POF Username Search

Plenty Of Fish (POF) keeps on switching on and off the Username Search feature (not just on their website but on Google as well). It used to be offered strictly to upgraded user members, while those who had the free version couldn't perform any lookups. Then it was blocked. Currently, the POF username search utility is available again right the top of the website and app, only to registered users. Just in case it will be hidden or removed again, it is best to switch to multi-websites username search tools like Infotracer where even introducing a part of a username in the search box returns a list of results with both partial and complete matches.

Currently, noonline dating website allows people to search profiles by simply browsing without signing up. Therefore, once registered, go to https://www.pof.com/search or click on the menu icon POF at the top left of the window, then select Search from the drop-down list. On the next screen, there will be multiple fine-tuning options to refine the pool of internet dating matches. The basic search criteria are age, state, city, body type, and gender. An advanced matchmaking search narrows down findings by going deeper with results sorted further by education level, ethnicity, relationship sought, income, profession, height range, religion, pet ownership, family orientation, marital status, self-confidence level, car ownership, and anything else that matters in a romantic relationship.

Plenty of Fish blocks hidden online dating profiles from appearing in Meet Me, but won't keep them away from members with whom the newly-hidden user had interacted before. The only hidden profiles anyone can see and still find in a username search are those belonging to previous POF connections.

POF is a Canadian online dating service based in Vancouver, British Columbia, available in nine languages, and popular mainly in Canada, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, Brazil, Spain, and the United States. In August 2019, Plenty of Fish had 150 million registered users who were seeking new personal connections over the internet. In October 2018, the daily average number of conversations on Plenty of Fish was estimated at 2.5 million.

Back in 2011, an Argentinian hacker known for previously hacking The Pirate Bay breached the security of the online dating site www.PlentyOfFish.com's database. The malicious attack exposed nearly 30 million POF users' personal email addresses, usernames, addresses, phone numbers, real names, email addresses, PayPal accounts, and passwords in plain text as part of an elaborate extortion plot.

The POF username is someone's digital identity on the PlentyOfFish dating platform. It is publicly visible to all other POF members and it is just the tip of the iceberg, being displayed on the user profile, typically next to the user's headline.

The secret to a successful POF dating profile is creating a quality username that must be intriguing, potentially a conversation-starter, and give away details about the user's personality without oversharing. A good username is critical to a positive first impression. POF usernames should adhere to the following essential tips and rules:

• Be unique (for security reasons, don't recycle credentials from another online account).
• Be catchy (grab attention by using a nickname or an abbreviated version of the name).
• Focus on interests (marathons, art), passions (yoga, charity, volunteering), occupation, and character traits (caring, kind, nice, fun).
• Be positive, concise, honest, confident, open minded without sounding too spammy, or overtly sexual.
• Only numbers, letters, and underscores are allowed. No special characters like comma (,), apostrophe (‘),at sign (@)ampersand (&) or spaces can be included in the username.
• Excessively using the letter "x" is a sign of digital laziness that indicates a sexual tone and hints that the user wants nothing more than a hook-up.

Once created, only paid users can edit or change the POF username. Free members have to upgrade to a paid plan if they want to modify it.

Updating the username on POF is a great idea, given the fact that it tells a lot about someone's identity and must reflect the user's dynamic personality. Editing the username on Plenty of Fish can be done in a few easy steps, but only the users with an upgraded subscription (users with a free membership don't have access to this facility):

Performing a username search on one of the most popular online dating sites without registering for an upgraded membership is challenging, but not impossible. The alternatives would be:

• Google Advanced Search by email address: go to Google advanced search, enter the email address in the "exact word or phrase" search field, and the POF website in the "site or domain" box. To extend the research, other popular Internet dating sites could be added, too.
• Infotracer.com username lookup tool: the deep username private search tool instantly reveals all the matching profiles not just on POF, but on any other social media or dating networks where it's used (Tinder, OkCupid, EHarmony, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, or Snapchat).

Likeall other online dating websites, POF also has its share of scammers or fake bot accounts but the majority is formed of real profiles because POF is proactively filtering out bad profiles. They instantly remove from the platform all the fake profiles that include a URL or web address in their outline. Here are some telltale signs of a false POF profile:

• The profile photo depicts someone who is too beautiful.
• Their dating profile only features 1-2 photos.
• Suspiciously short and generic About Me section.
• They have 1-2 profile pictures that are too revealing.
• Perform a reverse image search by right-clicking and entering the profile photos' URL or uploading them in a reverse image search tool like Google's to see if the photo is of a real person or just a stock photo.

Here are the most common tricks used by scammers to trick innocent POF users in to handing over personal information or sending them money:

• The Sob Story Scam: sharing deeply personal stories (being widowed or a serving military man, having a medical emergency, or having just lost a child).
• The Email Scam: sharing the email address could help a cybercriminal to hijack the victim's POF account, email account, and further hack into other personal accounts linked to the email address.
• The Video Chat Scam: cybercriminals fake their interest into a person by wanting to start a video chat. Since POF does not have a video chat feature, the digital thief sends the victim to a third-party website designed to look like POF that asks for credit card information. The data will later be used by the scammer to make fraudulent charges.
• The Love Struck Scam: suspicious amounts of compliments from the get-go, chatting excessively about true love, connection, romance. Scammers could try to manipulate feelings for obtaining money or sensitive data from the victim.