Name: Tinder lies.

Age: Six and a half years.

Appearance: Very, very tempting.

Tempting to believe? Or to tell? Oh, both. Internet dating would be much more enjoyable if everyone was a slightly better version of who they really are.

Yeah. I definitely have more success when I pretend not to be weird and desperate … But, wait, you mean some people tell the truth on Tinder? I believe so.

That’s cheating! It makes the rest of us look like frauds. Don’t be too hard on yourself. Some Tinder lies work out OK.

For example? Natasha Reid, 24, from Surrey recently spotted a man called Lee. From his photos, it seemed the 28-year-old lived in a very clean and well-furnished home.

What modern woman could ask for more? Well, indeed. Except that, on further inspection, Reid discovered that Lee wasn’t at home. He had posed for the pictures in Ikea.

The cad! The love rat! Oh, I don’t think he was totally serious. You can see price tags hanging on the shelves. There is even a picture of him sitting on the toilet, with his jeans round his knees.

A lucky escape for Reid. On the contrary, she swiped right, and, by the sound of it, she likes him. She posted the details online. “He seems very, very funny,” she said, “and he’s remained as funny in the messages. Luckily he’s reasonably attractive as well, which is a plus.”

Steady on. So, when’s the wedding? That might take a while. They haven’t dated yet.

Oh. Still, it’s going better than some other sub-truthful online relationships. In one notorious example, a man began a relationship with a woman called Anna Rowe by claiming to be a businessman called Antony Ray who often worked abroad. In fact he was married and also having relationships with other women.

All right, that’s a proper love rat. Is this sort of thing common? Probably not. One study found that 80% of online dating profiles contain a lie of some kind, but another found that only 7% of mobile dating messages were deceptive. Even then, they were mostly “butler lies”.

What’s a butler lie? It’s a name researchers used for the little administrative white lies that people use to let their date down gently … or to avoid seeming too keen.

Such as: “It’s not you, it’s me”? I suppose that might be an example. More often it’s saying you’re busy when you’re not. Or claiming you had no phone reception.

Why can’t people just be honest and say: “I will consider sex with you if someone more attractive doesn’t reply by Friday”? I think you have answered your own question.

Do say: “Oh, I love to cook. Swedish meatballs are my speciality.”

Don’t say: “The thing is, I do live in Ikea. I hope that’s OK?”