Community · Online Dating Safety Awareness

Safety Tips

Getting to know someone through an introduction service carries risk. Please read this before you meet anyone.

Effective October 31, 2026Last updated October 31, 2026Dopin LLC d/b/a Belavo

This page is Belavo's safety policy and the safety awareness notice required by several state online-dating laws. It is shown to every member before they join and is available from the Safety Center in the app.

Before you meet

• Keep it on Belavo until you feel comfortable. Be wary of anyone who pushes to move to text, another app or email right away, or who asks for your phone number in a first note.
• Never send money, gift cards, crypto or financial details, no matter the story. Requests for money are the most common scam. Report anyone who asks; they are removed.
• Protect your personal information. Keep your home address, workplace, daily routine, last name and financial information private until you have met and built trust.
• Look for consistency. Do their evidence, places and photos match what they tell you? Does a video call match their photos? Are they vague about where they live or what they do? If something feels off, pass.
• Watch for common warning signs: declarations of strong feelings very quickly, stories that change, refusal to video call, claims to be abroad or in the military, requests for money or help with "fees", pressure, or anger when you say no.
• Report and block. Anyone who is rude, pressuring, suspicious or asks for money. Reports are anonymous and a real person reviews each one.

When you meet

• Meet in a public place in daytime or somewhere busy, for the first few times. Not at anyone's home and not somewhere isolated.
• Tell a friend where you are going, who you are meeting, what they look like, and when you expect to be back. Share your live location with them.
• Get yourself there and back. Keep your own transport and your phone charged. Don't rely on the other person for a ride.
• Keep your drink in sight. Drink within your limits. Don't accept drinks you didn't see poured.
• Leave if you feel uncomfortable, for any reason. You owe no one an explanation. Ask staff for help if you need it.
• Your boundaries are yours. Consent can be withdrawn at any time, and anyone who ignores that should be reported.

If something goes wrong

• In immediate danger, call 911.
• Report the member in Belavo as soon as you can, even after the fact and even if you are unsure. We review every report, may ban the member, and share information with law enforcement when required or when a person's safety is at risk.
• Support lines (United States):
  • National Sexual Assault Hotline (RAINN): 1-800-656-4673, rainn.org
  • National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-7233, text START to 88788
  • 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: call or text 988
  • Cyber Civil Rights Initiative (image-based abuse): cybercivilrights.org
  • Report fraud to the FTC: reportfraud.ftc.gov; report internet crime to the FBI: ic3.gov
  • San Francisco: SF Women Against Rape 24-hour line 415-647-7273; La Casa de las Madres 1-877-503-1850

Prohibited conduct

The Community Guidelines prohibit, among other things: any act, attempted act or threat of homicide, sexual assault or other unlawful sexual behavior, assault, kidnapping, stalking, harassment, drugging or involuntary intoxication, robbery, theft, coercion, and any other conduct that threatens a person's safety; fraud and solicitation of money; impersonation and fake profiles; sexual content and pressure; sharing another member's information; and any contact with or involvement of minors. Members who engage in such conduct, on or off Belavo, are banned.

How reports are handled

1. Reports are made in the app from a profile, note, chat, group or gift, or by email to [email protected]. They are anonymous: the reported member is never told who reported them.
2. A trained member of our Trust & Safety team reviews every report. Reports alleging violence, sexual misconduct or minors are reviewed first and within 24 hours.
3. Depending on what we find, we warn, remove content, require a new face check, suspend, or ban the member permanently and block them from returning. Serious conduct results in a permanent ban on the first confirmed report.
4. We cooperate with law enforcement investigations and preserve relevant records when asked. See the Law Enforcement Guidelines.
5. We limit what we share about a report where needed to protect the reporter or other people involved. If you reported someone and want to know whether action was taken, we will tell you that the report was reviewed and acted on where we can.

How we try to help

• Every member passes a live video face check matched to their photos, so the person you see is the person in the photos.
• Evidence and photos are screened for stock, AI-generated and screenshot images.
• Notes are checked for tone before they are sent.
• Anonymous reporting and blocking from every profile, note, chat, group and gift; a real person reviews every report.
• Neighborhoods, never exact locations, are shown on profiles. Your email and birthday are never shown.
• A safety tip appears in every chat, with a link to this page.

Members outside California

This notice is provided to members in every state in which Belavo operates, including as required by New York General Business Law §394-c, New Jersey Statutes 56:8-171, Illinois 815 ILCS 503, Texas Business and Commerce Code chapter 106, and Colorado SB 24-011 where applicable. A link to this policy appears on the main page of belavo.app and in the app. If you live in a state with a dating-safety law that requires additional notices, they will appear here when Belavo opens in that state.

This page was last reviewed on October 31, 2026 and is reviewed at least annually.