Fake Profiles Overtake Ghosting as Daters' Biggest Frustration, More than Half Caught a Date Lying, New Survey Finds

New data from Stud or Dud reveals modern dating has a trust problem, with nearly half saying they've canceled a date after digging up something online

SACRAMENTO, Calif., Nov. 10, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Stud or Dud, the AI-powered dating information tool designed to help people research potential dates, today released its Modern Dating Confidence Report, which found that fake or misleading profiles are now the top dating frustration (46%), ahead of ghosting (30%), reinforcing a growing trust gap in dating today. The research found that more than half of respondents (57%) have caught a date lying, and only one in five completely or mostly trust what they read on a dating profile.

The problem isn't that daters have stopped believing in love. They've stopped believing everything they see on the way to it. In fact, 88% say they would be more likely to go on a date if they could verify the person first, while 75% say they'd be comfortable knowing a potential date had used a tool to research them before meeting. The findings reinforce a dating landscape where "trust, but verify" may be replacing "swipe right and hope for the best."

"We read reviews before ever stepping foot in a restaurant or hotel," said Amber Higgins, CEO of PeopleFinders, a trusted name in public-records search for more than 25 years and the team behind Stud or Dud. "Dating shouldn't be the one area where we rely solely on a few photos and a short bio. Stud or Dud offers additional context to help people ask better questions and make their own decisions."

Is the Perfect Profile Actually a Red Flag?
For today's daters, former red flags such as living with your parents fall to the wayside, as many have to wonder whether the person behind the profile is even telling the most basic truths. Respondents' experiences may help explain that skepticism: more than half (57%) say they have caught a date lying, with age (36%), relationship or marital status (34%), and photos (26%) topping the list of misleading information.

Trust in dating profiles is also remarkably low:

• Only about 20% say they trust information on a dating profile "completely" or "mostly," whereas nearly half (44%) say they do "a little" or "not at all."
• Meanwhile, 31% say lying about criminal history would be a dealbreaker, yet only 9% have ever searched a date's criminal or legal history.
• Daters research their dinner more than their date: 61% regularly research restaurants and 48% research hotels before making a decision, but only 36% have ever Googled a date.

Doing Your Homework Before a Date Is No Longer Taboo
Nearly three-quarters (74%) say they have done research before meeting someone, with that number rising to 85% of Gen Z and Millennials. Nearly half (46%) call researching someone before a date a "smart safety precaution," while only 5% consider it creepy or invasive.

Even more telling, 65% say they are comfortable using what the survey describes as a "verification tool" to learn more about someone before meeting them.

• That research can affect dating decisions: 42% say they have canceled a date because of something they found while researching the person.
• Daters are also sending it to the group chat, with 37% having recruited friends to help vet a potential date.
• The biggest dating "ick" has nothing to do with a dating profile at all. More than half (52%) say being on your phone during a date is a major turnoff, followed by being rude to service staff (41%).

Women Report Greater Safety Concerns Around Online Dating
Trust is an issue for everyone, but women surveyed report substantially greater safety concerns. Nearly one-third (31%) of women say they feel unsafe meeting someone from online, compared with just 8% of men. Sixty-nine percent of women tell a friend or family member where they're going before a date, compared to 43% of men.

Women also report different concerns about dating and trust:

• Results showed 37% of women cite safety as a top dating frustration, compared with 16% of men.
• Women are nearly twice as likely as men to call dishonesty a dealbreaker (30% vs. 16%).
• Women also cite needing more time before trusting a new partner, with more than one-fifth (22%) saying they need 10 or more dates to feel they know someone.
• A third (35%) of men say they feel they know someone after just two or three dates, only 21% of women say the same.

Gen Z Does its Homework
In fact, more than half, 56%, of Gen Z have canceled a date over something they found online, compared with just 22% of Boomers.

The majority of Gen Z (65%) meet potential dates through social media, compared with 8% of Boomers, while 47% search for dates on Instagram, compared with only 4% of Boomers.

They also hit the cancel button faster and have a lower tolerance for lies:

• Despite being the most digitally connected generation, Gen Z isn't necessarily the most forgiving when it comes to online deception. While age is the most common lie overall, 34% of Gen Z say lying about age is a dealbreaker, compared with just 9% of Boomers.
• The majority of Gen Z (65%) meet potential dates through social media, compared with 8% of Boomers, while 47% search for dates on Instagram, compared with only 4% of Boomers.

• Gen Z is also more likely to keep their options open, with 41% saying they have two or more people on their dating roster, compared with just 16% of Boomers.

Despite all this skepticism, daters haven't completely lost hope, they've simply changed their expectations. Only 26% describe themselves as optimistic about modern dating, while "cautious" is the most common feeling at 44 percent. For a generation raised on social media, dating apps and increasingly sophisticated AI, the swipe may have made meeting someone easier, but it made trusting them harder than ever.

For more information about Stud or Dud and the Modern Dating Confidence Report, please visit www.studordud.com.

The survey was conducted via Pollfish to 1,000 U.S.-based respondents between September 23-26, 2026.

About Stud or Dud

Stud or Dud is an AI-powered dating-information and entertainment platform that helps people bring more context and curiosity to online dating. By bringing together public records, publicly available information, and AI-generated insights, Stud or Dud helps users explore details about a potential date, spot possible inconsistencies, and ask better questions. For more information, visit StudorDud.com.

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SOURCE Stud or Dud