Like many people these days, I met my boyfriend online.
But as little as just twenty years ago, that’s far less likely to have been the case.
There’s no doubt that online dating has changed the face of dating forever in such a short time.
We’ve seen drastic cultural shifts in how we meet, date, and fall in love because of it.
The convenience and ease of accessible dating at your fingertips is compelling.
For some, it brings them their happily ever after.
But, as most of us probably know firsthand already, it’s not without its drawbacks.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, along with our increased online dating has come online cheating, catfishing, and romance scams too.
In this article, we’ll dive deep into online dating statistics in 2023.
We’ll investigate the good, the bad, and the ugly of online dating.
Bringing you the most comprehensive breakdown of all the trends and surprising insights.
So let’s jump straight in!
Headline statistics
- In 2023 384 million people worldwide are expected to use online dating.
- Online dating is most popular in the US, with 21.9% of the population using it.
- The dating app market brought in a massive $5.61 billion in revenue in 2021.
- Two in every five couples met online.
- Nearly 3 in 20 people (14.7%) have had a relationship that’s lasted longer than a year after online dating.
- 54% of Americans say meeting online makes no difference to whether the relationship works out or not.
- 80% of Tinder users claim to be looking for a meaningful relationship.
- 36% of men say that they’re using online dating for sex, compared to just 14% of women.
- 61% of online daters want to meet people with shared interests.
- 7% of people who have ever used dating apps or websites have used them to cheat on a significant other.
- Tinder is the dating app that has the most global users.
Online dating statistics overview 2023
The most recent figures show that there were over 366 million people using online dating services in 2022.
In 2023 that’s predicted to hit 384 million users worldwide.
Over the next five years, those figures are expected to rise at least another hundred million to a whopping 440 million people.
In the US alone this year, online daters are expected to reach 35 million, rising to 35.5 million in 2024.
(Image Source: Statista)
There are clearly more of us than ever using the internet to find romance.
It’s perhaps no surprise then that business is booming.
The dating app market brought in a massive $5.61 billion in revenue in 2021.
The biggest market share went to the Match Group, which owns Tinder—pocketing almost $3 billion.
Having said that, it seems slightly fewer of us are downloading dating apps.
Downloads have dropped in the past couple of years.
It’s down from a peak of 287.4 million downloads in 2019 to 260.7 million downloads in 2021.
But rather than money, most of us are in it for the love.
So are we finding it?
Let’s take a look.
How many couples meet through online dating these days?
Recent figures put the number of couples meeting online at almost two in every five.
Researchers say it has now become the most popular way U.S. couples connect, with 39 percent of couples saying they met online.
That’s a huge increase compared to less than 30 years ago, with that figure standing at just 2% of couples back in 1995.
But it seems so-called organic dating (meeting someone naturally) is still alive and kicking.
Here are the most common ways people in the States say they meet partners these days:
- Online (39%)
- Bars/restaurants (27%)
- Through friends (20%)
- At work (11%)
- At school (9%)
- Through family (7%)
Now let’s compare that to how people were most likely to meet their partners back in 1995:
- Through friends (33%)
- Bars/Restaurants (19%)
- At work (19%)
- At school (19%)
- Through family (15%)
- Online (2%)
(Image Source: Statista)
Do online relationships work?
Like I said in the intro, I met my man online. But will it last? What are my odds?
In short: Does online dating work?
The answer to that might come down to your definition of success.
Pew Research Center says almost one in four Americans have at the very least been out on a date with someone they met online.
12% of people say they have married or been in a committed relationship with someone they first met through a dating site or app.
But if those figures still seem low to you, it’s important to remember that things like your age and sexual orientation also make a big difference.
Unsurprisingly, younger people are more likely to use online dating — roughly half of 18-to 29-year-olds (48%).
Online dating is also more popular among the LGBTQ community — 55% of LGB adults say they’ve used dating sites and apps.
It seems with an increase in use, comes an increase in success rates.
So 20% of younger people and LGB say they have married or been in a committed relationship with someone they first met online.
Meanwhile, another survey of 500 dating app users, aged 18-65 shed even more light on your chances of finding lasting love online.
– Nearly 3 in 20 people (14.7%) have had a relationship that’s lasted longer than a year.
– 7.2% of people have had a relationship that’s lasted between six months and a year.
