Summary: Be thoughtful about what you share before establishing trust with someone.

Protect Your Personal Information

• Do not share your home address, workplace, or daily routine until you know someone well and trust them
• Keep your last name private during early conversations
• Do not share financial information, bank details, credit cards, SIN/SSN, with anyone you meet on the platform, ever
• Be cautious about sharing your phone number early. Consider using a messaging app with a separate number if you want to move off-platform before you are comfortable
• Check what your photos reveal. Background details can disclose your location, employer, or neighbourhood.
• Stop communicating with anyone who pressures you for personal or financial information. The pressure is itself the warning sign, whatever reason is offered for it.

Help verify who you're talking to

Anyone who is able to commit identity theft can also falsify a dating profile. Our verification steps raise the effort required to pretend to be someone else, and they can be a useful signal, but they cannot rule it out.

Before sharing personal details or agreeing to meet, use HoopFrog's built-in tools to confirm someone is who they say they are:

• Request selfie verification , Send a verification request directly from your chat. If they're willing, they can verify and you will see a green checkmark badge appear on their profile.
• Send a voice message , Hearing someone's voice gives you a much better sense of who they are than text alone.
• Meet before you meet , Use our built-in voice and video calling to get to know someone from the comfort of home. Start with a voice call, then turn on video when you're ready. No phone number exchange needed , everything stays within HoopFrog until you decide otherwise.

Use the Platform for Early Communication

Staying on HoopFrog lets you use our in-app reporting and safety tools; some no longer apply once you move to other channels. Our automated message scanner may help detect scam patterns, fraud attempts, and harassment, but it cannot catch everything.

Trust Your Instincts

If something feels off, it probably is. You do not owe anyone an explanation for ending a conversation or disconnecting.

Summary: Use HoopFrog's verification features first, then take reasonable precautions for in-person meetings.

Before meeting in person, we recommend having a voice or video call first , it's a great way to feel the chemistry and build confidence before your first date. Combined with our selfie verification badges, these tools can increase your confidence, but cannot guarantee a person's identity, intentions, or safety.

• Always meet in a public place for your first several meetings. Never at your home or theirs first.
• Tell someone you trust where you are going, who you are meeting, and when you expect to be back.
• Never agree to be picked up at your home. Travel to and from the meeting under your own arrangements, and keep your address private until you have good reason to trust someone.
• Arrange your own transport. Do not rely on your date to get you home on the first meeting.
• Keep your phone charged and have emergency contacts accessible.
• Do not leave drinks unattended. Drug-facilitated assault is a real risk on first dates.
• Have an exit plan. "I have to go" is a complete sentence.

Summary: Romance scams are widespread. Learn the warning signs early.

Romance scams involve building a fake relationship to steal money or personal information. The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre reports romance scams are among the top financial crimes in Canada.

Warning Signs

• Claims to be overseas, military, oil rig, international business, with a reason they cannot meet
• Escalates emotional intimacy very fast, declarations of love within days
• Implausibly perfect profile with professional photos and no verifiable social presence
• Tries to move you off HoopFrog immediately, asking for personal contact in the first few messages
• Asks for money, for a flight, medical emergency, business opportunity. There is no legitimate reason a romantic connection needs your money before meeting you.
• Wants you to receive money or packages, money mule recruitment, which is illegal
• Wants gift cards or cryptocurrency, untraceable, unrecoverable
• Reluctant to connect authentically , consistently avoids voice or video calls, or declines to verify their profile

If You Think You Are Being Scammed

Use Our "Am I Being Scammed?" Safety Tool
HoopFrog includes a free, confidential scam assessment tool. It walks you through a short set of questions and gives you a personalized risk score with guidance. Find it in any conversation by tapping the Help (?) button, or look for the red "Am I being scammed?" safety chip. You can also report a concern at any time.

Warning Signs, Take Action If You Notice Any of These:

• They ask for money, gift cards, cryptocurrency, or "investment" opportunities, NEVER send money to someone you haven't met in person
• They refuse video calls or always have excuses
• They express strong romantic feelings within days ("love bombing")
• They want to move to WhatsApp, Telegram, or email quickly
• They claim to be military, a doctor abroad, on an oil rig, or with the UN
• Their photos look too professional, try a reverse image search
• They claim emergencies requiring your financial help
• They ask for intimate photos, these could be used for blackmail

If You Think You're Being Scammed:

• Stop all contact immediately
• Do not send money, gift cards, or cryptocurrency
• Report the account on HoopFrog (see Section 7)
• Use our "Am I Being Scammed?" assessment tool
• Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre: 1-888-495-8501 | antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca
• FTC Report Fraud: reportfraud.ftc.gov
• UK Action Fraud: 0300 123 2040
• If you have lost money, file a report with local police

Already Sent Money?

