that I have for free here on the site. It typically takes several different healing modalities to recover from narcissistic abuse, including transformational healing practices.

    Wishing you the best,

    Kim

    Reply
      Kathleen says October 2, 2016

      Thank you for your valuable time. And comments…
      Kathleen…

      Reply
Constance says July 3, 2016

When I finally looked to see if the ex narcopath had dating profiles I found some where around ten on various dating/hook up/swinger sites. He had one on POF and two on OKcupid.

My tip to anyone newly dating someone is to do a Google search on their phone number. The ex had his number posted on nearly all of the profiles I found.

Reply
    kimraya says July 5, 2016

    Thanks for the tip, Constance! 🙂

    Reply
    Renee says January 23, 2019

    Hi Constance,
    Thank you for your advice re: google search on mobile numbers as I’ve discovered my very recent ex (narc) & serial dating site predictor. I’m sincerely concerned about him further hurting & damaging other innocent woman, his specialty is single vulnerable mums with children at risk of the trauma he creates. Are there any recommendations from yourself or others please.
    Kindest regards Renee

    Reply
Wendy Nibeck says July 3, 2016

YES. NAILED IT. These sites are absolute poison. I’ve never been on Tinder but had one “relationship” from OKC and one from POF. Both only lasted about 5 months and were absolute train wrecks. Both narcissists, lying, cheating manipulative jerks. The opening of this post made me laugh and shake my head. I met the POF guy shortly after Thanksgiving and had a wonderful cozy holiday with him. By April we were in Key West together with the coconut umbrella drinks. A few weeks later he discarded me just at the point he knew I was gearing up to go on job interviews. I never had a good experience, however brief, with anyone I ever met on either of those sites. I’m still healing from my last experience so am not dating, but when I’m ready I will never use a free dating site again, if I use one at all.

Reply
sonali says July 2, 2016

I met Dracula on OK Cupid, 3 years of a gradual descent into hell. Fortunately i got away before he was able to totally drain the life out of me and now he’s busy with a new victim/supply.

Reply
    merijoe says July 2, 2016

    yep, 3 years-red flags all the time that I denied…until one day the moron sent my cell phone a message he intended to send to another girl, nasty and disgusting…when I confronted him he just calmly said that he wasn’t my boyfriend…this was after 3 years.

    Reply
kiwilifenz says July 1, 2016

There is another I know of, it’s worse than POF, it’s called NZDating

Reply
    kimraya says July 1, 2016

    Thanks for sharing that, kiwilifenz!

    Reply
Kim says June 30, 2016

I met my boyfriend on Tinder 5 months ago and we couldn’t be happier, but I did meet quite a few losers in the process.

Reply
chirose says June 29, 2016

“The last place an empathic, intuitive person would want to meet someone is on Tinder.”

This statement.!!! This statement all day.!! Thank you Kim…

Reply
    kimraya says June 29, 2016

    Thank you, Chirose! So good to see you here 🙂 And yes, Tinder is absolutely the dating apocalypse!

    Reply
      chirose says June 29, 2016

      Yes…it’s good to be here.! Not going anywhere..esp backwards 🙂

      I have a friend on Tinder and she makes me crazy with her stories. So many married men on it too. But she’s not ready to see the truth. Hopefully..one day.

      Thanks Kim for being here too 🙂

      Reply
        kimraya says June 29, 2016

        *hugs* <3

        Reply
        merijoe says July 2, 2016

        Ha, I know what you mean, a co worker met someone on Match.com, within no time, he sent her texts messages and calls all day and night everyday (yuck) and sent her flowers to the office….she was over the moon, then they got married, she claimed everything was fine, until one day when they had been married less than a year, she caught him at another girls house in his robe…yes, she actually caught him, I think she followed him or something-she’s a feisty Italian -haha. Needless to say, they’re divorced, but it took her a while to get over that disaster and hurt.

        Reply
merijoe says June 28, 2016

Im 56 years old – before the days of internet, I met guys thru places I went-didnt mean they wouldn’t turn out to be pigs but at least I got to meet them in person.
When in my early 30’s I did newspaper ads, then after a while starting in my late 30’s, I did the online thing, one of my first was ok cupid…I met someone there in my early 40’s who turned out to be a narcissistic weirdo who only wanted one thing, and it wasnt a committed relationship (at least with me), unfortunately, it took me a while to get over that emotional obsession, by the time I did, it was really too late for me -nature had taken away my ability to have children…I have had 100% bad stuff from every online dating service I joined and that has been over a dozen and the men there…from being stood up, to meeting psychos who boldly put up pictures that were not them or from 20 yrs prior, to being abused verbally or emotionally, to being lied, to promises of love that never happened, to being coaxed to give of myself just to be taken advantage of…You can see, I don’t need an article to keep me away, but keep spreading the word, so others might know.