– 14.5% of people have had a relationship that’s lasted under 6 months.
– 13.6 % have gotten engaged or married.
(Image source: Bustle)
Are online dating relationships more likely to fail?
Online dating can still get some bad publicity.
So you might question whether an online romance is somehow doomed to failure.
Let’s start with the positives.
Another Pew Research Center study found that most people don’t think how you meet makes much of a difference to the likely success of a relationship.
Over half of Americans (54%) say that relationships, where couples meet through a dating site or app, are just as likely to work out as those that begin in person.
Meanwhile, 38% do think these relationships are less successful, but 5% believe they’re even more successful.
But what do the stats themselves suggest?
Is there any difference in how long a relationship lasts when you meet online or offline?
Honestly, there isn’t a lot of research to go on. But according to at least one study, yes.
Research published in the Journal ‘Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking’ looked at data from Stanford University detailing how over 4000 couples met.
It found that those who met online were more likely to break up than people who had met in real life.
After controlling other variables, it noted 32% of online unmarried couples split up during the course of the survey.
That’s compared to only 23% of offline unmarried couples who broke up.
The study’s author Aditi Paul put forward her own theory for why:
“This could be because people think, ‘You know what, I met somebody online, so I understand that there are other people available once I break up with this person.'”
“Think about women going dress shopping. We always think that the better dress is in the next shop. Now we’re shopping for relationships; we’re looking for the better deal.”
Before you get too disheartened, it’s important to remember that this is only one small study.
Plus the difference in success rates are hardly staggering between online and offline romances.
In reality, there’s not enough evidence to say conclusively whether online relationships are any more or less successful than meeting in real life.
What are most people looking for from online dating?
I don’t know about you, but oh the number of endless conversations I’ve had with friends about this one.
Intention is a biggie when it comes to meeting someone online.
What exactly are we searching for when we sign up for online dating?
Are people looking for the love of their lives?
Or do the majority just want a quick hookup?
Not according to one Tinder report that claims as many as 80% of its users say they’re looking for a meaningful relationship.
Let’s see if the stats can shed any light on things.
One of the surveys I mentioned above also dug deeper into what people say they’re looking for from online dating.
If you’ve ever felt like online dating is a bit of a meat market you may be pleasantly surprised.
Overall, they discovered lots of guys and gals are ultimately looking for something long-term.
Here’s what they found:
— Slightly more women (44.1%) than men (38.4%) are seeking a serious relationship.
— Meanwhile, 22.6% of guys want something casual, compared to 14.8% of women.
Some of the more surprising findings include:
— 2.9% of guys say they’re just looking for free drinks and meals. (Come on fellas!)
— 5.3% of women claim they’re using online dating to boost their self-esteem. (Personally, I’m shocked that figure isn’t higher for both women and men).
(Image source: Bustle)
What you’re looking for from online dating also depends on your age.
It’s perhaps unsurprising that the older you get, the less interested you are in sewing your wild oats.
Instead, the focus increasingly shifts from sex to building a relationship as we enter our 30s.
That can be seen from a survey of online daters that found:
— 27% of 30 to 44-year-olds have met someone from an online dating app with the intention of starting a relationship.
— That’s compared to just 17% of 18 to 44-year-olds.
(Image Source: Kaspersky)
Do men and women have different reasons for using online dating?
Again, anecdotally I’ve had plenty of chats about whether men and women have very different ideas when it comes to dating apps.
Is it true what they say, that ‘Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus’?
Let’s be honest:
The typical gender stereotype is that guys are more likely to be looking for casual sex.
And the stats do back that up to a certain extent:
— A 2021 Statista report found 36% of men say that they’re using online dating for sex. That’s compared to just 14% of women.
According to the same survey, guys are also more likely to keep their options open:
— 24% of men versus 15% of women said they are using online dating to find non-exclusive romantic relationships.
Women on the other hand seem more focused on friendship than men are:
— 27% of women say they’re hoping to make platonic non-romantic connections, compared to only 22% of men.
(Image: Most popular reasons for users in the United States to use online dating websites or apps as of May 2021, by gender, Statista)
More men say they’re looking for marriage than women
But let’s not be too hasty labeling guys as only on the hunt for hookups.
Because perhaps this next part may surprise you:
One survey found men were slightly more likely than women to say that they’re using online dating apps to find a relationship or even marriage.
