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Sexual Assault

How to Stay Safe on Dating Apps: Red Flags and Safety Tips

By August 1, 2025October 14th, 2025No Comments

How many online dating app users, “particularly women,” are concerned about safety when they go out with a match?

Half? Uh-uh. A whopping 78% of app users are mostly women – and they are concerned about how safe they will be going on dates with an online match because they’ve recently had an uncomfortable date with someone they met online.1

Consequently, there is a growing demand for giants like Match Group (match.com) to prioritize all users’ safety, not just paid subscribers, from sexual predators.

What Kind of Protection Do Platforms Like match.com Provide?

Certainly nothing to write home about.

In 2020, Match pledged to release comprehensive data to the public re: harm occurring on and off its platforms, believing if the public knew the scale of rape and assault on its cites, people could more accurately assess their risk. The report has yet to be published because Match executives consider it too harmful to their profit margin.2

“Since 2019, Match Group’s central database has recorded every user reported for rape and assault across its entire suite of apps; by 2022, its Sentinel system was collecting hundreds of troubling incidents every week, company insiders say.”3  –  GlobalDatingInsights.com

How Can You Tell If Someone on a Dating App Is Dangerous?

In 2022, a team of researchers at Brigham Young University published research based on hundreds of sexual assaults in Utah, finding that the attacks facilitated by dating apps happened faster and more violently than when the assailant met the victim through other means. Almost 60% of survivors self-reported a resulting mental illness.4  Be careful.

Recognizing red flags is key to avoiding potential danger after you engage with a profile. Rule of thumb: Take. It. Slow. You need a little time to listen to your gut and find out more about the person. We realize this goes against human nature and cuddle hormones, but have you ever met a woman who regretted taking a new romance slowly?5

Be careful when the person you’re interested in:

  • Refuses to meet in public or avoids video calls – reluctance to show their face or confirm their identity means they’re probably not who they say they are.
  • Pressures you for personal details or insists on a private meetup right away – moves too fast/ talks about your future together too soon (seriously) + showers you with undivided attention + flattery + gifts = love bombing. The person is probably emotionally arrested and highly manipulative. Do Not Pass Go.
  • Changes their story – avoids questions about their life or lets inconsistencies slip in their details.
  • Gaslights – makes you feel guilty for setting boundaries/ dismisses your concerns/ makes you question your instincts/ diminishes your empowerment in the relationship before it’s even percolating.

Smart Safety Tips for Using Dating Apps.

While you’re remembering all that, here are some safety tips to further protect yourself while navigating online dating:

1

Use the app’s safety features (but don’t rely exclusively on them) – Some apps have ID verification. For example, in 2024, Tinder decided selfies aren’t enough to get a bluecheck rating. New rules require an official government issued ID with photo, aka, a driver’s license or passport + a selfie video, so the platform can determine the user’s accurate age and whether the images mesh with their data.6
2

Keep conversations within the app – Please wait a while to give out your phone number or email, because you cannot size up a person’s authenticity in a few days.
3

Meet in public places – Don’t go to the person’s home for your first meetup + guard against going home with the person right away. Wait until you know them better.
4

Tell a friend your plans – Share your location and set up a check-in system.
5

Do a quick background check – Google their name or search for social media inconsistencies.
6

Trust your gut – If something feels off, don’t ignore it!

Why Should Dating Apps Be Held Accountable?

Where to start? These quotes catch the gist of it:

“A damning investigation from nonprofit news organization The Markup and Pulitzer Center’s AI Accountability Network reports that Match Group, which owns major dating apps like Tinder, Hinge, and OkCupid, keeps records of users who are reported for sexual assault but doesn’t take measures to properly ban them from the app network nor alert law enforcement or the public.”7 – Mashable, February 13, 2025

“People let their guard down. I think you just have to remember that the app is not invested in your safety – they are invested in money. So you need to treat every match that you make online as someone who could be dangerous.”8 – Journalist Emily Elena Dugdale

Diving a little deeper:

Some of the most popular apps have failed to remove known sexual predators, putting users at risk.

  • Stephen Matthews, a cardiologist from Colorado, had been sexually assaulting Match users since 2016 + the company knew it because multiple survivors had reported it, but executives took no aggressive action to limit his future liability until one user reported him to local authorities. He was later sentenced to 158 years in prison.9
  • Banned users like Matthews are too often allowed to hopscotch (say, from Tinder to Hinge to OKCupid) using the exact same profile details with scarce oversight.
  • Reports of abuse are sometimes ignored or not properly investigated.

What to Do If You’ve Been Assaulted After Meeting Someone on a Dating App.

Unfortunately, dating apps don’t always protect users from harm. If something happens:

  • Know that it’s not your fault – The responsibility lies with the perpetrator and the company that enabled him, not you!
  • Seek medical care if you’ve been assaulted. Preserve clothing and other evidence because it may help police ID the assailant.
  • Report the assault – Please notify law enforcement, in addition to the dating app.
  • Document everything – Keep screenshots and messages in case they are needed later.
  • Look into legal options – Some dating apps have been found negligent in protecting users; there are civil dating app sexual assault lawsuits and we can help you look into that.
  • Seek support – Contact advocacy groups or crisis hotlines for help. Contact us.

We are Here 24/7/365 Ready to Help.

A Case for Women was founded in 2015 with one mission: to help empower women who have been harmed by corporate wrongdoing. If you’ve been sexually harassed or assaulted by someone you met on an online dating site, we not only want to hear your story – we’ll be listening to every word you say.

 

P.S. You will always reach a live, caring human when you contact us.

 

Sources

1 Staff writer, “Eight Weeks to Go Until Global Dating Insights’ London Conference – Tentative Agenda Now Live,” GDI (GlobalDatingInsights.com), July 22, 2025.
2 Emily Elena Dugdale and Hanisha Harjani, “Rape under wraps: how Tinder, Hinge and their corporate owner chose profits over safety,” The Guardian US, February 13, 2025.
3 Ibid.
4 Ibid.
5 Nicole Spector, “Got Swiping Fatigue? ‘Slow dating’ is for busy people who want real connections,” NBC News, September 18, 2021.
6 Katelyn Chedraoui, “What You Need To Know About Tinder’s New Verification Process,” CNET, February 24, 2024.
7 Anna Iovine, “Report: Match Group dating apps conceal assault cases,” Mashable, February 13, 2025.
8 Ally Schweitzer and Michel Martin, “Online dating giant Match Group is slow to remove dangerous daters, investigation finds,” NPR, February 25, 2025.
9 Ibid.