How to tell if a dating site is genuine before you pay

Before you trust a dating site with your photos, your heart and your card details, it's worth ten minutes of checking. Most sites are what they say they are. A few aren't, and the warning signs are usually there in plain sight if you know where to look.

You can use this checklist on any dating site, including ours. If you were looking for help with a different dating app's account, its own help pages are the place for that; Fish For Singles has no access to other services.

Who runs it

A genuine dating site tells you who is behind it. Look in the footer, the terms and the privacy notice for:

• a company name, written in full;
• a registered address;
• a way to contact them that isn't just a form.

For a UK company, you can look up the name on Companies House to check it exists and is active. Most UK organisations that handle personal data also pay a fee to the Information Commissioner's Office and appear on its public register. A company based elsewhere won't be on either, which isn't a problem in itself, but its name and address should still be there in full.

No company name anywhere is a reason to stop.

How billing works

Before you pay, find out:

• what the price is, and whether it's per week, month or longer;
• whether the membership renews automatically, and how long before renewal you need to cancel;
• what name will appear on your bank statement;
• how refunds work.

If you can't find these before the payment page, be cautious. Our guide to cancelling a dating subscription covers your rights in the UK.

How to leave

A good site makes it as easy to leave as to join. Look for plain instructions on cancelling a membership and deleting an account. If the only way out seems to be emailing and waiting, think twice.

What's free and what isn't

Many sites let you join, build a profile and browse for free, and charge for messaging. That's a perfectly fair model, as long as it's clear. Be wary of sites that are vague about what's free until you're already signed up, or that charge to read a message from someone you know nothing about.

Warning signs on the profiles themselves

Once you're inside, keep an eye out for:

• flirty messages arriving within seconds of joining, before you've added a photo;
• profiles with model-quality photos and almost no words;
• several profiles using the same phrases;
• anyone who quickly asks to move to another app, or asks for money, gift cards or help with an emergency.

A reverse image search of a profile photo can show whether it's been taken from somewhere else. Our guide to romance scams covers the warning signs in more depth.

If something feels wrong

Trust the feeling. Stop replying, block and report the profile on the site, and if you've paid anyone, contact your bank straight away. In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, report fraud to Report Fraud; in Scotland, call Police Scotland on 101.

Checking Fish For Singles

We're happy to be checked too. Fish For Singles is run by High Intent Media Inc, 16192 Coastal Highway, Lewes, Delaware 19958, United States. Joining, creating a profile and browsing are free; reading and replying to messages needs a paid membership. Memberships renew until you cancel them in You › Membership and billing, and charges appear under the billing name shown at checkout.

Our guide is Fish For Singles legit? sets out what's checked, what isn't, and how your data is handled.