• Contact your bank immediately, some transfers can be reversed within 24-48 hours
• File a police report
• Report to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at 1-888-495-8501
• Keep all evidence: screenshots, transaction receipts, profile information
• Do not feel ashamed, romance fraud targets intelligent, caring people

• Consent must be enthusiastic and ongoing. Saying yes to one thing is not saying yes to everything. Consent can be withdrawn at any time.
• Pressure, manipulation, or intoxication invalidate consent.
• You are never obligated to meet anyone or continue a conversation you are not comfortable with.
• Intimate photos: Once sent, you cannot control their use. Sharing intimate images without consent is a criminal offence in Canada under the Criminal Code (s. 162.1).

• Age Verification: Users must be 18+. In supported regions we use VerifyMy for enhanced age checks; elsewhere we rely on declared date of birth. No age-assurance process is perfect.
• Selfie Verification: Verify your identity with a quick selfie. Our system compares it to your profile photos to confirm you are a real person. Verified users receive a green checkmark badge visible on their profile, in discovery, and in chat, so you can see who has completed our verification step.
• Request Verification: Not sure if someone is who they say they are? You can send a verification request directly from your chat with them. They will receive a prompt to complete selfie verification, and you will see the verified badge appear on their profile once confirmed.
• Voice & Video Calling: Get to know your connection on your own terms. Our built-in calling lets you have a real conversation , hear their voice, see their smile , all without exchanging phone numbers. Start with audio and turn on video when you're comfortable. It's the best way to build confidence before meeting in person.
• Automated Message Scanner: Messages may be automatically scanned for scam, fraud, harassment and prohibited-content signals, subject to our Privacy Policy. Flagged messages are reviewed by our trust and safety team.
• User Reporting: Tap the flag icon on any profile or message to report a concern. We aim to review reports promptly, often within 24 hours.
• Blocking: Block a user to prevent contact. Blocked users are not notified.
• Stealth (VIP): Removes your profile from general discovery and suppresses activity indicators.
• Account Banning: Violations may result in content removal, warning, suspension, or a ban.
• Important: HoopFrog does not conduct criminal background checks. Our safety features are safeguards, not guarantees. Always use your own judgment.

If you experience harassment, stalking, or abuse in connection with a HoopFrog interaction:

1. Do not engage or respond to threatening messages
2. Keep a record of what happened where you safely can, dates, times, usernames, and what was said, before blocking or deleting
3. Block the person on HoopFrog and on any other platform
4. Report the account from their profile or your conversation on HoopFrog (see Section 7)
5. Contact local police if you are in danger. In Canada, criminal harassment is an offence under the Criminal Code.

In the App

1. Open the person's profile or your conversation with them
2. Tap the three-dot menu (⋮) or flag icon, then select "Report"
3. Choose a reason: fake profile, scam, harassment, explicit content, underage, or other
4. Add any details that will help our team, then submit
5. We aim to review reports promptly, often within 24 hours

By Email

Email safety@hoopfrog.com with the username, a description, and any screenshots.

What Happens After You Report

Actions may include: content removal, warning, suspension, permanent ban, or referral to law enforcement. We take every report seriously. Good-faith reports are not penalized; knowingly false reports may be reviewed.

Canada

• Emergency: 911
• Crisis Services Canada: 1-833-456-4566 (24/7) | crisisservicescanada.ca
• 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline: call or text 988
• ShelterSafe (Domestic Violence): sheltersafe.ca
• Kids Help Phone (under 25): 1-800-668-6868 | Text CONNECT to 686868
• Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre: 1-888-495-8501 | antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca
• Cybertip.ca (Child Exploitation): cybertip.ca

United Kingdom

• Emergency: 999
• National Domestic Abuse Helpline: 0808 2000 247 (24/7)
• Samaritans: 116 123 (free, 24/7)
• Action Fraud: 0300 123 2040 | actionfraud.police.uk

European Union

• Emergency: 112
• EU Victim Support: victim-support.eu

United States

• Emergency: 911
• 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline: call or text 988 | 988lifeline.org
• National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-7233 | thehotline.org
• RAINN Sexual Assault Hotline: 1-800-656-4673 | rainn.org
• FTC (Scams): reportfraud.ftc.gov
• National Human Trafficking Hotline: 1-888-373-7888 or text 233733 | humantraffickinghotline.org

International Trafficking Resources

• Canadian Human Trafficking Hotline: 1-833-900-1010 | canadianhumantraffickinghotline.ca
• UK Modern Slavery Helpline: 08000 121 700 | modernslaveryhelpline.org
• Australian Federal Police: 131 AFP (131 237)
• Europol: europol.europa.eu

• Message scanning: Automated, pattern-based. Legal basis: legitimate interest (platform safety). Human review required before any account action. Not used for marketing or profiling.
• Age verification: We receive only a pass/fail result from VerifyMy, not your identity documents. See Privacy Policy Section 10.
• IP truncation: We truncate IP addresses before storage, no full IP addresses in our databases.
• We design our practices to align with applicable privacy laws (including PIPEDA, Alberta PIPA, and Quebec's Law 25) — see our Privacy Policy.

• Privacy Policy
• Terms of Service
• Child Safety Policy
• Cookie Policy

Safety: safety@hoopfrog.com
Privacy: privacy@hoopfrog.com
HoopFrog Inc., 3-11 Bellerose Drive, Suite 312, St. Albert, AB T8N 5C9, Canada