Does Tinder Do Background Checks?

Tinder has made dating easier than ever before. You can now potentially meet the person of your dreams just by swiping right on your phone. While it has made finding love easier than ever, it has also made finding scammers easier too. Personal safety is a primary concern of anyone in the dating game but does Tinder do background checks? Do they do any due diligence on their membership or is it all up to us?

The short answer is that it is all up to us to ensure we are not duped by scammers.

Those who lie on Tinder come in all shapes and sizes. You will have those who say they are single but who are not. Those who say they are 26 when they are obviously closer to 40. Those who say they are a doctor but who are really trash collectors. Then there are those who want to steal your identity or worse. So how do you stay safe on Tinder?

Five ways to use Tinder safely

Tinder leaves it up to us to check out those we plan to meet. It leaves it up to us to check people out and play safely and that’s okay. With millions of users, Tinder couldn’t possibly do background checks or even the most basic checks on everyone. We can do a much more thorough job ourselves.

View your Tinder profile critically

Creating a dating profile is tough enough without having to check it for privacy too. Don’t give out too much too soon. Make sure you don’t identify where you work, your neighborhood or specific club or organizations you’re a member of in your profile. Check images for identifiable data such as license plates, road names or anything that could help narrow down where you live or work.

If you’re unsure, have someone else check it too before you make it public. It is far better to be safe than sorry.

Perform your own Tinder background check

If you’ve met someone on Tinder and are planning to meet, perform your own background check first. You should know their name and roughly where they live so perform an internet search on their name and location. Reverse image search is also your friend. Then check out their social media presence.

It is an accepted precaution that nobody should have a problem with. Sure, if you turn up with a multi-page dossier on everything they did in the past ten years, that would be cause for concern. Doing a little checking to make sure they are who they say they are and aren’t likely to be a criminal is not a cause for concern.

Be suspicious of everyone until they prove worthy

It isn’t ideal to consider everyone a threat but it is a practical precaution online. Not just on Tinder but anywhere you go on the internet. Don’t give out personally identifiable information, don’t give people too much information and certainly don’t give out images or videos of yourself that can identify you.

Look out for people that are too good to be true, who ask too many personal questions too quickly or who have suddenly fallen ill or have a sick child. They may be genuinely like that but be suspicious until they prove it.

Meet in a public place

If you do find someone you want to meet, plan it carefully. Try to make it during the day and in a public place. Daytime meetings are generally safer than late at night as more people are around. It is also useful to make it time limited like in a lunch hour or before an appointment. That way, if you don’t get on with your date, your torture has a definite end time.

Public places are safer for obvious reasons. A coffee shop is ideal, somewhere close to you but not too close. Perhaps at the mall or town center where there are lots of other people around. Don’t invite someone back to your place until you’re more confident of them. Even then, think about it carefully before you do.

Don’t go it alone

If you do plan to meet a Tinder date for the first time, make sure someone knows where you’re going and who you’re going to meet. If you have a wingman, having them in the general vicinity is very useful. It may seem underhand or a little over the top but there is no such thing as being too careful. Not on a first date anyway.

If you don’t want to involve others, find out where your friends will be at a particular time and arrange to meet close by. While you do risk bumping into someone you know, you also have the security of backup only a couple minutes away!