One in five guys (20%) said they were using online dating to find a partner.
Whatsmore, more than one in ten (12%) of men said they were looking for marriage.
In all fairness, the stats for women were similar, although slightly lower.
17% of women said they were on the hunt for a partner, and 10% admitted they were looking for marriage.
(Image Source: Kaspersky)
As you can probably tell by now, it’s not so straightforward when we try to make stats out of human behavior.
We look to find “the truth” from facts and stats, thinking that they will lay human behavior bare.
But human behavior has a habit of being subjective rather than quite so clear-cut.
Despite our often ingrained assumptions about men and women having different drives when it comes to sex, love, and romance — that might not be the case.
What do online daters want from a partner?
What do you want in a partner?
Maybe you’ve got a tick list as long as your arm. Or perhaps you’re looking for something more modest from a potential beau.
When Healthy Framework asked singles using online dating what they are searching for, here’s what they discovered:
- 61% of daters want to meet people that share common interests
- 44% of daters want to meet someone who shares their values and beliefs
- 42% of daters want to meet someone for marriage
- 26% of daters want to meet someone to just have non-committal fun
- 21% of daters want to meet someone because they have a challenging schedule
FYI: Respondents were allowed to tick more than one box, which is why the overall percentage is higher than 100.
And it makes sense:
You may be looking for love, but that doesn’t mean you’ll say no to a one-night bunk-up either.
But you may have spotted already something:
The figure given for people looking for marriage (42%) in this survey is far higher than what we’ve seen in previous surveys.
Which again highlights how tricky it can be to pin figures down.
So perhaps it’s time to dig deeper into what we know about online dating and marriage.
Online dating marriage statistics:
We’ve already touched upon the number of people using dating apps who are hoping to find a bride or groom.
Depending on which figures you turn to, that can be as high as 42% or as low as 11%.
But just how many people are getting hitched after online dating?
The number of people who get married after online dating
Remember earlier one survey we looked at said almost 14% of online daters were engaged or married to a person they met on online dating?
But that may well be an underestimation.
Particularly as online dating continues to grow in popularity.
One far bigger survey, which involved more than 19,000 individuals who married between 2005 and 2012 suggests the figure could be higher.
Findings, published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences said more than a third of new marriages start online (35%).
Although that’s online, not just online dating.
More specifically, 45% of those couples met on dating sites— aka 45% of 35%.
The remainder connected in online social networks, chat rooms, instant messaging, or other online forums.
So the overall figure of married couples meeting through online dating seems to tally up with the figures given by the Statistic Brain Research Institute:
They say a little more than 1 in 6 marriages arise from online dating (17%).
Is the divorce rate higher when you meet through online dating?
Sadly, this is another headline grabber that has given online dating a bad rap.
Research suggests that married couples who meet online are a whopping six times more likely to get divorced.
A survey by the charity Marriage Foundation looked at 2,000 adults aged 30 who had gotten married.
It found that couples who met online since the year 2000 had a 12% risk of divorce in the first three years of marriage.
That’s compared to 2% for those who met via social connections.
But if there’s one thing we’ve learned by now, it’s to not be too quick to jump to conclusions.
Because there is evidence to contradict this claim.
In fact, numbers crunched in another study found that marriages created online were less likely to break up within the first year.
Whatsmore, they also claimed that partners who met online even reported a higher degree of satisfaction in their marriage too.
Online dating trends in 2023
The face of online dating has already changed dramatically since it hit the scene back in 1995 with the launch of Match.com.
Since then, it’s had a huge image overhaul.
Once seen as a place exclusively for the loneliest amongst us, that’s no longer the case.
In fact, a recent survey showed there’s been:
— A 15% increase in US adults who think online dating is a good idea.
— A 6% decrease in US adults who think people who use online dating sites are desperate.
So how can we expect online dating to be different in 2023?
Here’s what some experts are predicting:
- Resolution dating:
As a new year rolls around, we’re apparently looking for people who will help us stick to our resolutions.
Dating.com says 57% of survey respondents reported recently ending a relationship due to mismatched values and goals.
A further 60% claim they’re prepared to back off from a budding romance if it doesn’t support their overall goals.
- Turning to monogamy to keep costs down
The tough economic situations many are facing in 2023 could have a knock-on effect on how we date.
