Safety Policy and Tips

Meeting someone in person for the first time is exciting, but your safety should always come first. Follow these tips to protect yourself:

1. Meet in a public place. Always choose a well-lit, populated public location for your first several dates — such as a coffee shop, restaurant, or park. Do not meet at a private residence, isolated area, or unfamiliar location.
2. Tell someone your plans. Inform a trusted friend or family member about your date — who you are meeting, where you are going, and when you expect to return. Share your date's profile information with them.
3. Arrange your own transportation. Drive yourself, use a rideshare service, or take public transit to and from your date. Do not rely on your date for transportation, especially on the first meeting. This ensures you can leave whenever you choose.
4. Keep your phone charged. Ensure your phone is fully charged before you leave. Consider bringing a portable charger. Enable location sharing with a trusted contact for the duration of your date.
5. Do not share your home or work address. Until you have established a level of trust over multiple meetings, do not disclose your home address, workplace address, or daily routine.
6. Limit alcohol consumption. Stay alert and in control. If you choose to drink, do so in moderation. Never accept drinks you did not see prepared or poured. Never leave your drink unattended.
7. Plan a check-in. Arrange for a friend to call or text you at a specific time during the date. Establish a code word that signals you need help so your friend can take action.
8. Trust your instincts. If something feels off or unsafe at any point, leave immediately. You are never obligated to stay. Your safety is more important than politeness.
9. Video call first. Before meeting in person, have at least one video call to confirm the person matches their profile photos and to get a sense of their demeanor.
10. Set a time limit. Keep your first meeting short — a coffee date or a brief activity. A shorter first meeting reduces risk and gives you an easy, natural exit point.
11. Do not share financial information. Never share your bank account details, credit card numbers, Social Security number, or other financial information with someone you have met online, regardless of how well you think you know them.
12. Research your date. Look up your date on social media before meeting. Use a reverse image search on their profile photos to check for inconsistencies. Verify that their online presence is consistent with what they have told you.
13. Be cautious with personal details. Do not share sensitive personal information — such as your full name, employer, financial details, or home address — until you have established trust over multiple in-person meetings.

Financial exploitation is one of the most common risks in online dating. Protect yourself by following these rules:

• Never send money to someone you have met online — no gift cards, cryptocurrency, wire transfers, cash, or money orders, regardless of the reason given or how urgent the request seems.
• Never share bank account or credit card numbers. Do not share your Social Security number, bank account details, credit card numbers, or other financial credentials with anyone you have met through the platform.
• Never share login credentials. Do not share passwords or login information for any of your accounts — email, social media, banking, or otherwise.
• Be cautious of investment opportunities. Be extremely wary of anyone who promotes investment opportunities, cryptocurrency schemes, or "guaranteed returns" through the platform. These are almost always scams.
• Be wary of emergency money requests. If someone you have never met in person asks for money due to an emergency — medical bills, travel costs, legal trouble, or family crisis — it is very likely a scam. Do not send money.

Romance scams are sophisticated and emotionally manipulative. Be alert to these common warning signs:

• Rapid emotional escalation (love bombing). The person professes strong feelings, talks about a future together, or says "I love you" within days or weeks of matching. Genuine relationships develop over time.
• Excuses to avoid meeting. They always have a reason they cannot meet in person or video call — they are overseas, in the military, on a business trip, or experiencing an emergency. Repeated avoidance of in-person contact is a major red flag.
• Sob stories and emergencies. They share stories of personal tragedies, medical emergencies, or family crises designed to elicit sympathy — and eventually money.
• Requests for money. Any request for money — gift cards, wire transfers, cryptocurrency, loans, or "temporary help" — is a strong indicator of a scam. Legitimate romantic interests do not ask for money.
• Moving off-platform quickly. They pressure you to move communication to WhatsApp, Telegram, personal email, or other platforms where conversations are not monitored or protected by Aneutral's moderation systems.
• Inconsistencies in their stories. Details about their life, job, location, or background change or contradict earlier statements.
• Too-perfect profiles. Professional-quality photos that look like stock images, vague or generic bios, and responses that feel scripted or overly polished can indicate a fake profile.
• Requesting personal data. They ask for your home address, workplace, government ID documents, or other sensitive personal information early in the relationship.

All reports are reviewed by our moderation team. The reported user is not informed of who filed the report.

1. Navigate to the user's profile or your conversation with them.
2. Tap the menu icon (three dots).
3. Select "Block."
4. Confirm that you want to block this user.

Once blocked, the user will not be able to see your profile, send you messages, or match with you. Blocking is immediate and permanent unless you choose to unblock the user.

If you are in immediate danger, call 911 or your local emergency services. The following resources are available 24/7:

Aneutral invests in multiple layers of safety technology and human review to help protect our community:

• Identity verification. All users are verified through Sumsub using government-issued identification to confirm they are a real person over 18 years of age.
• Photo verification. AWS Rekognition face comparison technology verifies that profile photos depict the verified account holder.
• Automated content moderation. Profile text and images are screened using OpenAI content moderation and AWS Rekognition image analysis to detect prohibited content.
• Messaging moderation. In-app messages are monitored via Stream Chat webhooks to detect harassment, threats, and other violations.
• Human review. A dedicated moderation team reviews reports, appeals, and flagged content.
• In-app reporting and blocking. Users can report violations and block other users directly within the app.
• Graduated enforcement. Violations result in graduated consequences: warning, feature restriction, temporary suspension, or permanent ban, depending on severity.

Please note: While these measures significantly reduce risk, no safety system can eliminate all risk entirely. You are ultimately responsible for your own safety when interacting with others, both on and off the platform. Please follow the safety tips in this policy and trust your instincts.

If you have questions about this Safety Policy, or need to report a safety concern, contact us: