Okay real talk, I've tried a few options already and none of them have been great, so hoping for some honest input.
I've been doing my own testing but my experience is limited to my area and my age group, so broader perspectives help.
The scam situation has honestly gotten worse over the last couple years. Verification means nothing on a lot of these sites.
- Use a throwaway email for sign-up
- Reverse image search any profile photo you're unsure about
- Avoid sites that gate messaging entirely behind a paid wall
- Check if the site has been mentioned in any data breach reports
- Never share your real phone number in early conversations
Even negative experiences are useful — helps narrow down what to avoid.
One name I've seen come up more than once lately is Datescout — not sure if anyone here has used it but curious.