At Coffee Meets Bagel, we have a team working around the clock to keep you safe while looking for a serious relationship. And while we do our best to keep fake profiles, scammers, and general ne’er-do-wells away, some can unfortunately slip through the cracks.
So, we want to empower you to practice safe dating habits, keep an eye out for suspicious behavior, and report anyone who’s violating our Community Guidelines. Here’s a few tips to keep you safe on CMB.
Protect your personal info
We want you to get to know your matches, but that doesn’t mean you should be a totally open book.
Obviously, the big things like your Social Security number, banking information, or copies of your identification should never be shared with someone.
But you should also be careful about sharing other details, like your home address, exact workplace, phone number, or even specifics about your day-to-day routine. If you’re a parent, avoid details about your children like their name, age, or school. Keep this information under wraps until you’re confident you can trust your match.
On top of chats, be wary of what details you’re sharing on your profile. Photos can sometimes give hints about where you live, or places you regularly visit. If you want to avoid listing your workplace, go for something vague like “Marketing Firm.”
Lastly, if a match ever suggests or sends you to a site you’re not sure is legitimate, don’t share any of your information there either.
Never make money moves
Any match asking for money of any sort should earn a one-way ticket to being reported. That means wire transfers, gift cards, apps like Venmo, or cash sent via carrier pigeon – it’s all off-limits. Don’t fall for sob stories or claims of an emergency, simply cut contact and report.
Aside from matches directly asking for money, you should never take financial advice from someone you met on a dating app, especially if you haven’t met in person. Scammers might try to tempt you with investment schemes or get-rich-quick claims, but this should set off red flags.
As we already mentioned, there’s never any reason to share financial information. Think about questions often used for account confirmation, too. Your match doesn’t need to know your mother’s maiden name, the street you grew up on, or your first-grade teacher’s name – we promise.
For more in-depth tips about spotting scammers, check out this article.
Report when something isn’t right
If you think you’ve come across or matched with a scammer, please report them immediately. By reporting a scammer, you’re preventing them from taking advantage of someone else in the future. And don’t worry, reporting is anonymous.
Aside from scammers, you should also report anyone who crosses a line or violates our Community Guidelines in any way. Here’s a few examples:
- Underage users
- Selling or promoting something
- Harassment, threats, and offensive messages
- Sharing explicit, vulgar, graphic, or violent content
After reporting, you’ll automatically be unmatched. We’ll investigate and if we decide to freeze their account, we’ll be sure to follow up with you so you know they’ve been taken care of.