Tell a close friend or family member where you’ll be and who you’ll be with, and plan to check in with them by a certain time to let them know you’re safe. “Having this kind of contact before meeting in person will let you avoid some major disappointments or even potential danger,” she says. One of the benefits of our lives becoming more and more enmeshed with the internet is the transparency this provides. Whether you’re using social media sites or working for a specific company, there’s likely a very clear trace of you on the web.
Take advantage of these features and avoid moving conversations to text, email, or social media until you’re sure about the person’s authenticity. Scammers often push to transition off the app quickly to avoid being reported or blocked. By staying within the app, you maintain control over the conversation and benefit from the platform’s monitoring systems. Pew Research Center has long studied the changing nature of romantic relationships and the role of digital technology in how people meet potential partners and navigate web-based dating platforms. This particular report focuses on the patterns, experiences and attitudes related to online dating in America. These findings are based on a survey conducted Oct. 16 to 28, 2019, among 4,860 U.S. adults.
They Know Things About You That You Haven’t Shared
We spoke to three leading security experts to learn the best ways to stay safe on the online dating scene. The ability to control who sees your online dating profile is a big plus when it comes to safety features. Some apps and sites allow users to go “incognito,” meaning that they can choose to hide their profile from anyone they haven’t liked or messaged. Read privacy policies, limit permissions of dating apps, avoid linking third-party apps (like social media profiles), and don’t include information or photos that you wouldn’t want in the public sphere. These days, when you ask a couple how they met, chances are they’ll say a dating app like Hinge or Bumble. newlineNearly half of all consumers have used, or are currently using, an online dating platform, according to the 2025 Norton Cyber Safety Insight Report. And while dating apps make it easier than ever to meet new people, they also come with serious risks.
The first step in avoiding a romance scam is understanding what to look out for, like unwanted messages, incomplete profiles, inconsistent stories or those that seem too good to be true, and even love bombing. All of these can be big red flags when it comes to identifying whether someone is who they say they are. Red flags that indicate you may be being scammed while online dating include fast-moving relationships, requests for money, or refusing to video chat. When meeting people you matched with for the first time, Robinson recommends doing so in a public setting and letting someone you trust know where and with whom you will meet.
Online Dating Safety Tip #6: Look Out For Red Flags
- When it comes to online dating, it’s sometimes people feel the need to shave a few years off their actual age or add on a few inches (vertically speaking).
- Be sure to remove any personal or identifying information that could show up in the background.
- If you start talking, at length, about where you grew up and schools you attended that person may know mutual acquaintances that could blow your identity.
- One in 4 adults said they don’t know enough when it comes to dating safety, according to a survey of 2,000 British singles conducted by dating app Plenty of Fish.
Whether you’re new to dating apps or a seasoned user, these safety tips will help you protect yourself while enjoying the journey of finding meaningful connections. Using a dating app can feel daunting on its own, even before factoring in the added challenges of a rapidly changing AI landscape. According to the survey, when it comes to safety, not all dating apps are equal.
Again, if you’re in any doubt that the person you’re talking to is being dishonest, cut contact and report them to the site’s security team. Another option is to do a reverse image search on your match’s profile image to see whether it matches up with any other online profiles. While toggling off certain data sharing might not give users access to some features or allow them to fully experience an app, doing so can go a long way in protecting their information. This is just one example of safety features that can protect users beyond their in-app interactions.
Public attitudes about the impact or success of online dating differ between those who have used dating platforms and those who have not. While 29% of online dating users say dating sites and apps have had a mostly positive effect on dating and relationships, that share is 21% among non-users. People who have ever used a dating site or app also have a more positive assessment of relationships forged online. Some 62% of online daters believe relationships where people first met through a dating site or app are just as successful as those that began in person, compared with 52% of those who never online dated. By contrast, online daters are less likely to think harassment or bullying, and privacy violations, such as data breaches or identify theft, are very common occurrences on these platforms. These shifting realities have sparked a broader debate about the impact of online dating on romantic relationships in America.
Identity thieves will use dating apps as part of a long-term scam that can even spill over offline and impact you in the real world. In most cases, these money scams take place on sites like match.com where most people are looking for a long-term relationship. The scammer will gain your trust and then ask you to help with an unexpected emergency, for example, medical expenses, needing to take care of a relative, etc. Karolina Bartnik, a dating and relationship expert based in London, says you shouldn’t trust anyone who pressures you to give out your phone number, social media handles or other personal information. In this section, we’ll go into a few key details, so it’ll likely be quite lengthy. Having built up the anticipation talking online, it’s finally time to meet your match in person.
