How Common Is Catfishing and Identity Fraud in Online Dating?
Americans report that someone they met on a dating app misrepresented themselves
Pew Research Center, 2023
Confidence/Romance complaints to the FBI's IC3 in 2025, up from 17,910 in 2024 and 17,823 in 2023
FBI IC3 2025 Internet Crime Report, p. 25
Americans reported losing to romance scams in 2023
FTC, Consumer Sentinel Network Data Book
adult dating app users say they've been matched with someone who used fake photos
Pew Research Center, 2023
confidence/romance scam complaints reported to the FBI's IC3 in 2023
FBI IC3 2025 Internet Crime Report, p. 25
of catfishing victims say they noticed early warning signs but set them aside
Social Catfish, 2024
Who Is Most at Risk on Dating Apps?
more likely for women than men to report feeling unsafe meeting a match for the first time
Pew Research Center, 2023
of LGBTQ+ daters report encountering someone who misrepresented their identity on a dating app
GLAAD, 2023
of single adults say they worry about the authenticity of profiles they see on dating apps
Pew Research Center, 2023
How Are People Preparing Before They Meet?
of online daters say they Google someone before agreeing to meet in person
Pew Research Center, 2023
of daters have asked a friend or family member to check in during a first date
Match Group Safety Report, 2023
more confidence DateGuard users report going into a first date, compared with before using a safety check
DateGuard user survey, 2026
of DateGuard users said they felt more comfortable agreeing to meet a match in person after using the app
DateGuard user survey, 2026
Only 22% of daters were aware that liveness detection technology exists in consumer dating safety apps before 2025. (Source: DateGuard user survey, 2026)
How Is Technology Changing Dating Safety?
Liveness detection — the technology that confirms a real, live person is present during a check, not a photo or a replay — is now available in consumer dating safety apps.
of dating app profiles are estimated to contain AI-generated (deepfake) photos
Sensity AI, 2024
A live-person check shows a real, live person is present. An informational records search uses a name and state you provide. Neither one confirms identity.
DateGuard.ai
What Does a Safe First-Date Preparation Look Like?
- Do a live-person check with a third-party tool before you agree to meet. That check shows a real person is present. It does not confirm a name.
- Have a video call before you meet, and compare what you see with photos you already have.
- Choose a public place for the first meeting.
- Tell a trusted friend or family member your plans.
- Trust your instincts. Preparation is not pessimism — it is clarity.
DateGuard can help with the live-person check. It does not place the video call for you, and it does not confirm identity. See the full walkthrough in The First Date Safety Checklist.
Related reading: Want a plain-language look at what a live-person check does before a date? Read A Live-Person Check Before a First Date for what liveness shows, what an informational records search adds, and what neither one confirms.
More Dating Safety Resources
Definitions
A Live-Person Check Before a First Date
Checklist
The First Date Safety Checklist
Take Action
Try DateGuard Before Your Next Date
Frequently Asked Questions
1 in 3 Americans report that someone they met on a dating app misrepresented themselves, according to Pew Research Center (2023). AI-generated fake profiles are estimated to appear in up to 10% of dating app profiles.
Americans reported losing $1.14 billion to romance scams in 2023 (FTC, Consumer Sentinel Network Data Book).
Use a live-person check to see that a real, live person is present. That does not confirm a name or that the person matches a profile. DateGuard's records search, if you run one, is informational and uses a name and state you provide. Also video call before you meet, choose a public place, and share your plans with a trusted friend.