Romance can be pricey.
That’s why record-high inflation teemed with looming recession means people are looking to cut back.
61% of singles say they’ll date one person at a time (rather than meeting multiple potential partners) in order to save money on first dates.
- Broadening our dating horizons
The world feels like it’s becoming a smaller place. That may explain why more people are prepared to look further afield for love.
Or perhaps they have just swiped through everyone in their own hometown a few too many times?!
Either way, one-third of people say they’re up for relationships with people in another city, state, or even country.
- Ditching “your type”
Plenty of us have a type, but it seems we’re more willing to look past it.
As the world of internet dating opens us up to a whole new world of people, 38% say they’re open to dating beyond their typical physical type.
Meanwhile, 30% of people say they no longer date the type of person their friends would expect.
- More real talk
This year we want to get more intimate and open up.
More than half of all daters revealed a wish to discuss sexual desires early in the relationship.
Meanwhile, men want to shake off those BS gender roles.
74% of guys say they’ve had a long think about their behavior over the last year.
And they’re ready to challenge misguided stereotypes that men shouldn’t show emotions and feelings, in order to become more expressive.
Online dating terms in 2023
Online dating has already given rise to some classic terms we’ve all come to know, although not necessarily love.
I’m thinking of ghosting, catfishing, and my personal favorite…breadcrumbing (who doesn’t love to have their time wasted, am I right?!).
So what are the fresh terms for 2023 that we should all become familiar with?
According to Glamour Magazine, we should get better acquainted with these:
- “OnlyPlans”
You make plans but never meet. They always end up hesitating, rescheduling, or canceling.
For example:
“I matched with a really cute guy, but I’m getting some serious OnlyPlans signals already. He keeps suggesting we do things, but never actually commits to anything”.
- “Bae Reading”
Are you sick and tired of fake photos and extreme filters?
Then this 2023 trend will come as a relief.
Because according to Plenty of Fish’s research, the popularity of using unrealistic face filters and photo edits is over.
We’re looking toward more authentic and low-pressure dating.
74% of people say they are now happy to post real-life, unfiltered snaps on their profile.
- “Eco-dumping”
Let’s face it, morals matter — almost (but not quite) as much as abs — just kidding.
But in keeping with 2023 bringing more substance to dating, eco-credentials matter.
Value-driven connections mean over a third of people say it’s important to them that they find a partner who cares about the environment.
Differences in online dating around the world
Online dating understandably differs depending on where you are in the world.
As we’ll see soon, different apps are more popular in different parts of the globe.
In general, online dating is most popular in the US.
21.9% of people in the States in 2023 are predicted to turn to the online world to find romance.
But that’s swiftly followed by the UK, where 19.1% of people are expected to use online dating this year.
But whilst one in five Americans and Brits will use online dating in 2023, that figure drops to less than one in ten people in China and just one in twenty people in India.
(Image source: Statista)
What is the most popular dating site in 2023?
You might well be surprised at the choice of dating apps on the market.
Most of us could probably only name a few, but there are a reported 8000 competitive online dating sites and platforms worldwide.
So which is the most used dating app?
Tinder has the most global users and was the most downloaded app in 2021.
- Tinder
- Badoo
- Bumble
- Tantan
- Hinge
- Plenty of Fish
- Grindr
- Happn
- Match
- Ok Cupid
- Zoosk
- eHarmony
(Image source: Business of Apps)
Particularly in the US, Tinder is the clear frontrunner, followed by Bumble in second place.
Statista reports that 7.86 million people are currently using Tinder in the States.
(Image source: Business of Apps)
But whilst Tinder tops the charts in the US, its rival Badoo has made it to the number one spot in Europe and South America.
Here’s the thing:
Which app you opt for may well depend on what you are looking for, as well as where you live.
For example, Tatan hosts the largest Asian singles community in the world and Grindr was the first app to be specifically aimed at LGBTQ people.
Do different dating apps have different reputations?
It seems we perceive apps differently too.
Some we are more likely to turn to for hookups.
Others we think of as better for finding more serious relationships.
Your age also plays a part in where you are most likely to show up.
