Sequel Dating App Review: Is It Safe For Mature Adults?

You can make the most of online dating by mitigating your risks – both online and if/when meeting dates in person. Other dating platforms store your messages, and these can, of course, be used for the wrong things if they fall into the wrong hands. Certain dating apps are notorious for going as far as sharing private data provided by users. These include Grindr, Tinder, and OkCupid, which ran afoul of the GDPR in 2020. According to the Federal Trade Commission, online romance scams are growing, with approximately 73,000 romance scams reported in 2022 (up from 33,000 in 2020).

You’re probably wondering where else you can look for casual connections or kink exploration online. While AFF might feel slightly more “legit” than sites with names that scream spam (you know the ones), there are definitely much better places to spend your time and money. AdultFriendFinder’s overall outdated vibe goes past an aesthetic annoyance — it’s downright problematic at times. The lack of inclusivity for the LGBTQ+ community is nearly unforgivable, and we’d be scared to see some of the related rhetoric that AFF users feel comfortable spewing. Without even a dash of social awareness, it’s hard to see how anyone who’s not an out-of-touch straight cis man would feel comfortable on this site. However, some Reddit members have praised AFF as a site for men meeting men.

They may tell you they need your help because their bank is down or wish to convert the money to crypto. If you match with an account and they immediately send you a file to download, we advise you not to open it. These scammers often embed malware and keylogging viruses in files and send them to unsuspecting victims.

The Best Online Senior Dating Sites Of 2026

The combination of reverse image search + video call request is your strongest defense. Experts like Robinson, say efforts like this are a start, but she believes dating app companies have a responsibility to use some of their “innovation and forward thinking” to create safer online dating experiences. Bumble’s security measures are by far the most extensive, encouraging users to report the match if you meet in person and feel “unsafe or uncomfortable,” or if you see someone who you know is dangerous offline. It’s not clear if that second set of user data has leaked online. The vulnerability has since been fixed, Rahjerdi said, but while he had access to the database he could have sent push notifications to a number of users.

She adds that platforms need to ensure they are reviewing incidents users have taken the step to report. Half (50%) of adults who have ever used an online dating site or app report that they have at some time been in a committed relationship with someone they met through such a dating site/app. When those who have ever used online dating sites or apps are asked their main reason for using them, the top reason is to find an exclusive romantic partner (58%). This is the number one reason given by every major demographic group. Women are more likely than men (24% to 17%) to say that the main reason is to have something fun or interesting to do; men are more likely than women (12% to 2%) to say it is to have casual sex.

While our tips apply to people of all genders, women face considerably larger risks. As such, we advise that women take better precautions, adhere to our outlined tips, and follow them without fail. We left this for last because it’s not a scam; it’s more of a potential risk and quite a popular one. It involves an individual stalking your online activities, keeping tabs on everything like retweeting, posting, sharing, and everything. For example, the malware can access your financial records and private photos or remotely control your devices. Even after taking these precautions, you can also use a strong antivirus to protect you from potential threats.

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Learn how these schemes work and join LifeLock to help protect your funds and identity from heartless romance scammers. There has been a spate of fake dating sites and scam dating apps, so much so that in 2022, the Better Business Bureau in the US issued a warning about them. Fake dating sites can be hard to detect and people usually find them through online ads or search engine results. However, most profiles on these counterfeit sites are fake, and replying to them usually costs you money.

Fifty-two percent of all dating app/site users believe that they have encountered a scammer, with men under 50 having experienced this more than men over 50 and women of all ages. Overall, 62 percent of survey respondents said they prefer dating platforms designed specifically for older adults. Many said age-focused sites make it easier to find matches with shared interests, life experiences and relationship goals, despite senior-specific platforms having fewer users overall.

Almost every day I was contacted with a new demand for money. They sent me certificates signed by officials, forms to fill out and bills for everything. If you wanted to get anything done quickly you had to pay another fee. It seemed to me that the whole Malaysian government was corrupt.

For adults over 50, it can be particularly challenging to find a proper platform for meeting like-minded people online. Most options favor speed of connections and endless scrolling, which is far from what modern elders want. Our survey and focus group participants were divided on whether dating site subscriptions are worth the cost. “They’re very expensive, and most sites make you pay just to send or answer a message,” said Jane, the focus group participant in Las Vegas. She noted she often sees the same people on both free and paid platforms, and she uses both to increase her chances of making a connection.

Even so, the site’s still buggy and isn’t exactly great for meeting real people who aren’t, as one Reddit user so eloquently put it, “busted and unstable.” You can do a decent amount of looking without paying (this includes browsing profiles, getting limited messages, and hitting up some chat rooms). On the flip side, AFF does let you identify as and search for a man, woman, a couple, or trans.

Plus, many dating apps have built-in safety measures for their messaging functions. Robust profile verification measures, in-app safety tools, and privacy controls are part of the Big Three in safety features for dating apps and websites. Read privacy policies, limit permissions of dating apps, avoid linking third-party apps (like social media profiles), and don’t include information or photos that you wouldn’t want in the public sphere.

Legitimate romantic partners will understand and respect your boundaries. Anyone who pushes back against reasonable safety measures probably isn’t worth your time anyway. About 39 percent of U.S. adults have used a dating site at some point in their lives, a 2025 survey from research firm SSRS found.

• Free users can get help through chat and email, though the chat feature is powered by an AI chatbot.
• You could also try the Google reverse image search, which will bring up any other place the picture has been used or related images.
• We really wanted to see how it works, what you get (and don’t get), and if it lives up to its claims.
• The privacy policy raised concerns about social media monitoring.

This shouldn’t even need to be clarified, but not everyone is looking for a woman. At the least, the advertising isn’t inclusive — but this crosses into fetishization territory. The cherry on top is that the women in the photos (unsurprisingly) probably aren’t even members of the site, according to a disclaimer at the bottom of the landing page. We’re not knocking a quick hookup or no-strings-attached relations. Genitals are quite literally in your face from the moment you make an account, and that’s just not cute. There are chiller ways to go about insinuating that this is a hookup website without feeling like you’re trapped in a sex dungeon with strangers.

We shared the risks to make you aware of them, and to better help you protect yourself, not to discourage you from signing up. Based on our experience and what others have reported (especially on places like Reddit), cancelling your AdultFriendFinder membership might be a bit of a hassle. Auto-renewal seems to be a common issue, and some users have had trouble stopping recurring charges. While there are steps to turn off auto-renewal and close your account in your settings, the site’s clunky interface and potential bugs can make it less straightforward than it should be.

SSRS goes beyond the data to bring our professional and personal experiences in research to you. Before you can really get past the main landing page, AdultFriendFinder MeetWithMature asks you to verify your age, either by uploading a photo of your ID or using a facial scan. It seems like they put this in place to try and make sure minors aren’t accessing the site, which, honestly, is a good step given the explicit content. The site’s functionality and safety aren’t where they need to be in 2025.

The median reported loss for romance scams was $2,218 in the third quarter of 2025, according to data from the Federal Trade Commission Consumer Sentinel Network. “She claims that she loves me, wants to be with me, and has even sent a (expletive) picture,” according to the early December report on the BBB Scam Tracker. The consumer found Bullock on Instagram and said “Hi” as a fan.