“It is recommended to not recycle photos that are used on different apps like social media or LinkedIn”, said Gaffney. “A simple reverse image search can bring up any relevant accounts, some of which may hold additional information you didn’t want to disclose on your dating profile. The same goes for using a shared email address – consider making a new one specifically for your dating profiles”. Valentine’s Day is around the corner and, with lockdown still going, you may have found yourself relying on dating apps now more than ever.
“Love bombing is when someone tells you they love you and want to marry you before they even know you,” says Michelle Baxo, a women’s love and mindset coach and founder of Power Love Project. “Daytime dating activities tend to be less alcohol fueled and generally conclude long before bedtime, which eliminates the pressure of hooking up,” he says. Bartnik says it’s much harder to pretend to be someone else in a video than it is over text. “That person is not standing in front of you, and that’s what boosts your energy and confidence to share,” he says. “At one time, it was proper to allow a suitor to pick you up and drop you off at your home, but it is no longer safe,” she says. Today, we have millions of users a month from around the world, and assess more than 1,000 products a year.
It seems that there haven’t been many large-scale data leaks from dating apps or websites, but the risk is real. According to the Identity Theft Resource Center, 2023 saw an all-time high for data compromises in the United States, affecting more than 3.5 million individuals. Romance scams, also called catfishing (read more about the signs of catfishing), are the most common type of online dating scams.
Be very careful about doing any favors or trusting a match too much at first if you haven’t even met them in real life. If they start talking about money, needing help, or having some kind of medical emergency, you should take that as a red flag. Scammers can often find the names and contact details of your close friends, family, and coworkers through your social media profiles or online footprint. Cryptocurrency investments are one of the more recent (and dangerous) online dating scams. Everywhere from the New York Times to USA Today has shared stories of victims losing thousands to crypto dating scams.
Trust your instincts, leverage technology, and lean on your support system to ensure a positive and safe experience. The creators of online dating sites and apps have at times struggled with the perception that these sites could facilitate troubling – or even dangerous – encounters. And although there is some evidence that much of the stigma surrounding these sites has diminished over time, close to half of Americans still find the prospect of meeting someone through a dating site unsafe. The likelihood of encountering these kinds of behaviors on dating platforms also varies by sexual orientation. Fully 56% of LGB users say someone on a dating site or app has sent them a sexually explicit message or image they didn’t ask for, compared with about one-third of straight users (32%). LGB users are also more likely than straight users to say someone on a dating site or app continued to contact them after they told them they were not interested, called them an offensive name or threatened to physically harm them.
Apps like Avast Free Antivirus use AI and real-time fraud databases to help you detect suspicious activity so you can protect your heart and your data. Even more alarming, 30% report receiving continued unwanted contact, and 6% have been threatened with physical harm, according to a 2023 Pew Research Center study. They have also made efforts to partner with nonprofit organizations like Garbo, an American-based background check platform where users can check the violent and harmful criminal history of their date. Match Group invested in Garbo in 2021, offering users two free searches until 500,000 searches were claimed.
Alarmingly, the majority of people believe non-dating platforms feel safer. In fact, 67% of current online daters believe that Instagram is the safest app to use. On the other hand, Feeld was rated the least safe, with only 24% believing the platform is safe. At the same time, a small share of U.S. adults report that they found a significant other through online dating platforms. Some 12% of adults say they have married or entered into a committed relationship with someone they first met through a dating site or app.
Bring topics of discussion to your conversations and dates to avoid the desire to share too much, too soon. If you start talking, at length, about where you grew up and schools you attended that person may know mutual acquaintances that could blow your identity. If you ever have a strange feeling about someone, but can’t quite put your finger on it, go with your instinct. If you don’t feel safer after signing up for Aura, we offer a 60-day money-back guarantee on all annual plans — no questions asked. With even a few pieces of sensitive data, scammers can empty your bank account, take out loans and credit cards in your name, or even steal your tax refund.
They might also ask you to open a bank account or send and receive packages. In this scam, the fraudsters build a long-term relationship with their mark. As they get to know each other, the scammer will start talking about their interest in cryptocurrencies. Eventually, they’ll offer to “guide” the victim in their own investments.
We do not claim, and you should not assume, that all users will have the same experiences. Even if you accidentally give up details to a romance scammer, you can take preventative measures to protect your accounts. Use secure passwords, a password manager, and 2FA on all your accounts. Sign up for credit monitoring to alert you if anyone has gained access to your financial information. Meeting people offline (in a public place at first) is always the first step toward trust.
These romance scams can start with flattering messages and promises of love, but quickly escalate to requests for money or personal information. Once the scammer gets what they’re after, https://lovefortreview.com/legitimacy-and-safety/ they typically vanish without a trace. In the digital age, there’s no excuse not to verify someone’s identity before meeting them.