Send Me 5 And See What Happens

2017Social media prank / dating app scamdead

Also known as: Tinder $5 Scam · Send Me $5

Send Me $5 And See What Happens is a March 2017 Tinder prank meme featuring college student Maggie Archer, who used the phrase in her bio to collect PayPal payments from matches, then immediately unmatched them.

"Send Me $5 and See What Happens" is a Tinder prank that went viral in March 2017, started by 20-year-old college student Maggie Archer from St. Louis, Missouri. Archer put "send me $5, see what happens" in her Tinder bio, collected PayPal payments from curious matches, then immediately unmatched them. The scheme blew up on Twitter and got covered by BuzzFeed, Men's Health, and other outlets before Tinder shut it down for violating their terms of service.

TL;DR

"Send Me $5 and See What Happens" is a Tinder prank that went viral in March 2017, started by 20-year-old college student Maggie Archer from St.

Overview

The setup was beautifully simple. Archer wrote "send me $5, see what happens" in her Tinder bio. When matches asked what they'd get for five bucks, she directed them to her PayPal with a "send and find out"2. After the money came through, she unmatched them instantly. No conversation, no date, no explanation. Just gone.

The prank worked because Archer technically promised nothing. As she told BuzzFeed: "It's really a foolproof plan, because I'm not actually promising anything. I just say 'see what happens'"1. About one in five of her matches took the bait, and more than 20 men sent her at least $5 within a single week2.

On March 22, 2017, Archer posted screenshots of her scheme to Twitter, calling it "the best possible use for Tinder"5. The tweet showed her bio, message exchanges with confused matches, and the aftermath of unmatching. It picked up 8,700 retweets and 21,000 likes5.

Archer told BuzzFeed News that a friend originally suggested the bio line as a joke1. She tried it mostly for laughs but kept going when men started sending money almost immediately. The most anyone sent was $10, though she said some matches got "creepy and assume if they offer a lot more, like hundreds, something will actually happen, which of course it doesn't"1.

Origin & Background

Platform
Tinder (prank), Twitter (viral spread)
Creator
Maggie Archer
Date
2017
Year
2017

On March 22, 2017, Archer posted screenshots of her scheme to Twitter, calling it "the best possible use for Tinder". The tweet showed her bio, message exchanges with confused matches, and the aftermath of unmatching. It picked up 8,700 retweets and 21,000 likes.

Archer told BuzzFeed News that a friend originally suggested the bio line as a joke. She tried it mostly for laughs but kept going when men started sending money almost immediately. The most anyone sent was $10, though she said some matches got "creepy and assume if they offer a lot more, like hundreds, something will actually happen, which of course it doesn't".

How It Spread

Twitter lit up first. People called Archer's move genius, and women started copying the tactic on their own profiles. Replies ranged from admiration to attempts at imitating the prank on other dating platforms.

BuzzFeed News published a full story on March 27, 2017, five days after the original tweet. Archer provided screenshots of her PayPal activity as proof. The coverage kicked off a wave of articles from Men's Health, Refinery29, Thought Catalog, and others. Men's Health compared Archer to "Joanne the Scammer," a popular internet character known for petty cons.

The prank also spread to Reddit, where user CowsGiveUsMilk_ posted a thread on r/Tinder documenting their encounter with someone running the same scam, earning 613 upvotes. Screenshots circulated on 4chan as well.

Once Tinder caught wind of the trend, the company began banning users who tried it. A Tinder spokesperson told BuzzFeed News that "requesting money from other Tinder users violates our terms of service" and that offending accounts would be removed. Archer said she received a shutdown email from Tinder, though she claimed she'd already deleted the app days earlier "because the whole purpose for doing this was defeated".

How to Use This Meme

The original format followed three steps:

1

Set your Tinder (or dating app) bio to something like "send me $5, see what happens"

2

When a match asks about it, share your PayPal/Venmo/Cash App and say "send and find out"

3

After receiving the money, unmatch without explanation

Cultural Impact

The prank tapped into broader conversations about online dating dynamics and gender power plays on apps like Tinder. Men's Health framed Archer's scheme as a lesson in gullibility, noting "any sort of blame should go to the dudes for being duped so easily". Thought Catalog took a more celebratory angle, calling it "absolutely beautiful".

Archer shared her story partly because she thought it was "too funny not to" and partly to inspire other women to try it. The stunt also highlighted how Tinder's terms of service handled financial solicitation, prompting the company to publicly reaffirm its policy against requesting money on the platform.

Fun Facts

Archer's friend originally suggested the bio line. She only kept it because it worked on the very first try.

Roughly one in five male matches actually sent money.

The most anyone paid was $10. Archer said some offered hundreds but she never followed through on those either.

Archer had already uninstalled Tinder before she received the official ban email.

Screenshots of the prank were shared on 4chan, where they were compiled into a collage.

Derivatives & Variations

Copycat Tinder bios:

After the story went viral, women across Twitter posted their own versions of the "$5 bio" prank, with some adjusting the amount or adding their own twist[4].

r/Tinder documentation:

Reddit users began posting screenshots of encounters with "$5 and see what happens" copycats, turning the prank into a recognized dating app trope[5].

Venmo/Cash App variations:

As payment apps evolved, later iterations swapped PayPal for Venmo or Cash App links in dating profiles, keeping the same basic structure[2].

