Dating Message Safety Tips

We take online dating safety very seriously, so along with tips about how to protect your safety on your profile and in your photos, here is a guide to dating message safety:

Don’t give out your personal details straight away! – If your subscription is coming to an end it is tempting to send out your phone number to a whole host of people, but it’s not a good idea for your own safety. Using the secure online messaging service on an online dating website is the safest way to get to know someone and it means that you will have a record of your conversation.

As well as risking your own safety, sending out your contact details to people in your first message to them will also make them feel uncomfortable as they will be contacting you away from the safety of the site. This means that by contacting you on  by phone or by email they will be letting you know their personal details straight away.

Be cautious – On the flip side, if someone gets in contact with you just to send you their contact details, be very suspicious and don’t give out your contact details straight away. Also, do not reply to the message through your private phone number or email address.

Don’t tell your life story – For a start it is bad etiquette to send someone your life story, as your first message to someone should be short and sweet, but it can also compromise your safety. Don’t reveal where you work, where your children go to school, where you play a particular sport, or any other details that could help someone to find you offline.

It may sound a bit extreme, but it’s better to err on the side of caution until you get to know someone a bit better.

Report anything suspicious – If you receive a message from someone that you think could be a scammer, or if you find a message to be offensive make sure that you report your concerns to the people who run the website.

Blocking – As well as reporting anything to us, you can also ‘block’ a member if you no longer wish to receive messages from them. To  ‘block’ another member on Muddy Matches,  click on ‘Block sender’ in a message they have sent you or click on ‘Block this person’ at the bottom of their profile.

For more safety tips, please head to our Safety Advice page.