Protect personal and financial information
Avoid sharing passwords, PINs, banking details, identification documents or information that could be used to access your accounts. Be particularly cautious when someone you have never met asks for money, airtime, transport costs, medical assistance or investment funds.
Watch for pressure and inconsistency
Warning signs can include refusing normal forms of verification, repeatedly changing personal details, rushing emotional commitment, asking you to keep the relationship secret or creating repeated emergencies that require money.
Plan safer first meetings
Meet in a public place, tell someone you trust where you are going, keep your phone available and control your own journey home. If something feels unsafe, you are allowed to leave without explaining or being polite about it.
A better starting point
- ✓ Never share passwords or mobile-money PINs
- ✓ Do not send money to someone you only know online
- ✓ Take time before sharing private contact information
- ✓ Meet for the first time in public
- ✓ Block and report suspicious or abusive behaviour
Frequently asked questions
What is one of the biggest online dating warning signs?
Requests for money are a major warning sign, particularly when combined with emotional pressure, secrecy or repeated emergencies.
Should I tell someone where I am going on a first date?
Yes. Letting a trusted person know who you are meeting, where you plan to be and roughly when you expect to return is a sensible safety precaution.