Safety & Safe Dating Tips

Last updated: June 8, 2026

Fledge is designed to help people connect. Any interaction with new people – online or offline – involves risk. This page explains practical safety tips and helps us meet safety information requirements in certain U.S. states.

Fledge cannot guarantee the conduct or identity of any user. You should always use your own judgment and contact emergency services or specialist organizations when needed.

1. Core safety principles

  • Trust your instincts. If someone or something feels off, pushy, rude, confusing or unsafe, you can stop the conversation, block the user and report them.
  • You are in control. You are never obligated to reply, share personal details, move to another app, meet offline or continue any interaction.
  • “No” is enough. Pressure for a date, sex, alcohol/drugs, explicit content or money is a red flag.

2. Online safety and protecting your information

Be careful with personal details:

  • Avoid sharing your home address, exact workplace, daily routine, financial data, social security or other ID numbers.
  • Be careful with photos that show your house, license plate, workplace name or other easily identifiable details.
  • Do not send scans or photos of your ID, passport or other documents to people you haven’t fully verified.

Stay in Fledge until you feel comfortable:

  • Keep your conversations inside Fledge until you build trust.
  • Do not rush to move to private messengers, SMS or encrypted apps if you have doubts.
  • Be extra cautious with links to unfamiliar websites or requests to switch to obscure apps.

3. Scams and financial safety

Dating platforms are actively used by scammers. Common examples:

  • Requests for money or crypto. “I need help with a bill,” “I’m stuck abroad,” “I just need a small loan,” “send money to this account” and similar stories.
  • Investment / crypto schemes. Someone you meet on Fledge pushes you to send funds to a “trading account,” “broker,” “mining platform” or “special investment opportunity.”
  • Phishing links. Fake login pages that look like Fledge, payment processors or banks, designed to steal your credentials or card details.

Important:

  • Fledge will never ask you for your password in messages or ask you to send money to another user.
  • Never send money, gift cards, crypto, or banking details to someone you met online.
  • If a user asks for money or financial details, stop communicating, block them and report the profile.

4. Meeting in person

Before the first meeting:

  • Meet in public, busy places. Choose cafés, restaurants, public events or other locations where there are people around. Avoid private homes for initial dates.
  • Tell someone you trust. Share who you are meeting, where and when. Consider sending a screenshot of their profile.
  • Plan your own transport. Arrive and leave independently (public transport, taxi, your own car). Do not let someone you just met pick you up at your home or drop you off there.
  • Charge your phone. Make sure your phone is charged and you can call friends or emergency services if needed.

During the date:

  • Watch your drinks and food. Don’t leave your drink unattended. Don’t accept open drinks from people you don’t fully trust.
  • Stay in control. Try not to consume so much alcohol or other substances that you lose the ability to make decisions or leave if you feel unsafe.
  • Have an exit plan. Agree with a friend on a “code word” or another way they can help you leave an uncomfortable or unsafe situation quickly.

5. Online content, intimate photos and videos

  • Think before you send. Any photo, video or message you share online can be saved, copied and shared by your conversation partner without your consent.
  • Limit identifying details. If you choose to share intimate content, consider avoiding your face or unique identifiers (tattoos, background, etc.) if you are not prepared for the risk of wider distribution.
  • Zero tolerance for threats and blackmail. If someone pressures you to send intimate photos, threatens to publish your content or uses it to control or manipulate you:
  • stop communicating;
  • save evidence (screenshots, messages);
  • block and report the user;
  • consider contacting law enforcement or specialist victim-support organizations.

6. Sexual health and consent

6.1. Consent

Consent means a clear, informed, voluntary yes to a specific activity, and it can be withdrawn at any time.

  • “Yes” must be explicit. Silence, confusion, guilt, pressure or fear are not consent.
  • Consent can change. A person can agree to one activity but refuse another, or change their mind at any point.
  • No sex without capacity to consent. Do not engage in sexual activity with anyone who is asleep, unconscious, extremely drunk, under the influence of substances to the point of impairment, or otherwise unable to understand and freely agree. Sexual activity without valid consent may be a crime.

If someone ignores your boundaries, pressures you or continues after you say no, treat this as a serious warning sign. Stop the interaction and consider seeking support.

6.2. Sexual health

  • Use protection (such as condoms) to reduce the risk of STIs and unplanned pregnancy.
  • Talk honestly with partners about STI testing and status before engaging in sexual activity.
  • If you experience symptoms, think you may have been exposed to an STI, or have been sexually assaulted, seek medical care and specialist support as soon as possible.

7. Harassment, threats and violence on Fledge

Fledge does not tolerate:

  • threats of violence or stalking;
  • sexual harassment or unwanted explicit images/messages;
  • hate speech, racism, homophobia, transphobia or other forms of discrimination;
  • stalking, doxing, or sharing someone’s private information without consent;
  • any content that promotes or condones violence.

If you experience this behavior:

  • Do not engage or escalate the conversation.
  • Take screenshots or otherwise save evidence (chat, profile, usernames).
  • Block the user and use the Report function in Fledge.

Fledge may take actions including warnings, temporary suspensions, permanent bans and, where appropriate and permitted by law, cooperation with law enforcement.

8. Criminal background checks and verification

At this time, Fledge does not conduct criminal background checks or comprehensive identity verification on all users.

Even where checks are performed (whether by us or third parties), they are limited by available records, jurisdictions, timing and accuracy. No check can guarantee that a particular user is safe or has no criminal history.

You should always:

  • treat every new interaction with reasonable caution;
  • use the safety tips on this page;
  • report suspicious or harmful behavior to Fledge and, if necessary, to law enforcement.

A separate, more detailed notice about criminal background checks may be provided elsewhere in the app and on our website, as required by certain state laws.

9. If you are in immediate danger (United States)

If you or someone else is in immediate physical danger:

  • Call 911 right away.

If you are in emotional crisis or considering self-harm:

  • Contact the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline
  • Call or text 988, or use the online chat via the official website (United States).

If you have experienced sexual assault:

  • Contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline (RAINN)
  • Call 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or use online chat at rainn.org.

If you are experiencing domestic or intimate partner violence:

  • Contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline
  • Call 1-800-799-SAFE (7233), TTY: 1-800-787-3224, or use chat at thehotline.org.

Other useful resources: Crisis Text Line (text HOME to 741741); The Trevor Project for LGBTQ+ youth (1-866-488-7386, or text START to 678-678); Trans Lifeline (1-877-565-8860); StrongHearts Native Helpline (1-844-7NATIVE) for Indigenous communities; AARP Fraud Watch Helpline for romance-scam victims (1-877-908-3360); the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center at ic3.gov; and the Cyber Civil Rights Initiative (cybercivilrights.org) for victims of non-consensual intimate imagery.

Availability and services may change; please check official websites for the most current information and local resources.

10. Contacting Fledge about safety

If you have safety concerns or want to report an issue related to behavior on Fledge:

  • Use the Report feature on the profile or in the chat;
  • Contact us via the Help / Support section in the app;
  • Email us at support@fledge.love.

For emergencies, always contact local emergency services first.

Fledge will continue to update this Safety & Safe Dating page as our product evolves, laws change and industry best practices develop.