Age & Identity Verification in Sugar Dating: Proof Steps and Fraud Prevention
Having your own system for sugar dating identity verification can be a way to give you peace of mind when getting to know new partners. Whether you’re a sugar daddy or sugar baby, learning more about who you’re dating is an important step in building trust and protecting yourself from fraud, emotional manipulation, and even potential legal trouble.
So, in this article, we’re going to cover some tips and tricks that you can use to verify partners and date more confidently!
Use a sugar dating platform that has ID verification in place
One of the best ways to ensure you’re chatting with real, honest people is by using a sugar dating platform that requires ID verification. For example, here on Secret Benefits, we offer a few different verification methods, including:
Multi-step verification process. Everyone who signs up for Secret Benefits must undergo a thorough vetting process, including SMS verification, email approval, and biometric validation. This weeds out bots and ensures that all of our users are really who they say they are.
Manually verified and approved profiles. A lot of websites are using tech to approve profile requests, but having a real human check the validity of each user is invaluable.
Verification videos. Users on Secret Benefits can upload personal videos that add another layer of validity and genuineness to their profiles.
Ongoing moderating and response team. Not only is it important to thoroughly vet everyone who makes an account on Secret Benefits, but we also want to provide ongoing support and moderation. Accounts that are flagged for suspicious behavior are investigated further by our monitoring team.
As you can see, there are a lot of safety measures in place to do the work of ID verification for you. But even so, the following tips included in this article will help you feel even more sure that you’re talking to someone genuine.
Take a closer look at a potential partner’s profile
If someone’s profile has caught your eye, it’s a good idea to take a closer look at their photos and bio to make sure everything’s on the up-and-up. Pay particular attention to:
Photos
One of the best tools that you can use to sniff out a catfisher or scammer is a simple reverse image search. This allows you to verify if the photos on someone’s profile show up in other parts of the internet, such as a social media profile for someone else or a stock image library. You might also find that the image they’re using in their profile is made from artificial intelligence. These inconsistencies are, of course, red flags that someone isn’t being honest about who they are.
Now, there is one caveat here. In most sugar relationships, knowing what your partner looks like is an important part of the connection. But, there are some versions of virtual sugar relationships gaining in popularity in which using an avatar isn’t a deal-breaker. Even in these cases, though, everyone should be honest about whether they’re using altered or computer-generated images.
Quick facts
Most dating websites include a profile section with quick facts about the person, such as age, location, relationship preferences, and tagline. And this also may provide helpful information for verifying identity.
For example, if the user you’re talking to says they’ve never been out of Denver, but their location on the site says they’re in California, you would be right to have some follow-up questions. Or, if you notice a verbatim tagline on multiple accounts, you might wonder about the validity of those users.
These aren’t necessarily dealbreakers, but you can think of them as speed bumps to proceed with caution.
Bio
Someone’s bio is also a good place to start picking up on cues as to whether the person you’re talking to is authentic and genuine. And, in many cases, this will come down to the “feel” of the writing. Does it feel like it was written by a real person? Does it have grammar errors and colloquialisms (okay, sure, it’s not a great sign that someone wouldn’t have proofread their bio before publishing their profile, but it does show human error).
And, if you really can’t be sure, there’s another online tool that you can use to help you out: an AI writing checker. There are many free versions of this software online, which allow you to copy and paste a block of text into an analyzer that detects artificial intelligence.
Again, this isn’t necessarily a dealbreaker. You might not mind that someone would have relied on AI to write their bio. But, it is a good idea to explore further whether you’re talking to a person who uses AI or a full-on AI-generated user.
Ask clarifying questions
Bringing a human element to your conversations with new partners is one of your best tools for sugar dating identity verification.
Because, on the one hand, a bot will have a hard time following a conversation that goes off-script. You might notice that they provide odd, irrelevant answers to your questions or try to steer you back to topics that are included in their programming. You’ll also likely get a sense of non-human speech patterns.
And, on the other hand, a scammer or catfisher may have a hard time keeping up a lie for an extended period of time. In this case, if you pay attention to detail, you’ll notice that there are likely to be discrepancies in their stories.
Some good questions to get a sense of whether you’re talking to who they say they are can include:
- So, what is a normal day like for you?
- What was your favorite pet growing up?
- How do you feel about your hometown?
- If you could make any upgrades to where you currently live, what would they be?
As you can see, these aren’t rude personal questions. But they will tell you a lot about the other user’s personality and background. Someone who is trying to scam you won’t be interested in making this kind of small talk or will come up with fabrications that don’t quite make sense, which is an indication that they might not be a good partner for you.
Request a video call
While tech tools can be very helpful in verifying someone’s identity, there’s nothing that really compares to face-to-face interaction. And, it’s even better if you can meet up in person, but if you want the security of a video call before an in-person date, you’ll still learn a lot of important information about someone’s genuineness from a virtual interaction.
The first big red flag, of course, is someone delaying or refusing to see you face-to-face. They may throw all kinds of excuses at you, from a bad internet connection to being embarrassed about their bad hair day to simply not liking video calls. Or, if you have an in-person date lined up, they may cancel or reschedule various times.
It’s okay to have some flexibility and understanding here, but don’t let the relationship develop past the getting-to-know-you phase until you’ve had visual confirmation that they are who they say they are.
Don’t dismiss red flags
When you’re getting to know someone, it’s easy to get caught up in the excitement of connection and romance. But, as research has shown, this stage can affect our decision-making abilities, making us more prone to dismiss red flags.
Ask yourself, honestly, if you’ve noticed any red flags in your early interactions with someone new:
- Have you ever felt love-bombed by them? In other words, has their behavior made you feel that your connection is “too good to be true?” This could be a tactic used to make you trust them.
- Have they given you excuses for why they can’t see you?
- If you have seen them, do they look the way that they’ve described themselves? In other words, do they look younger than the age they put on their profile? Or do they act in a way that gives you the impression that they might be younger than their given age?
- Have you ever caught them in a lie about their identity?
- Have they ever asked you for money or personal details that have made you uncomfortable?
Remember that being able to recognize these red flags is for your own safety. Someone who is being untruthful about their identity could land you in legal trouble or entangle you in a scam. So, as excited as you may feel about finding someone you’re hopeful about, don’t dismiss these and other red flags as they come up.
Keep an open mind, but maintain a reasonable level of suspicion
To be sure, you don’t want to be so paranoid about everyone you meet on a sugar dating website that you scare off potential partners. After all, there are some valid reasons why a partner may not want to share all of their personal details with you. And just because they’re a little bit slow to open up doesn’t mean that they’re not trustworthy and well-intentioned.
Overall, finding the line between giving new partners the benefit of the doubt and maintaining a level of suspicion that will keep you safe from scams is a skill that you might need some time to develop. But having a few tricks in your toolkit, like reverse image searches, AI text detection, and being firm about scheduling a video call, will give you a good foundation to move forward more confidently.
So, which tools will you incorporate into your own sugar dating identity verification system?