Frequently Asked Questions

Send Me 5 And See What Happens

2017Social media prank / dating app scamdead

Also known as: Tinder $5 Scam · Send Me $5

Send Me $5 And See What Happens is a March 2017 Tinder prank meme featuring college student Maggie Archer, who used the phrase in her bio to collect PayPal payments from matches, then immediately unmatched them.

"Send Me $5 and See What Happens" is a Tinder prank that went viral in March 2017, started by 20-year-old college student Maggie Archer from St. Louis, Missouri. Archer put "send me $5, see what happens" in her Tinder bio, collected PayPal payments from curious matches, then immediately unmatched them. The scheme blew up on Twitter and got covered by BuzzFeed, Men's Health, and other outlets before Tinder shut it down for violating their terms of service.

TL;DR

"Send Me $5 and See What Happens" is a Tinder prank that went viral in March 2017, started by 20-year-old college student Maggie Archer from St.

Overview

The setup was beautifully simple. Archer wrote "send me $5, see what happens" in her Tinder bio. When matches asked what they'd get for five bucks, she directed them to her PayPal with a "send and find out". After the money came through, she unmatched them instantly. No conversation, no date, no explanation. Just gone.

The prank worked because Archer technically promised nothing. As she told BuzzFeed: "It's really a foolproof plan, because I'm not actually promising anything. I just say 'see what happens'". About one in five of her matches took the bait, and more than 20 men sent her at least $5 within a single week.

On March 22, 2017, Archer posted screenshots of her scheme to Twitter, calling it "the best possible use for Tinder". The tweet showed her bio, message exchanges with confused matches, and the aftermath of unmatching. It picked up 8,700 retweets and 21,000 likes.

Archer told BuzzFeed News that a friend originally suggested the bio line as a joke. She tried it mostly for laughs but kept going when men started sending money almost immediately. The most anyone sent was $10, though she said some matches got "creepy and assume if they offer a lot more, like hundreds, something will actually happen, which of course it doesn't".

Origin & Background

Platform
Tinder (prank), Twitter (viral spread)
Creator
Maggie Archer
Date
2017
Year
2017

On March 22, 2017, Archer posted screenshots of her scheme to Twitter, calling it "the best possible use for Tinder". The tweet showed her bio, message exchanges with confused matches, and the aftermath of unmatching. It picked up 8,700 retweets and 21,000 likes.

Archer told BuzzFeed News that a friend originally suggested the bio line as a joke. She tried it mostly for laughs but kept going when men started sending money almost immediately. The most anyone sent was $10, though she said some matches got "creepy and assume if they offer a lot more, like hundreds, something will actually happen, which of course it doesn't".

How It Spread

Twitter lit up first. People called Archer's move genius, and women started copying the tactic on their own profiles. Replies ranged from admiration to attempts at imitating the prank on other dating platforms.

BuzzFeed News published a full story on March 27, 2017, five days after the original tweet. Archer provided screenshots of her PayPal activity as proof. The coverage kicked off a wave of articles from Men's Health, Refinery29, Thought Catalog, and others. Men's Health compared Archer to "Joanne the Scammer," a popular internet character known for petty cons.

The prank also spread to Reddit, where user CowsGiveUsMilk_ posted a thread on r/Tinder documenting their encounter with someone running the same scam, earning 613 upvotes. Screenshots circulated on 4chan as well.

Once Tinder caught wind of the trend, the company began banning users who tried it. A Tinder spokesperson told BuzzFeed News that "requesting money from other Tinder users violates our terms of service" and that offending accounts would be removed. Archer said she received a shutdown email from Tinder, though she claimed she'd already deleted the app days earlier "because the whole purpose for doing this was defeated".

How to Use This Meme

The original format followed three steps:

1

Set your Tinder (or dating app) bio to something like "send me $5, see what happens"

2

When a match asks about it, share your PayPal/Venmo/Cash App and say "send and find out"

3

After receiving the money, unmatch without explanation

Cultural Impact

The prank tapped into broader conversations about online dating dynamics and gender power plays on apps like Tinder. Men's Health framed Archer's scheme as a lesson in gullibility, noting "any sort of blame should go to the dudes for being duped so easily". Thought Catalog took a more celebratory angle, calling it "absolutely beautiful".

Archer shared her story partly because she thought it was "too funny not to" and partly to inspire other women to try it. The stunt also highlighted how Tinder's terms of service handled financial solicitation, prompting the company to publicly reaffirm its policy against requesting money on the platform.

Fun Facts

Archer's friend originally suggested the bio line. She only kept it because it worked on the very first try.

Roughly one in five male matches actually sent money.

The most anyone paid was $10. Archer said some offered hundreds but she never followed through on those either.

Archer had already uninstalled Tinder before she received the official ban email.

Screenshots of the prank were shared on 4chan, where they were compiled into a collage.

Derivatives & Variations

Copycat Tinder bios:

After the story went viral, women across Twitter posted their own versions of the "$5 bio" prank, with some adjusting the amount or adding their own twist[4].

r/Tinder documentation:

Reddit users began posting screenshots of encounters with "$5 and see what happens" copycats, turning the prank into a recognized dating app trope[5].

Venmo/Cash App variations:

As payment apps evolved, later iterations swapped PayPal for Venmo or Cash App links in dating profiles, keeping the same basic structure[2].

Frequently Asked Questions