Take your time
Keep early conversations on The Ditch Dating while you get to know someone. Be cautious if they pressure you to move elsewhere immediately.
The Ditch Dating safety guide
Date with confidence
Meeting someone new should feel exciting. A few sensible steps can help you protect your privacy, recognise worrying behaviour and stay in control from the first message to the first date.
Start with three simple rules
Your safety matters more than being polite
You decide what to share, when to meet and whether contact continues. A genuine match will respect your pace and your boundaries.
Protect your privacy
Share only what feels comfortable. Your home address, workplace, financial details and security information should remain private.
Trust your judgement
If a conversation or meeting feels wrong, stop it. You never owe anyone a reply, an explanation, another date or access to you.
Before you share
Keep personal information personal
A profile needs enough personality to start a conversation, but it should not reveal enough information for a stranger to find your home, workplace or daily routine. Use a general area rather than a precise location.
Protect yourself online
- Use a strong password that you do not use for another account.
- Never share passwords, verification codes or banking details.
- Avoid showing house numbers, car registrations or work passes in photographs.
- Check what your public social media profiles reveal about you.
- Do not open unexpected links or files sent by another member.
- Block and report contact that becomes threatening, sexual or persistent.
Recognise the warning signs
When a new connection may not be genuine
One unusual detail does not always mean someone is dishonest. A pattern of pressure, inconsistency and requests for money should never be ignored.
Intense feelings very quickly
They declare strong feelings before you know each other and use that sense of closeness to rush your decisions.
Always unable to meet
There is a repeated emergency, travel problem or last minute reason why meeting or speaking on camera is impossible.
Stories do not add up
Names, places, family details or photographs conflict with what they previously told you.
Pressure to leave the site
They want to move immediately to private messaging, where website safety controls and reporting are less available.
A request for money
They ask for travel costs, medical help, gift cards, an investment, cryptocurrency or access to your bank account.
Pressure or secrecy
They demand immediate action, ask you not to tell anyone or make you feel guilty for checking their story.
Never send money to someone you have met through a dating service
Do not transfer money, buy gift cards, receive money for them or share bank details. If you have already paid, contact your bank immediately and report the incident.
Meeting in person
Plan the first date around your safety
Choose a simple plan that lets you arrive, leave and change your mind independently. You can end the date at any time.
Choose a public place
Meet somewhere busy and familiar, such as a café, restaurant or public venue. Do not meet first at either person's home.
Tell someone you trust
Share who you are meeting, where you will be and when you expect to return. Arrange a check in during the date.
Arrange your own travel
Make your own way there and home. Do not depend on your date for a lift or reveal your home address.
Keep your phone ready
Charge your phone, keep it with you and make sure you can contact a friend, taxi or emergency service if needed.
Watch your food and drink
Keep drinks with you, do not accept an opened drink from a stranger and stop drinking anything that tastes or looks wrong.
Leave if you feel uneasy
You do not need permission or a perfect reason to go. Ask venue staff for help or contact someone you trust if necessary.
Get help and report concerns
Reporting can protect you and other members
You do not need proof before raising a concern with The Ditch Dating. If a crime may have happened, report it to the appropriate authority as well.
Report a member to The Ditch Dating
Use the report control on the member's profile or conversation. Include a clear description and keep relevant messages or screenshots where it is safe to do so. Block the account if you do not want further contact.
Report crime, fraud or immediate danger
Call 999 if someone is in immediate danger or a crime is in progress. For a police matter that is not an emergency, call 101 or report online. Suspected romance fraud can be reported through Report Fraud.
Safety questions
Clear answers when something does not feel right
Open a question for practical next steps. You can also contact support through the Help Centre.
Take your time. Staying on The Ditch Dating during early conversations keeps website reporting and blocking controls available. Be cautious if someone pressures you to use private messaging immediately.
Do not pay, even if the story feels urgent or believable. Stop contact, save relevant messages, block and report the profile. If you have already sent money, contact your bank immediately and report the matter through Report Fraud.
Yes. You can change your mind before or during a date. You do not owe another person a meeting, physical contact or a detailed explanation.
Do not continue the conversation if you feel uncomfortable. Block and report the account. Keep messages or screenshots if it is safe. Contact the police if the behaviour includes threats, stalking, harassment or an immediate risk.
Use a strong, separate password and enable an additional verification step when available. Keep your device and browser updated. The National Cyber Security Centre provides further online security guidance.
Urgent safety help
A website report is not an emergency service
If someone is in immediate danger, violence is being used or threatened, or a crime is in progress, call 999. For a police matter that does not need an emergency response, call 101 or use online reporting.