When fake profiles mean real problems for love

IF THE Beatles had written Eleanor Rigby today, the chorus might have gone thusly instead: “All the lonely people… Are they even people?”

It’s a fair question to ask of dating apps plagued by catfishers and scammers, and Tinder is trying to answer that question better with its identity verification feature.

Last week, the dating app said that it would roll this feature out in the US, UK, Brazil and Mexico after trialling it in Australia and New Zealand last year. Users will have the option of submitting their driving licence or passport, which must match a video selfie and their profile photo in order to get a checkmark on their profile.