Never a Green Light...
When you open the Words With Friends app, you see the games where it is your turn, followed by the games where it is the other person’s turn. The great thing about asynchronous play is that you can make your move whenever you want. You’re not bound to any schedule.
If there is a little green circle next to a player’s avatar, this indicates they are currently online. What you’ll find is that, with Words With Friends fake profiles, they never seem to be online. It doesn’t matter if you check in on a Tuesday afternoon or late Sunday night. That may not seem strange at first, except for this second point.
...But Plays Back Immediately
Even though these players look like they’re never online, somehow they come back with their move almost right after you play your word. How is that possible? Words With Friends scams can often involve a team of individuals working multiple accounts, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. They can be quite the operation! These may be real people, but their WWF profiles certainly aren’t legit.
Inappropriate Chat Messages
Fake profiles and fake players in Words With Friends are some of the most common complaints people have about the game. It’s annoying at best when you realize you’re not playing against another regular person. However, these situations can also turn nefarious in a hurry.
You might know about the Words With Friends chat function that’s built into the app. This allows for friendly banter (and gentle trash talk) between players. However, some would-be Romeos can send inappropriate and even salacious messages, even bordering on sexting in Words With Friends! Many players complain about creepy guys on Words With Friends all the time.
As the conversations continue, these scammers on Words With Friends may seek love or money. (Or at least put on the appearance that they do.) They might even ask you to buy things for them.
Desire to Chat Somewhere Else
Another telltale method for spotting Words With Friends fake profiles is that they’ll often ask you to take the conversation off-platform. In addition to the inappropriate or overly forward questions they may ask, these fake players may ask you to leave the Words With Friends chat and move the conversation to Google Hangouts or WhatsApp instead.
This can sometimes involve a (fake) sob story about how they need help, and that’s how they attempt to scam players out of actual money. You should always be wary of such requests, just as you should avoid clicking on any external links.
Inconsistent Language Skills
Does this “person” play big, obscure words in the game? But chatting with them reveals a poor command of the English language? Of course, some players with poor English could just be using a Words With Friends cheat to come up with big words. Even so, it’s suspicious.
Conversely, is this “person” very bad at the game, only playing very short words for very few points? And yet they chat like a natural, using “sweetheart” and other terms of endearment? You may have a fake profile on your hands. These are common indicators of a potential Words With Friends scam.
Stock Photo Profile Picture
Many players treat their profile picture in Words With Friends the same way they’d treat their picture on any social media platform. Some people choose to use a generic avatar to maintain some anonymity, whereas others may post a photo of their pet instead.
However, if it seems like you’re playing against a gorgeous person who looks a little too glamorous, they may not be who they claim to be. If the profile picture looks like a stock photo, it might be a fake. If you really want to investigate, you can take and crop a screenshot, then perform a reverse image search on Google to find out.
Most Fake Profiles Are New Players
Not all new players are fake players, but many fake profiles are new players. When you check the profile page of your opponent, you can see when they joined Words With Friends. To check their profile page, simply tap on the profile picture from the game screen. You’ll see they’ve been “playing since” a certain date.
If it’s recent and they’ve only played a handful of games, exercise additional caution. These new players may be Words With Friends scammers looking to take advantage of you.
Unknown Location
Another red flag for fake profiles in Words With Friends is an “unknown” location on their profile page. While it’s understandable that some legitimate players may want to maintain some level of privacy, if you see “unknown” as the location, along with some of the other signs described above, you may be playing against a fake player.
Words With Friends, Not Fake Players
Words With Friends is hugely popular and for good reason. But, this kind of popularity can also attract fake players too. As long as you’re prudent and exercise an appropriate level of caution, you should be just fine. To avoid Words With Friends scams, you may want to stick to playing only with people you actually know in real life.
For more help with this game, read through WordFinder's guide on what to do when Words With Friends won’t load properly. It’s a common problem with fairly simple solutions. Or for a relatable laugh, scroll through our original Words With Friends memes. After all, playing this game isn’t procrastination; it’s productive studying!
Michael Kwan is a professional writer and editor with over 14 years of experience. Fueled by caffeine and WiFi, he's no stranger to word games and dad jokes.
