By Editor,Karleigh Smith

Copyright dailymail

Scams, threesomes and downright CREEPS: Inside the seedy world of Aussie Facebook singles pages

Single people using online community groups

Being scammed in the process

By KARLEIGH SMITH

Published: 04:31 BST, 15 September 2025 | Updated: 04:31 BST, 15 September 2025

Australians looking for love are resorting to desperate – and risky – measures in their hope of finding the one.

Singletons are turning to Facebook in huge numbers to find a partner, but are being forced to wade through creeps, scams, fake profiles and bullying in their quest for romance.

A Daily Mail investigation revealed community groups – once used for innocent posts about lost dogs and local gossip – have become the latest place to trawl for a partner.

One man on a Tasmanian town’s ‘chit chat’ page shared a picture of himself announcing he was looking for love with a male or female, and was a ‘good cuddler’.

He added that he’d just ‘won big on the pokies…come at me girls’.

Meanwhile, countless blokes are being hoodwinked by scam profiles which flood Aussie singles pages. The scams usually feature a photo of a beautiful young woman claiming to be looking for love – with the addition of a link or WhatsApp number.

Some users complained bitterly that the administrators of the pages aren’t doing enough to crack down on scammers preying on the lonely.

‘It’s impossible to know who is a scammer and who is not,’ said one user in an Adelaide singles Facebook group.

Scammers often steal real people’s pictures to use with anonymous profiles

Strange links can often be clues that the person posting is a scammer

‘I’d love to find that special someone… but all you get is people wanting you to get on WhatsApp.’

Other men were quick to spot a fake profile, with one commenting that if a person looks too good to be true, they probably are.

On other pages, cruel bullies shared pictures of people unaware they were being photographed, with one person posting an image of a woman smoking in the street in Tasmania.

Another creep commented on a picture of a woman looking for love in Adelaide to baselessly suggest she uses illegal drugs.

Other users were quick to slam the behaviour.

But among the scammers and trolls, men and women are seeking genuine connection.

‘I’m not having much luck on the (dating) apps,’ lamented one woman in a Queensland Mate or Date public group.

Another man kept it simple, anonymously posting ‘Horny chats’. He received no public response.

Some people look for love via public posts on standard community pages

Commenters were quick to allege this account, with the single name Melissa, was a scammer

One person, posting as an ‘anonymous participant’, used a Canberra-based group to spice up her marriage.

‘Hey everyone, my husband and I are in town for the weekend. Any single female like to join us for a drink. Like this post and we will message you, thanks,’ she said, adding kissing and smiling emojis.

One person hit the thumbs-up button.

Many genuine users of the groups shared information about themselves together with a selfie or two at the risk of attracting ridicule.

But, hearteningly, there are plenty of warm and welcoming responses to balance out the trolling.

An Adelaide person revealed they are transfeminine, non-binary, polyamorous and aromantic – someone who experiences little to no romantic attraction.

They were looking for friendships and connection.

Far from receiving hurtful responses, one group member made sure the person felt at ease.

Some people on Aussie Facebook singles pages make it clear what they’re looking for

One person used a Canberra community group to seek a third person to spend time with

‘It’s scary, putting yourself out there. Well done for doing so,’ a local woman said.

Australian government agency Scamwatch warned that it was easy to be tricked when looking for love online.

They said scammers use romance, dating or friendship to gain people’s trust and ultimately their money

‘Never trust that someone you only know online is who they say they are. Scammers work hard to trick you into thinking the relationship is real, then manipulate you to get your money. They can spend years building your trust,’ the organisation said.

Red flags to watch out for include someone trying to move your chat from a social media platform or online dating to a free messaging platform like Google Hangouts, WeChat, Line or WhatsApp.

Other warning signs include someone who insists they can show you how to make easy money, usually via cryptocurrency, someone who asks for money claiming they’re in an emergency, or someone who refuses to ever meet in person or on video chat.

AdelaideWhatsappFacebookTasmania

Share or comment on this article:
Scams, threesomes and downright CREEPS: Inside the seedy world of Aussie Facebook singles pages

Add comment