An AARP survey of 300 adults 50 and older found 41% ran into a fake profile or scam attempt on dating apps, and half of those seeking a partner had no luck yet.
About four in ten older adults who date online have run into a fake profile or someone trying to scam them. That is the headline finding from a January 2026 survey by AARP's Smart Picks team. It asked 300 adults ages 50 and older who had used online dating in the previous three years about their goals, results and spending.
Goals were mixed. About 38 percent said they wanted a long-term romantic partner. Another 39 percent wanted to date casually and meet new people. Eight percent wanted sexual relationships. Couples therapist Giulia Davis, founder of Mycelia Therapy in San Francisco, says dating after 50 is often about choosing who to share the life you have already built with.
Among people seeking a long-term partner, results were split. Twenty percent were in a serious relationship lasting more than three months with someone they met on the platform. Twenty-one percent had a serious relationship that lasted less than three months. Nine percent were currently dating someone new. The other 50 percent had not found luck yet.
Still, many were happy. Sixty-five percent of all respondents were completely or somewhat satisfied overall. About 59 percent said they were likely or very likely to recommend their app to a friend. Davis says even unsuccessful dates can help people ask what they want now.
Forty-one percent said they had met a fake profile or someone trying to scam them. Some said this kept them away. One respondent waited about six years, hoping the platforms would become safer. Another said most people they found turned out to be scams. Three respondents mentioned hearing horror stories.
Davis does not tell older adults to avoid online dating because of the risk. She points to one warning sign instead.
Fifty-two percent said they paid for special features or upgraded subscriptions. Forty-eight percent did not. Respondents were divided on whether the upgrades were worth the price. One paying user said the cost of trying to find a good match far outweighs the extra fee.
Treat any quick request for money or favors as a warning sign, especially when it comes with a sudden emergency. A real match will understand if you slow down. The survey also included some multi-select questions, so a few results add up to more than 100 percent. The survey text provided here was cut off, so more details on paid features are not covered.
If a new match asks for money or favors, especially in a sudden emergency, slow down and treat it as a possible scam.
North Dakota lawmakers are looking at HB 1447, a bill meant to help prevent crypto fraud, and AARP wants residents to speak up.
Read more: North Dakota weighs a bill to curb crypto scamsA user says Anthropic's Claude Code put his email in web requests, then scam messages arrived. The link is unproven, but it shows what AI tools can share.
Read more: User says Claude Code sent his email address to websitesA fake call in Truro, Canada, sent a police tactical team to a woman's home. An RCMP officer now shares plain rules for spotting phone scams.
Read more: Canadian police share simple rules to beat phone scammers
