Safety Tips

Though you don’t actually meet matches within the Relationship A.I. App we want you to be safe in your dating life. Here are some suggestions:

Mindfulness in Choosing Dating Apps/sites

There are lots of dating apps to choose from. The best ones work hard to keep scammers out but the worst ones may be set up by scammers. When you are choosing a dating app consider:

  • Are they in the app store – that usually means that they have been vetted by Apple or Google.
  • Are they in the Online Dating Association? That’s a trade association whose members commit to a code of practice.
  • Are they a public company? Public companies are held to account for their practices so are usually safer.

Mindfulness regarding Matches in your Dating Apps/Sites

We want you to be safe and have a great dating life so these tips about scammers are provided by Scamalytics

Almost all scammers exhibit two characteristics; Misrepresenting who the match really is and Trying to move you away from the dating app you are on. Keeping both these in mind can help you identify if indeed you are interacting with a scammer.

Misrepresenting who the match really is

The scammer will almost always construct a false identity. In part this is to protect them from being identified, but it often also supports their cover story. For example, a common story is to pose as a soldier posted abroad. This explains why the scammer may have foreign contact details, and also sets the scene for a disaster which requires the target to send them money urgently. To support the story, the scammer may use fake photos of an actual soldier.

  • Check their photo in Google Images and Tineye. Look for image matches which don’t make sense, e.g. someone living in another country, or another dating profile with different information from what you would expect. In particular, look for hits on anti-scammer sites and forums.
  • Request more photos and check each one.
  • Paste phrases from their profile into Google. Does the same text appear elsewhere with different information, e.g. a different photo, age, or location? Does it appear on anti-scammer sites and forums?
  • Google their name, email addresses, phone numbers, and chat handles. If you get results, do those results support what they have already told you about themselves? Do they appear on anti-scammer sites and forums?
  • More and more people are becoming familiar with IP addresses. If you can get hold of an IP address you can check it on Scamalytics’ IP fraud check, which will tell you if that IP address has been previously used for romance fraud, what country it is located in, and whether it has risky characteristics attached to it such as a VPN (used to hide their real location.)
  • Test their local knowledge in conversation. Are they up to speed on the big news events locally? Can they talk knowledgeably about everyday local life such as shops, restaurants, bars, attractions and events?
  • If they claim to be abroad then be alert to the fact that this is a very common cover story for scammers! Try and find a way to verify it.

Try to move you away from the dating app you are on

There are three reasons why a scammer will try and move you away from the dating service’s messaging system:

  • In order to execute the scam without being detected by the dating service.
  • Dating services typically use sophisticated anti-fraud systems to monitor messages and pick up suspicious users. Services like WhatsApp on the other hand encrypt all messages – even WhatsApp cannot read the messages – so WhatsApp is a perfect platform for scammers to go about their business undetected.
  • Eventually all scammers will get caught and removed from the dating service, at which point they will lose the means to contact the targets they have been working so hard to form a relationship with. It is in the scammer’s strong interest to move you away from the dating site within the first few messages, in order to protect the communication channel.
  • The simplest way to avoid scammers is to stay on the dating service’s internal messaging system. Scammers will come up with all sorts of excuses why they want you to communicate elsewhere, but in the age of smartphones there really isn’t a good reason to message anywhere else, unless you feel ready for a voice or video conversation. Even at this point, you could continue messaging on the dating platform. Be suspicious of anyone who resists this – Action Fraud recommend staying on the dating service’s messaging system, and any genuine person should respect your safety concerns.
  • Finally, never ever give anyone you meet on a dating site money, personal information, or compromising photos which could be used to blackmail you.

Mindfulness when Going on a Date

These tips are provided by the Online Dating Association

Tell a friend your plans. Tell someone you trust that you are going in a date and tell them where and when.

Arrange a safe code word with a friend and have them call you at a pre-arranged time

Arrange your own transport. Don’t let your date pick you up from your home on your first date and have a plan to get home.

Keep it public. When you first meet someone do it in a public place such as a bar or café. Do not go to their home or yours and don’t give out your address.

Stay in control. You may be nervous but watch your alcohol intake. Never leave your drink or personal belongings unattended.