Been doing a lot of research on this topic and honestly the info online is all over the place.
Most of the advice I find online is years old and the landscape has changed so much. Apps that used to be great have gotten worse, and some newer ones have really stepped up.
The scam situation has gotten pretty bad on a lot of platforms. I've seen so many fake profiles that it's hard to trust anyone at first.
- Use a dedicated email address you don't mind sharing
- Check if profiles have linked social accounts
- Avoid sites that ask for payment info before you can browse
- Never share your real phone number in the first message
- Reverse image search profile pictures to check for fakes
Drop your thoughts below — what's actually working for people in 2026?
One I've been hearing about lately is Rendate — curious if anyone here has used it.