Mom urged her to FaceTime before meeting the man she fell in love with after just 3 days of texting — one phone call later, she understood why
The more perfect someone seems, the easier it can be to overlook the small details that don't quite add up. That was exactly what happened to TikTok creator Taylor Wing, who goes by @taylorwingg, who shared her unusual dating experience on April 24, 2026. After matching with a man on Hinge, the two spent days texting, and she quickly found herself convinced she had met someone genuinely different. However, a series of increasingly strange interactions left her questioning whether the man was really who he claimed to be. What she uncovered after doing a little digging completely changed how she viewed the match.
The woman recalled telling her mom she was in love just days after texting with the man. The parent suggested doing a FaceTime to get to know him better, but she brushed it off. Eventually, the duo messaged more, and it seemed like he was too perfect. After they had a few questionable text exchanges, she finally spoke over a phone call. The conversation was weird. He made odd comments about her time at Arizona State University, complained about people who came back from Europe right after learning she had recently visited, and kept making remarks that felt oddly directed at her. The more he spoke, the more Wing felt something was off. Determined to verify his identity, she and a friend searched his phone number using an online people-search service. While her own number returned pages of personal information, his produced nothing at all. She concluded that either the guy was not who he claimed to be or didn't exist at all.
Previous suspicious conversations added to her theory. Since she only knew the man's first name, she asked for his last name, explaining that she wanted to look him up. He admitted he had no public social media accounts, claiming he only kept a private "burner" Instagram to browse other people's profiles. The explanation only deepened her doubts. Another shocker was how he unmatched her after she failed to answer a call, leaving her with no closure. In hindsight, she couldn't help but agree that she should have taken her mom's advice.
The viewers agreed. @fatrachelberry said, "With Hinge, I always do a phone call / FaceTime screening." @Andy74 commented, "I went through the same thing, and I’m 51." @GMili also wrote, "It's good to FaceTime before you meet up just to get a little clarity and break the ice." Wing's experience reflects a growing concern in online dating. A 2024 peer-reviewed study published in Deviant Behavior found that 44% of 1,511 social media and dating app users said they had been catfished at least once in the last 5 years, with fake identities and misleading personal details being among the most common tactics. While not every suspicious interaction involves deception, experts say verifying someone's identity before meeting can help avoid unnecessary risks.
For more such stories, follow Tay Wing at @taylorwingg on TikTok.