The steady rise of dating apps across society has provided consumers of all ages new ways to connect and pursue their social and romantic interests from anywhere. With this widespread use, integrity and safety are essential, according to research from TransUnion published ahead of Valentine’s Day. Almost all consumers using dating apps (90%) think those platforms should verify information about their users. The top three pieces of information people want verified are age, location, and recency of photos. 

These findings come from a consumer survey of US adults who have used or are currently using a dating app, like Tinder and Bumble, among many others. The vast majority (90%) believe they would be more likely to contact someone if their profile were verified. Notably, more than 70% of users are willing to pay for background checks for themselves or a potential suitor.

Also of note, while 43% of millennials are online daters, so are 20% of Boomers, ahead of Gen Z (18%) and Gen X (19%).

According to Tracey Lazos, senior director of TransUnion’s gig economy business, “Most consumers see great value in the efficiency and wide options today’s dating apps provide. That said, there is a big opportunity for those platforms to enable great experiences by improving trust through identity verification tools.”

About a quarter of respondents said they found profiles misleading, and being unhappy with the quality of matches was the top reason (37%) to stop using a dating platform. More concerning, nearly 60% said they had fallen victim to scams on dating apps. Seventy-seven percent of Gen  X respondents expressed concern about scams on a dating platform, followed by Boomers (76%), Millennials (68%) and Gen X (19%).

The most common scams consumers encountered were cat-fishing, or creating a fake online identify (30%); phishing for personal information (21%); and romance scammers asking for money (22%). Among those victimized by fraud on dating apps, nearly 70% said it had happened multiple times, with an average of three scams per person.

“Dating makes people inherently vulnerable, more than any other online interaction or activity, because people want to form a connection,” said Lazos. “We can leverage robust identity data to verify that someone is who they say they are. Doing so would offer financial protection and would make it easier for people to put themselves out there in good faith and make the connection they’re looking for.”

To learn more about the survey, download the infographic, here