Photo verification
Photo verification helps check that an account holder matches the photos provided. It does not confirm their finances, intentions or criminal history.
SENIORMATCH SAFETY CENTRE
From your first message to meeting in person, know your options. Find SeniorMatch safety tools, practical precautions and clear steps for reporting a concern.
Report a Safety ConcernIn immediate danger? Call 999. Online support is not an emergency service.

UNDERSTAND YOUR OPTIONS
Use the controls in your account alongside your own boundaries. A profile badge or a reassuring conversation should never replace time spent getting to know someone.
Photo verification helps check that an account holder matches the photos provided. It does not confirm their finances, intentions or criminal history.
Review profile visibility and photo-sharing settings. SeniorMatch offers public and private photo albums so you can decide which images to share.
Block unwanted contact and report suspicious profiles or messages for review. If you cannot access an account or conversation, contact customer support.
BEFORE YOU CONNECT
Your profile can show your personality without revealing where you live or how to access your accounts.
Read the privacy information →Look for house numbers, letters, vehicle registrations and identifiable places near home. Ask permission before including other people, particularly grandchildren.
Use a password you do not use elsewhere. Never share login codes or let an online contact remotely access your phone or computer. Open SeniorMatch directly instead of following an unexpected sign-in link.
Keep early conversations on the platform. You do not need to give out your phone number, email or social accounts to prove that you are interested. Repeated pressure to do so is a reason to pause.
A recipient may save or record what you share, including on a video call. Keep personal documents and identifying details out of view.
RECOGNISE THE PATTERN
A request can seem convincing after weeks of conversation. Pause whenever affection becomes pressure to pay, invest or keep secrets.
Travel costs, medical bills or a frozen bank account may be used to create urgency.
Your next stepDo not send money, gift cards or cryptocurrency. Talk it through with someone you already trust.
An online connection introduces a trading app, guaranteed returns or an opportunity that must stay private.
Your next stepDo not deposit funds or install software at their request. Never receive or transfer money on their behalf.
Threats to publish intimate images or contact your family are abuse. You are not to blame.
Your next stepDo not pay or send more images. Keep evidence if safe, stop contact and report the threats to the police and SeniorMatch.
Further advice: Report Fraud’s romance fraud guidance and Police Scotland’s fraud and blackmail advice.
BEFORE, DURING AND AFTER
Make the first meeting something you can comfortably leave. You can change your mind about a date at any point.
Choose a busy, staffed venue and check access, seating and transport in advance. Tell a trusted person who you are meeting, where and when. Set a check-in time and travel independently.
Keep your phone charged and your drink in sight. Limit alcohol. Decline a move to a private address if you are uncomfortable. Ask venue staff for help if someone pressures you or makes you feel unsafe.
Let your trusted person know you are home. Accepting a meal does not commit you to another date. If contact becomes unwanted, stop responding, block and report it.
RESPECT AND WELLBEING
Being older, being in a relationship or having been intimate before does not remove the need to ask, listen and respect each other’s choices.
Silence or pressure is not consent. Either person can change their mind at any time. Stop if there is uncertainty; do not assume that affection or a previous “yes” means agreement now.
Discuss protection and STI testing before becoming sexually active with a new partner. Many infections have no symptoms. Condoms help reduce the risk; a sexual health clinic can advise on testing and care.
Read NHS advice on STIs and testing →It is not your fault. You can get medical and emotional support without first making a police report. NHS guidance explains how sexual assault referral centres can help.
Find NHS information on consent and support →TAKE ACTION
Report money requests, impersonation, threats, harassment or unwanted sexual content. Include concerning behaviour that happened after moving to another service or meeting in person.
If safe, save the username, profile link, messages and dates. For incidents elsewhere, explain where they happened. Keep payment records if money was involved.
On the SeniorMatch website, open the profile or message window and select the three-dot menu (…) in the upper-right corner. Choose the report option, select a reason and submit.
Use the blocking tool. If the profile is unavailable or you need more help, contact SeniorMatch support with the information you saved. Menu labels may differ in the app.
A platform report helps SeniorMatch review an account. It does not replace contacting your bank, the police or a medical service.
HELP IN THE UK
You do not have to handle a worrying situation alone.
Call 999 if you or someone else is in immediate danger. Move to a safer place if you can.
Contact your bank immediately using its official app or the number on your card. Explain what happened and ask about protecting your account. Do not pay anyone promising to recover lost money.
In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, use Report Fraud. In Scotland, contact Police Scotland on 101.
Content reviewed 16 September 2026. Product instructions are based on SeniorMatch’s published help pages; health and reporting links lead to official UK services.