Protect personal information
Use care with your full address, daily routine, workplace details, financial information, identity documents, account credentials, and private contact details. A new connection does not need this information to prove interest.
Consider keeping early conversations on the platform until trust develops. Review your public profile and social accounts for details that could reveal where you live or when you are away.
Recognize pressure and suspicious requests
- Requests for money, gift cards, banking details, or cryptocurrency
- Urgency, guilt, or secrecy around a financial problem
- Stories that change when you ask simple questions
- Pressure to move off-platform immediately or click an unexpected link
- Refusal to have a normal voice or video conversation before meeting
- Attempts to isolate you from friends or make you feel responsible for their emotions
Plan a safer first meeting
Choose a busy public place you can reach and leave independently. Tell a trusted friend who you are meeting, where you will be, and when you expect to check in. Keep your first meeting reasonably short and make sure your phone is charged.
You do not owe anyone a meeting because you have chatted for a long time. If the person resists a public place, becomes angry about your boundaries, or creates pressure, cancel and use the platform's blocking or reporting tools.
Online dating safety checklist
- Keep personal and financial information private.
- Use unique account credentials and do not share login codes.
- Be cautious with links, downloads, and urgent requests.
- Look for consistent behavior rather than relying on a single photo or story.
- Tell someone your meeting plan and arrange independent transportation.
- Meet in public and avoid changing locations under pressure.
- Trust discomfort and leave when something feels wrong.
- Block and report behavior that violates your boundaries or creates risk.
If something feels wrong
Stop responding, save relevant messages if you may need them, and use the service's reporting tools. Contact someone you trust. If you are in immediate danger, contact local emergency services. Do not confront a threatening person alone or agree to meet to resolve a dispute.
If money or account access is involved, contact your financial institution or the relevant service through an official channel. Avoid sending more information in an attempt to recover losses.