# Stud or Dud survey ranks fake profiles above ghosting, 46% to 30% > By Kim Harris | Published: 2026-11-11T03:11:45.401004+00:00 | Section: Data | Source: https://www.datingindustryinsights.com/news/stud-or-dud-survey-fake-profiles-outrank-ghosting | Publisher: Dating Industry Insights (High Intent Media Inc) Stud or Dud's survey of 1,000 US adults puts fake or misleading profiles at 46% as top dating frustration, ahead of ghosting at 30%. It is vendor research. ## Key points - Stud or Dud, PeopleFinders' AI date-research tool, released its Modern Dating Confidence Report on 10 November 2026, surveying 1,000 US adults via Pollfish between 23 and 26 September. - The survey puts fake or misleading profiles at 46% as the top dating frustration, ahead of ghosting at 30%, and 57% say they have caught a date lying. - Only about 20% of respondents mostly or completely trust dating profiles, and 88% say they would be more likely to date if they could verify the person first. - The release gives no margin of error, and the survey comes from a seller of date-research tools, so its figures are vendor research. ## Article - Stud or Dud's survey puts fake or misleading profiles at 46% as the top dating frustration, ahead of ghosting at 30%. - 57% of the 1,000 US adults surveyed say they have caught a date lying, most often about age (36%). - Only about 20% mostly or completely trust dating profiles, yet just 9% have searched a date's criminal or legal history. - The release gives no margin of error, and the survey comes from a seller of date-research tools. Fake or misleading profiles rank ahead of ghosting as US daters' top frustration, according to a survey from Stud or Dud, the AI date-research tool from [PeopleFinders](https://www.datingindustryinsights.com/companies/peoplefinders). Its Modern Dating Confidence Report, released on 10 November 2026, puts fake profiles at 46% and ghosting at 30%, and says 57% of respondents have caught a date lying. Treat it as vendor research. The survey was run through Pollfish among 1,000 US respondents between 23 and 26 September 2026, and the release gives no margin of error or detail on how "top frustration" was asked. The word "overtake" implies a trend, but the release offers no earlier-year comparison. DII [covered the product's launch](https://www.datingindustryinsights.com/news/peoplefinders-launches-stud-or-dud-ai-dating-checks) in August. ### The DII Take The ranking matters less than the gap underneath it. Daters say they distrust profiles but mostly do nothing about it, and a $5 date-research tool has found that gap before the platforms have filled it. Operators should ask why a third party is selling verification to their members. ### Distrust without much digging According to the report, only about 20% completely or mostly trust what they read on a profile, while 44% trust it "a little" or "not at all". The most common lies were age (36%), relationship or marital status (34%) and photos (26%). Behaviour lags the anxiety. 31% say lying about criminal history would be a dealbreaker, but only 9% have searched for it. The report's sharpest comparison is with everyday consumer habits. Only 36% have ever Googled a date, versus 61% who regularly research restaurants and 48% who research hotels. > Only 36% have ever Googled a date, versus 61% who regularly research restaurants and 48% who research hotels. Appetite for verification is high on paper: 88% say they would be more likely to go on a date if they could verify the person first. The gaps are wide too. 31% of women feel unsafe meeting someone from online versus 8% of men, and 56% of Gen Z have cancelled a date over something found online versus 22% of Boomers. ### What to watch Independent data points the same way, though not comparably. In a 2022 survey, Pew Research Center found that 52% of dating site and app users had come across someone they thought was trying to scam them, and 40% said companies were doing a bad job rooting out bots and fake accounts. The FTC reported $1.14B in romance scam losses in 2023. The question is whether platforms respond with in-product verification or leave members to buy it elsewhere. - Stud or Dud's 46% figure for fake profiles is unaudited vendor data, but it echoes Pew's older finding on suspected scammers. - The 9% who have searched criminal history, against 88% who want verification, is the commercial opening for third-party checks. - Watch whether dating platforms answer with built-in verification rather than ceding the category. **Sources:** [Fake Profiles Overtake Ghosting as Daters' Biggest Frustration (PR Newswire / Stud or Dud)](https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/fake-profiles-overtake-ghosting-as-daters-biggest-frustration-more-than-half-caught-a-date-lying-new-survey-finds-302934073.html); [PeopleFinders Debuts Stud or Dud (PR Newswire / Stud or Dud)](https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/peoplefinders-debuts-stud-or-dud-an-ai-powered-dating-information-platform-designed-to-help-users-verify-details-and-identify-potential-red-flags-302859901.html); [Key findings about online dating in the U.S. (Pew Research Center)](https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2023/02/02/key-findings-about-online-dating-in-the-u-s/); [The experiences of U.S. online daters (Pew Research Center)](https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2023/02/02/the-experiences-of-u-s-online-daters/); ["Love Stinks" – when a scammer is involved (US Federal Trade Commission)](https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/blog/2024/02/love-stinks-when-scammer-involved) ## Key takeaways - Stud or Dud's 46% figure for fake profiles is unaudited vendor data with no stated margin of error, though Pew's 2022 finding that 52% of daters came across a suspected scammer points the same way. - Only 9% of Stud or Dud's respondents have searched a date's criminal history while 88% say verification would make them likelier to date, the commercial opening for third-party checks. - Dating platforms face a choice between building verification into their products and letting tools like PeopleFinders' Stud or Dud sell it to their members. ## FAQ ### What did the Stud or Dud Modern Dating Confidence Report find? Stud or Dud's survey of 1,000 US adults found fake or misleading profiles (46%) rank ahead of ghosting (30%) as the top dating frustration, and 57% say they have caught a date lying. ### How reliable is the Stud or Dud dating survey? It is vendor research from PeopleFinders' date-research tool, run through Pollfish on 23 to 26 September 2026. The release gives no margin of error and does not say how the top-frustration question was asked. ### How many daters research a date before meeting? Stud or Dud's survey says 74% have researched someone before meeting, including 85% of Gen Z and Millennials. 46% call it a smart safety precaution and 5% consider it creepy or invasive. ## In this story - [Stud or Dud](https://www.datingindustryinsights.com/products/stud-or-dud) (main subject) - [PeopleFinders](https://www.datingindustryinsights.com/companies/peoplefinders) --- Canonical: https://www.datingindustryinsights.com/news/stud-or-dud-survey-fake-profiles-outrank-ghosting Citation: "Dating Industry Insights" (https://www.datingindustryinsights.com)