Updated 2 November 2026
Dating apps have become technically safer, but the main risk hasn’t changed, and it isn’t a technical one: the person at the other end may not be who they say they are.
What a romance scam looks like
The pattern is almost always the same. Things get close very quickly, there’s lots of attention, and soon comes the suggestion to move to Telegram or WhatsApp. Meeting up keeps being postponed because of a business trip, a ship or a hospital. And finally there’s a request for money, or an offer to invest together.
It’s important to understand that this isn’t a random person who happens to need money. It’s a prepared scheme: a story worked out in advance, someone else’s photos, and a script followed for weeks, sometimes months. That’s why it works.
Warning signs
- The photos look too professional. Check them with a reverse image search: they often turn out to belong to someone else’s profile.
- Too many compliments too soon. Talk of feelings starts before you’ve had a chance to get to know each other.
- They push to leave the app. Outside it, there’s no protection and no report button.
- They never agree to a short video call: there’s always a reason.
- They give vague answers to simple questions, and their stories don’t add up.
- Talk of cryptocurrency or a „reliable” investment platform comes up early.
- Their story is full of drama that needs your money.
What not to put in your profile
Your profile is visible to everyone, so it shouldn’t contain anything that lets people find you in real life.
- Your surname, workplace, school or university.
- Your phone number and email address.
- Your date of birth.
- Your social media handles: they lead to everything else.
- Photos that show your building’s entrance, your street, your car’s number plate or your workplace.
The first date
- Only in a public place and in daylight.
- Get there and back under your own steam.
- Someone close to you knows who you’re meeting, where, and until when.
- Arrange a phone call during the date: an easy way to leave without awkwardness.
- Keep the first date short and go easy on the alcohol.
What never to do
Don’t send money to someone you’ve never met in person. Don’t click links they send to „investment” sites. And don’t send intimate photos: they are used for blackmail far more often than you’d think.
If blackmail has already started, don’t pay. Once you pay, the demands usually keep coming. Save the conversation and go to the police.
How technology helps
Protection against fraudulent websites blocks fake „investment platforms” and login pages that look like the real thing. It’s included in all home plans. Photos and documents are better kept out of your phone’s gallery: that’s what an encrypted vault is for.
If you’ve already been scammed
Stop all contact, save the conversation and go to the police. Report the profile in the app itself: there’s a dedicated button, and it protects others. If you’ve handed over your bank details, call your bank immediately. There’s nothing to be ashamed of: these are professionally prepared schemes, and all sorts of people fall for them.