Safety tips for dating and meeting people

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Meeting new people should feel exciting, not risky. These tips are for dates, new friends and group nights alike. Trust your instincts: you never owe anyone a meeting, a reply or an explanation.

Safety awareness notice

VENNU DOES NOT CONDUCT CRIMINAL BACKGROUND CHECKS OR IDENTITY VERIFICATION CHECKS ON ITS MEMBERS. How we keep Vennu safe

Vennu does not conduct a criminal background screening on each user. Anyone can create a profile. The verified badge only means that a person on our team compared a posed selfie with the profile photos — it is not an identity check and not a criminal background check.

Please read these safety statements before you chat or meet anyone:

For members in Connecticut (Conn. Gen. Stat. § 21a-437)

  1. Use caution when communicating with a stranger who wants to meet you.
  2. You should not include your last name, electronic mail address, home address, phone number or any other identifying information in your online dating profile or electronic mail messages or communications until you feel comfortable with the other user. Stop communicating with anyone who pressures you for personal or financial information or attempts in any way to coerce you into revealing such information.
  3. If you choose to have a face-to-face meeting with another user who you met on the online dating platform, tell a family member or friend where you will be meeting and when you will return. You should not agree to be picked up at your home. Always provide your own transportation to and from your date and meet in a public place with many people around.
  4. Anyone who is able to commit identity theft can also falsify a dating profile.

For members in Texas and New Jersey (Tex. Bus. & Com. Code § 106.006; N.J.S.A. 56:8-171)

  1. Anyone who is able to commit identity theft can also falsify a dating profile.
  2. There is no substitute for acting with caution when communicating with any stranger who wants to meet you.
  3. Never include your last name, e-mail address, home address, phone number, place of work, or any other identifying information in your Internet profile or initial e-mail messages. Stop communicating with anyone who pressures you for personal or financial information or attempts in any way to trick you into revealing it.
  4. If you choose to have a face-to-face meeting with another member, always tell someone in your family or a friend where you are going and when you will return. Never agree to be picked up at your home. Always provide your own transportation to and from your date and meet in a public place with many people around.

The advice applies to everyone, wherever you live. It comes from state law, which is why it reads a little formally.

Before you meet

  • Take your time. Chat in Vennu until you feel comfortable. If someone pushes to move to another app right away, slow down — in Vennu you can report them and we can see the context.
  • Keep personal details private — your last name, home or work address, daily routine and social media handles — until you trust the person.
  • Check they are real. Look for the verified badge (and read what it does and doesn’t mean). A reverse image search of their photos, or a short video call on a service you trust, can confirm the person matches the profile.
  • Never send money or share bank, card, gift-card or crypto details. Anyone who asks is very likely a scammer — see scams and sextortion.
  • Watch for pressure. Guilt, urgency, anger when you say no, or requests for intimate photos are reasons to stop replying.

On the date or at the event

  • Meet in a busy public place. Events and venues you find in Vennu are public places — but a public place does not vouch for the people you meet there.
  • Get there and back on your own. Don’t agree to be picked up at home. Keep your phone charged and a way home planned.
  • Tell a friend who you are meeting, where and when you expect to be back.
  • Stay in control of your drink. Know your limit, watch your drink being made, and don’t leave it unattended.
  • Leave whenever you want. You don’t need a reason. Venue staff can help you get a ride or keep someone away.
  • Consent is required, every time. Anyone can change their mind at any point. Sexual contact without consent is against our rules and against the law.

Group nights

  • Arrive together or agree on a meeting point, and check in with each other during the night.
  • Don’t let anyone split you off from your group or take you somewhere private if you are unsure.
  • Look out for each other’s drinks, and leave together or make sure everyone has a safe way home.
  • If a member of another group makes anyone uncomfortable, report them — you can report a group or a message in the group chat.

After you meet

  • If something felt wrong, report it. Open their profile or your chat with them and tap report. Reporting also blocks them for you straight away. Reports are confidential.
  • Already unmatched? You can still report someone you matched with in the last 30 days from the Safety Center in the app (Profile → Settings → Contact & FAQ → Safety Center).
  • Not interested? Unmatching ends the chat and blocks the other person from contacting you.
  • If you were hurt or threatened, call 911 if you are in danger, and consider reporting to the police as well as to us. Free, confidential help is on our help lines page.

How we review reports, suspend or ban accounts and handle appeals is set out in our Safety Policy.