Sydney, AUSTRALIA, Tuesday 11 February 2025: Tinder®, the dating app that revolutionised how people meet, is reaffirming its commitment to safe online dating with the launch of an updated Romance Scam Awareness Guide to equip users with crucial knowledge and tools to help protect themselves from online romance scams.
With scammers often targeting people looking for love, one of the biggest risks comes when they encourage users to move conversations off Tinder too soon - bypassing the app’s safety features. The updated resource has been developed in collaboration with leading financial wellness advocate, victim-survivor of intimate fraud and author of The Last Victim Tracy Hall, and renowned cyberpsychologist Professor Monica Whitty from Monash University, who has spent decades researching the psychological tactics scammers use to exploit trust and emotions online.
Their combined expertise brings real-world experience and academic insights to the guide. The Romance Scam Awareness Guide, available through Tinder’s School of Swipe microsite, provides practical, research-backed advice alongside actionable tips for Aussies navigating online dating and provides an in-depth look at:
Tinder’s Communications Director in Australia, Kirsty Dunn said, “We want Tinder to be a place where people can form meaningful connections and a place that’s both fun and safe. By working with local experts like Tracy Hall and Professor Monica Whitty to develop this guide, we’re helping ensure our community has the most up-to-date knowledge to help spot and avoid scams. This is part of our ongoing commitment to trust and safety, which includes regular enhancements to our educational School of Swipe microsite and industry-leading safety features like ID + Photo Verification. We hope this guide empowers our users to watch out for red flags and help them navigate the online dating world with confidence.”
Leading financial wellness advocate and victim of fraud, Tracy Hall said, “No one thinks it will happen to them, but the reality is that these criminals are sophisticated and know exactly how to manipulate trust. It’s important to educate and explain exactly how these criminals get under the skin and into the hearts of people looking for genuine connection and love. By sharing my experience and working with Tinder to enhance the Romance Scam Awareness Guide, I hope to help others avoid the same pitfalls and feel safer in their dating journey.”
The Romance Scam Awareness Guide forms part of Tinder’s broader industry-leading efforts to build trust and ensure user safety through educational resources and the promotion of safer dating practices. Over the past three years, Tinder has released more than 20 safety features including ID Verification, Warnings, Are You Sure and Does This Bother You in order to enhance the experience for its users while setting new standards for the entire online dating industry.
This is the latest Australian initiative from Tinder focused on educating users on dating safety. In November 2024 Tinder announced its Verified QT campaign in partnership with WESNET, and has previously launched Consent Course, School of Swipe, Dating Safety Guide and Dating Dictionary: Consent Edition, which provide valuable information to help navigate the dating landscape safely and with confidence.
- ENDS -
Notes to Editor
Media asset folder here
ABOUT TINDER®
Launched in 2012, Tinder® revolutionised how people meet, growing from 1 match to one billion matches in just two years. This rapid growth demonstrates its ability to fulfil a fundamental human need: real connection. Today, the app has been downloaded over 630 million times, leading to over 100 billion matches, serving approximately 50 million users per month in 190 countries and 45+ languages - a scale unmatched by any other app in the category. In 2024, Tinder won four Effie Awards for its first-ever global brand campaign, “It Starts with a Swipe™”.
Tinder is a registered trademark of Tinder LLC.
ABOUT TRACY HALL
Tracy Hall is an author, keynote speaker and senior marketing executive. Over the last 25 years, Tracy has had extensive exposure to global tech brands including eBay, Virgin, GoDaddy and Afterpay. She volunteers as a teen mentor for The Raise Foundation and is a Board Director for the Men’s Mental Health Charity - Mongrels Men. In 2019, Tracy became known as Hamish McLaren’s famous ‘last victim’ thanks to her role in The Australian’s podcast, Who the Hell is Hamish? Today, Tracy writes and speaks publicly about intimate fraud, scams, financial empowerment, victim mindsets, resilience, rebuilding and trust and is the author of The Last Victim.
ABOUT PROFESSOR MONICA WHITTY
Professor Monica Whitty is the Head of Department of Software Systems and Cybersecurity and is Professor of Human Factors in Cyber Security. She has been a member of the World Economic Forum Cyber Security Centre and was a member of the WEF Cyber Security Global Futures Committee. Prof Whitty is the author of over 100 articles and 5 books. She is a leading expert on human factors in cybersecurity. She is well-known for her work on the prevention, disruption, and detection of cyber fraud, (esp. romance scams and investment scams), cyber security training, identities created in cyberspace, online security risks, behaviour in cyberspace, insider threat and mis/disinformation.
