A dating expert shares her tips for a safe holiday fling

How to online date safely while overseas.

There’s nothing quite like a little holiday fling – they’re low stakes, hot, heavy and flirty and, most of the time, there are no strings attached. In fact, safety-oriented dating app Flirtini found that nearly 50 per cent of single travellers actively use dating apps while they’re on vacation, while one in five said they’d found love on vacation.

However, dating app users can also fall prey to romance scams, harassment and sexual assault while travelling, so safety should be a top priority. “There are far more decent people on dating apps than there are bad ones, but you need to be extremely cautious to avoid falling for those with ill intentions,” says Anastasiya Pochotna, a dating expert at Flirtini.

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“Studies have shown that 45 per cent [of people using dating apps] have reported experiencing some form of harassment or scam and therefore two in three online dating users believe it is crucial to ensure their personal information remains secure,” she explains. Below, Anastasiya shares her 11 essential safety tips for those in search of a holiday fling.

How to stay safe when signing up for dating apps

Don’t overshare

Avoid sharing sensitive information too soon and treat conversations about your address, financial information, or phone number as a huge red flag. Also, check your photos – can they be used to identify where you live or work?

Avoid using photos you’ve shared on social media

It takes minutes to reverse-search photos and find every social media platform they’ve been posted on. Take new snaps specifically for dating apps and don’t share them anywhere else.

Finetune your privacy settings

Check the app’s privacy settings and adjust who you want to see your profile, message you and view your activity. Then do the same for every social platform you use. Set them to private, block them from showing on search engines and keep your personal life visible only to those you share it with.

Check your match is verified

If you strike up a conversation with an unverified account that doesn’t have photos or has photos that look unnatural, there’s a chance you’re chatting with a catfish. If in doubt, check whether they have their Facebook or Instagram connected, or reverse image search their pictures and see what you can find.

Keep conversations on the app

If a match desperately wants to chat through a different app or always has an excuse why they can’t meet up, be wary. They could be a romance scammer trying to steal your money.

Never click on an unfamiliar link

Whatever you do, don’t click on links. Dating apps are prime territory for phishing scammers, who direct unsuspecting users to fake websites, tricking them into entering sensitive information.

Report suspicious activity

Safety-oriented apps already employ sophisticated AI moderation tools to detect and prevent scams or suspicious accounts but don’t hesitate to report them as well. If you encounter suspicious and inappropriate behaviour, report it immediately. Developers want to provide a safe space and should swiftly ban any users who violate policies.

How to stay safe when meeting a match

Video call before you meet

Even if a match seems genuine, there’s no harm in asking for a video call to verify their identity. If they are who they say they are, they will be understanding and accommodating.

Meet up in a public place

When meeting a new match in person, choose somewhere with plenty of people around. Take your time getting to know them before visiting secluded areas or private spaces alone and don’t rely on them for transportation, even if they seem trustworthy.

Inform a friend before you head out

Share every detail of your date with a friend or family member, including where you’re meeting, when, how long for and who you’re meeting with. Arrange to check in with them regularly throughout and, if your plans change at any point, keep them updated.

Stay sober and keep your wits about you

64 per cent of people drink to calm their pre-date nerves. But too much alcohol clouds thinking and lowers inhibitions. Avoid excessive alcohol – at least for the first few dates — so you can make level-headed decisions and clearly judge your date’s character.

For more advice on staying safe on dating apps, head here.