Here are some of the best apps for 2023 as highlighted by Mind Body Green:
- Best app for a long-term relationship — eHarmony
- Best app for seniors — Match
- Best app for casual dating and hookups — Tinder
- Best app for women — Bumble
- Best app for quality interactions — Hinge
- Best for traveling — Happn
- Best for black people — Blk
- Best for gay men — Grindr
- Best for queer people — Lex
- Best for queer women — Her
- Best for religious daters — Christian Mingle, JSwipe, & Salam
- Best for busy people — Coffee Meets Bagel
- Best for kinky dating — Feeld
What months are dating apps most active?
Do online dating habits change with the seasons?
Much like animals, there are seasonal trends to how we humans mate and date.
According to Match.com the winter months (December to February) is the busiest time of the year for dating apps and sites.
That’s because of the so-called cuffing season.
Maybe you’ve already heard of it?
It’s that time of year when we all want to snuggle up inside with a partner, largely because it’s too cold and dark to bother doing anything else.
So we’re more likely to be on the lookout for a steady beau.
Now the cuffing season has evolved for 2023.
In many ways, it’s gotten even lazier!
One of the new dating trends for this year is called Winter Coasting.
That’s where people reach out to an old flame in hopes of re-sparking some flames of passion to keep them warm during the chillier months.
One survey by the dating app Inner Circle noted that over half (52%) of singles in the UK had been contacted by an ex hoping to rekindle.
Although, perhaps it’s a word of warning to us all that 71% of people said it didn’t work out.
Do people like online dating?
Online dating is becoming more widespread, so that must mean we like it, right?
It seems the real answer to whether we like online dating is:
Sometimes yes, sometimes no.
Its rising popularity may not entirely reflect our complex feelings about online dating.
According to one study, around 60% of people said they’ve had positive experiences with dating platforms.
Yet, another survey also found that 84% of Millennials would still much rather meet someone in the real world as opposed to online.
If online dating were a relationship status, perhaps it would be:
“It’s complicated”.
The reality is that on the one hand, it can be a fantastic way to meet new people and access romance and dating seemingly on demand.
But that doesn’t mean it is without its problems, pitfalls, and challenges.
The downsides of online dating in 2023
If you’re familiar with dating apps, then you’re most likely already familiar with some of the downsides too.
These users sum up a few of the irritations many of us have felt:
40-year-old Charlene speaking to Business Insider:
“My friends use them, and their complaints about the quality of matches, the dilemma of too much choice, and the buildup of chatting with someone for weeks only to meet in person and not have chemistry completely put me off of dating apps. Swipe and chat my day away on yet another app? I don’t have time for that!”
Mari Del Rio writing on Quora:
“Maybe 5 of them are attractive, but one of them loves hunting and strip clubs and hates reading. You love books, you love animals, and you prefer a gentleman. Another lives and breathes sports, and says he’s looking for the same. Another has an empty profile saying he’s looking for hookups, nothing serious.
“You’re left with two guys on an entire site. One will turn out to live with his mom and have no job, and the other will turn out to be a manipulative narcissist. It makes you feel like you’re going to die alone.”
This man, also anonymously writing on Quora:
“It ruins your self esteem. Most women will reject you, unless you look like a male model. Mass rejection is bad for your mental health. Then when you do match with a girl who’s “in your league” or maybe even below, they don’t even try reciprocating. Women “out of your league,” in the rare instances you match, will not respond or will lead you on like you’re a joke”.
Maybe you recognize some of these gripes? I know I do.
But it seems men and women often face different challenges when online dating.
Why online dating is hard for men:
- More men than women use online dating
There are more active guys using online dating than women.
That’s pretty much the case for whichever site or app you use.
Bumble has one of the more even splits (43% women and 57% men).
Tinder has one of the worst. According to a 2021 survey, its users are almost 80% male. So there are four men for every woman.
That means it’s a lot more competitive for guys. And it also means…
- Women are more selective
If the ratio is so skewed, it stands to reason women can be a lot more choosy when they’re getting more attention.
One research study created a fake male and female profile.
They found the match rate for the fake woman was 10.5% compared to only 0.6% for the fake guy. Ouch.
This so-called paradox of choice created in online dating can compel us all to carry on swiping rather than make a decision.
Why online dating is hard for women
- Quantity, not quality matches
The higher ratio of men online dating doesn’t actually help women in the way you might at first assume.
Instead, it creates what researchers call a so-called “feedback loop” that goes like this:
Men serially swipe on anyone just to get more matches, but women are far more discerning.
