Catch the Red Flags: Making Dating (Apps) Safe this Valentine's

8,548 cases. A little over £92 million. In just one year - 2024. Let those numbers sink in. That's just the top-line stats on romance scams. With AI making deception easier, dating platforms have become a prime target for fraudsters. Victims often hesitate to speak out due to shame and self-blame, making it even more important to change how we approach online safety.

OneID® understands the industrial scale at which scammers are inflicting harm on people who are looking for companionship. It is exactly why we have been working closely with the Online Safety Act (OSA) regulatory experts, dating industry body, and dating platforms - to prevent fraudsters and create a safe space for daters.

Our Valentine's 'week' campaign Catch the Red Flags is a result of like-minded businesses and experts coming together to create easy-to-apply and hard-to-forget tips to keep people safe online - especially when dating. While these tips will be definitely helpful, it is important that dating apps and discovery sites do what it takes to a) prevent minors from entering their platform using highly effective age verification and b) stop known perpetrators from entering the platforms using robust identity verification.

In this blog, we round up the many discussions we've had with our collaborators. The key theme across all: online dating is better with online safety.

Building trust into online dating

Preventing scams and abuse starts with trust—knowing that the person on the other end is who they claim to be. Rob Kotlarz, Founder of OneID, highlights the importance of digital identity verification:

“When it comes to protecting users from romance scams and fraud, it’s time to work harder to put trust at the heart of the online experience. And that starts with digital identity. We need to know that people really are who they say they are.”

The UK Online Safety Act is pushing for stronger protections, particularly ensuring that all users on dating platforms are 18+ and verified. Rob stresses:

“Under the UK Online Safety Act now in implementation, we need to be sure they are 18 years and above with deadlines for dating and social media firms to comply this summer!”

OneID®’s verification solution ensures that dating platforms can confidently confirm a user’s age and identity—without requiring documents, apps, or physical IDs. By integrating OneID®, dating apps can put in place robust measures to stop bad actors at the door, reducing fraud and preventing harm before it happens. With compliance deadlines fast approaching under the Online Safety Act, this is a crucial step forward in making online dating safer for all.

Practical dating safety tips

Kate Taylor, Online Dating Coach, highlights that while AI makes scams harder to spot, red flags still exist:

“AI definitely makes it harder to spot online scammers. Their emails and photos can be perfect these days. But the signs are still there—they’ll avoid meeting you, they’ll fall in love at lightning speed, and eventually they’ll need money. If those three red flags are waving, stop contact.”

Phil Beasley, Founder of Sizzl, adds practical advice on 'how to stay safe on an online dating platform'

1. Avoid sharing personal details (home address, phone number, workplace) too soon.
2. Be mindful of the images you share—avoid photos that reveal your location.
3. Report and block anyone who makes you uncomfortable.
4. Use a platform that mandates ID verification, like Sizzl, to ensure profiles are real and users are over 18.
5. Suggest a video call before meeting in person.
6. Cross-check their social media presence to confirm consistency.

Kate also emphasises the importance of staying connected to real-life support systems:

“The more isolated you are in your ‘real’ life, the more vulnerable you’ll be online. Try to keep busy and build up offline friendships too.”

Reframing the conversation around image-based abuse

Talking about the shame that comes with falling for a romance scam, Kate says,   

“Don’t be ashamed if you get caught out by a scammer. It doesn’t mean you’re a fool. It just means a criminal took advantage of your warm heart.”

Madelaine Thomas, Founder of Image Angel, adds that safety isn’t just about prevention—it’s also about how we talk about online harm. Too often, discussions around image-based abuse shift blame onto victims. She explains:

“Survivors don’t need judgement. The more we challenge harmful narratives, the more we create an online space where people feel safer, more informed, and empowered.”

Madelaine talks about the need for technology providers, dating platforms and the civil society to work in tandem. 

“If two-thirds of the problem can be solved through stronger security measures on dating platforms, the remaining third depends on us—on how we support survivors and challenge harmful narratives.

At OneID®, we are working to help dating apps and discovery sites deliver a safer experience for their customers. Our age verification technology meets Ofcom's requirements for highly effective age assurance and can help you meet the Online Safety Act compliance without adding any friction to your customer onboarding process.

Download our Online Safety Act Solution Paper to learn about:

• The OSA compliance requirements
• OneID®'s two verification measures to help you comply  
• The advantage your platform can have beyond compliance