Reply
Leonardo says June 28, 2016

I messaged with this guy from Santa Ana, CA on OKC. He had a beautiful profile and gorgeous pictures.
He “grew up” in South Africa (That’s a big red flag) overseas people always end up asking for money.
We messaged back and forward for few weeks. I decide to use the “Grey Rock” Technic with him. I just wanted to see how far he would go. I gave him my cellphone number (Not smart) but I was able to find out where his number was from, nothing to do with Santa Ana, CA.
I asked what was the day’s weather like in Santa Ana, he gave me Raleigh’s NC weather, like 20 degrees hotter than CA. I told him he was lying and just block his number.
I know there are out there vulnerable people that can fell for people like this guy…
My point is; if someone approaches you mentioning south Africa, the UK, a military career, most likely it’s a scam. the bad grammar used to be notorious as well, I think that has improved these days.
My grammar is not perfect, but my first language is spanish, so my apologies. =)
Leonardo

Reply
Jenn says June 28, 2016

Add Our time.com. Every single person I met. At least 15 and I repeat 15 people. Those were only the ones in person and I at one time close to 100 messages from different people on the site that red flags were so bad I did not even respond to the message. Disgusting.

Reply
divorcinganarcissistblog says June 28, 2016

So good! I’ve been dipping my toes in the water, but the idea of dating really scares the crap out of me! I have been trying out Bumble which gives women all the power, so that one feels the safest so far. I still cant help but swipe left for any guy with a selfie because my inner voice screams “Narcissist!!!!” haha

Reply
ThePinch says June 28, 2016

I’d have to agree. Like everybody else, I thought it was MY problem. Sure, you can anticipate some level of flack – that’s what it is, right or wrong, to be female on the internet.

Through training with people like Kim, it’s a lot easier to spot the narcissists; the I I I I aye types; the ones demanding a Rolls Royce or a Bentley; the ones that subtly insult you in the opening words, or start a quarrel (wadya mean you are a female contractor; bet you don’t get dirty.) I do get dirty, and I’ve been doing so since you were a gleam in your Daddy’s eyes.

Bottom line: 95 % had no intention of meeting me. They were just bored. They wanted some kind of “relationship” with a girl without putting any work into it. And therein lies the key. In the real world, there is always an effort – at the very least, to be civil.

Very recently, I just pulled the plug on everything. I’m getting much happier with who I am, thank you very much. I accept that it will take time to get over (in this case) my BPD lover. And I trust the process that always worked for me. \

Until then, I am grateful for my health, my friendships, my sobriety, and for my accomplishments. I am learning that being myself is good enough.

Reply
Shelly says June 28, 2016

I’d like to add a site called Black People Meet. Every single man I talked to on there was a classic Narcissist

Reply
    kimraya says June 28, 2016

    Hi Shelly! Thanks for the heads-up!

    Reply
ClamDeFacto says June 28, 2016

Hi Kim – Your work helped me recover from a love affair with someone who had textbook NPD, Thank You! This post is spot on, for the most part. While recovering from NPD boyfriend, I did use POF and OKC, looking specifically for buddies with similar interests. Three years later I’m off the sites because I’ve found real love, but a few of my current best friends are men I met on these sites. I went into it announcing I only wanted friends who wanted to do a,b,c…which I’m sure helped, but certainly didn’t deter all the creeps. But once I understood red flags and trusted my instincts again, it was really easy to spot unhealthy personality types. Misogyny is still rampant. Maybe he’s not a psychopath, but he still loves to make you feel bad – there’s plenty of him around. But there are nice men who exist who may even be on some of these gross sites because they’re as confused as anyone else as to how to meet…you. But listen, folks, I’m crippled. I can’t spend the day strolling around town or going on all the adventures that guarantee romance and fun. If you can get out into the world and experience the parade of life, do it! That’s where the people are that will encourage you to live your best life. Until then, meet me for online backgammon?

Reply
Gods Glory says June 28, 2016

LOL… I enjoy it, you are so correct. POF, I will say I found my worst dates from there. Only the ones that formed into lasting friendships and not romance came from Match, Jdate and Eharmony.

Reply
Add Your Reply