But what it means is that women are more invested in their matches.
Meanwhile, men send out lots of messages but aren’t prepared to put the work in because they’re playing a numbers game.
- Harassment
Women face far more harassment than men do online dating.
For example, Pew Research Center found:
— 60% of female users ages 18 to 34 say someone on a dating site or app continued to contact them after they said they were not interested
— 57% of women report being sent a sexually explicit message or image they didn’t ask for.
Of course, then there are the struggles that we all face online dating, no matter what gender…
How many people lie when using online dating?
We all know it’s wrong to lie, right?
We’ve had it drummed into us from a young age.
But when it comes to online dating, it seems we can’t help ourselves.
Statistics show that both men and women lie in their profiles.
How many?
According to one study up to 80% of us.
Men are most likely to lie about:
- Their height
Women are most likely to lie about:
- Their weight
Meanwhile, both men and women have a tendency to lie about their age.
Also, we’re all guilty of using potentially deceitful photos — when you were younger, looking your best, or the lighting was perfect, etc.
The authors noted that these sorts of lies were “ubiquitous and small in magnitude”.
So even though they’re widespread, they’re largely so-called white lies.
Tell me lies, tell me sweet little lies
Of course, some lies are harder for us to swallow than others.
In 2021 researchers interviewed 388 men and women to find out which fibs we’re far less likely to forgive.
They found that:
- Men were most upset when deceived about attractiveness compared to women.
- Women were more upset than men when lied to about their prospective date’s occupation.
- Both men and women hated it when people pretended to be more altruistic than they really were.
Catfishing in online dating
Catfishing is probably a term you’ve become more familiar with in recent years.
The reality is that not everyone is who they say they are online.
Catfishing is using a fake persona to lure someone in — perhaps for attention, to create a false relationship, or as part of a scam.
- Who catfishes?
According to a recent study both men and women use catfishing, but it’s more common amongst men.
- Catfishing facts and stats:
— One in five (24%) catfishers are pretending to be another gender.
— 41% of catfishers say loneliness was the main motivation.
— An estimated 10% of all online dating profiles are fake.
— Catfishing in the US rose by 52% from 2015 to 2019
Online romance scams
A lot of us saw the hit documentary show The Tinder Swindler in 2022.
A Netflix smash, it told the story of a group of women collectively conned out of millions of dollars after meeting a man through a dating app.
As unbelievable as it seemed, the reality is that romance scams are on the rise.
In fact, they appear to be growing at alarming rates.
In the past five years in the US, people have reported losing an eye-watering $1.3 billion to romance scams.
The FTC noted an 80% increase in 2021 compared to 2020.
(Image source: Federal Trade Commission)
And it’s a worldwide problem:
- 34% of Australians who reported being catfished incurred financial loss
- Canadians lost $18.5 million to romance scams in 2020
- Over a quarter (27%) of online daters in the UK have been catfished in the last year.
Online dating and infidelity
Perhaps you’ve seen some shocking figures floating around about the prevalence of cheaters using online dating.
Who can forget the headlines-grabbing articles claiming that as many as 42% of people using the dating app Tinder already have a partner.
Let’s face it, people cheat, and the infidelity statistics prove this.
But is the figure really that high?
You might be relieved to hear that other estimates are much more conservative.
The Australian Journal of Counselling Psychology spoke to adults who admitted to cheating and found:
“more than 10 percent had formed intimate online relationships, 8 percent had experienced cybersex and 6 percent had met their Internet partners in person.”
Meanwhile, recent data from YouGov Omnibus shows:
- 7% of people who have ever used dating apps or websites have used them to cheat on a significant other.
- One in six (17%) current users of dating apps or websites say that this is one of their reasons for using them.
To conclude: The highs and lows of online dating
No matter how you feel about it, if the stats are anything to go by, it looks like online dating is definitely here to stay.
It’s an industry that keeps on growing.
That means record numbers of us are falling in love online, and forming relationships.
You may meet new people, grow your network, and boost your confidence in the process.
But nothing is without its drawbacks.
Online dating does take time and effort.
It can feel like a numbers game (or sometimes, like finding a needle in a haystack!).
Plus, as we’ve seen, we may have to contend with liars and scammers along the way.
But hey, as they say ‘the course of true love never did run smoothly’, right?