Are Senior Dating Sites Safe?

Mostly, as safe as any other dating site, provided you know the risks and follow a few habits. The main danger is scams and fake accounts. Never send money, speak on the phone or on video before you meet, and keep a first meeting in public, and you remove most of the risk.

Most of what goes wrong on dating sites for older men is about money. A fake account builds a warm conversation over days or weeks and then asks for help with a bill, a trip or an investment.

Less common, but real, are people who are not who their photos say. Another risk is pressure to move off the site quickly, onto a private chat where nobody watches.

Physical danger on a first meeting is rarer than these, but the same precautions that cover scams help with it.

A senior dating site is not safe because of its name. Look at what a site really does. Does it let members report accounts? Does it offer a way to verify photos? Does it say anything about removing fake accounts?

Read the safety page and the terms before you pay. Do not rely on a badge you cannot see explained. Some apps let members verify their photos, and that is a reasonable sign of effort, although no check is perfect.

The big general apps are open to older men too, and the same questions apply to them. A site can be well run, and a scammer can still be on it.

Never send money to someone you have not met in person, whatever the reason and however warm the conversation.

That rule has no exceptions worth making. A real woman does not need a stranger to pay for her flight, her medical bill or her business. A fake account almost always asks sooner or later.

If someone offers to "recover" money you have already lost for a fee, walk away. That is a second scam aimed at a man who has been caught once.

Ask for a short video call early. a dating coach recommends a phone or video call before any date. His main reason is to check that she is who her photos suggest and that you actually enjoy talking to her, and it works as a basic safety check as well. A real woman will usually agree, and a fake produces an excuse.

You can also run a reverse image search on her photo. If the same picture turns up under another name, or on a model's page, the account is not what it says.

Watch for the signs together. A woman who moves you off the site fast, always has a reason not to call, or asks for money has told you what you need to know. So has one who is vague about her daily life in the same way every time.

a dating coach's advice for meeting someone from online is to choose a well-lit public place and make sure somebody knows where you are. He makes a point of choosing a place that is convenient for him, so a bad date costs him little and he can leave easily.

For a first meeting, that means a coffee or a drink in a busy place, not a private home. Do not invite her to your place, or go to hers, before you know her. a dating coach says he avoids inviting someone straight back to his own home for the same reason.

Travel to the meeting under your own steam, and keep your own drinks in sight.

Keep your address, your bank details and your full date of birth to yourself until you have met her and know her. Use the site's own messaging while you are still deciding, and be careful before you give out your phone number.

A woman who needs your financial details to continue a friendship is not interested in a friendship.

Trust the feeling. Stop replying, take screenshots of the messages and the account, and report it to the site. If you have lost money, tell your bank straight away and report it to the police or fraud authority in your area. Early reports give them the best chance of acting.

Do not be ashamed. Capable, sensible men get caught by these scams, and speaking up helps others. If you would like help setting up a page and a conversation that attracts real women, a coach can go through it with you.