Global Love Report – July 7, 2021
Written by Pamela Stephanie
Online dating platforms have made it easier for singles to connect with other singles but dating safety is still a concern. After all, anyone can register with these platforms. Some platforms offer a cursory check but most apps don’t do that. And that’s why there are plenty of stories about users dealing with unwanted advances or even outright harassment.
Vetting Process
For a matchmaker, vetting a client is an important part of the process. You can determine that the person really is genuine in their intentions—thus saving you the headache later. Background checks are also important—just in case you’ve missed something during your initial assessment of the client.
These are the two steps currently missing when someone signs up on an online dating platform.
Singles More Open to Background Checks
However, studies have shown that nowadays singles are more open to having a background check just to ensure their own dating safety.
A recent survey done by YouGov showed that at least 66% of single females have done some form of checking before meeting a match online. Of the options given on the survey—respondents could choose multiple answers—44% have searched their match’s name online. 51% have searched their social media profiles and 22% have even searched the match’s phone number online.
It’s interesting to note that the survey also asked if they have run a background check on their match. 13% of them did. In fact, on the same survey, 61% of single females and 60% of single males stated that they think dating apps should have background check information available on their potential dates.
How To Convince Potential Clients Your Agency is Better for Their Dating Safety?
So how do you convince them if dating platforms are starting to offer background checks too?
As a matchmaker, you actually have a couple of advantages. The main one is that you vet each client personally. That means you or someone in your company has spoken to the person. Whether it’s face-to-face or virtually, you have had direct contact with the person.
As we’ve mentioned earlier, anyone can open an account on dating sites or apps. They aren’t personally vetted by someone before they enter the database. And so, being a matchmaker, you already provide your clients with their very own 2-tiered security.
The second is that even though the Match group plan on offering background checks, from what they revealed so far, it does not seem to be a requirement. Therefore, it’s still relatively easy for a scammer or someone with bad intentions to open an account without people knowing who they are.
While some platforms are starting to use video to weed out catfishing, some see it as the bare minimum. And though Match group does apparently screen for sex offenders, they only do so on their paid apps. Free app users aren’t so lucky.
And here’s another reason why your matchmaking agency is better for them: Privacy. While you do vet them and run a background check on them, that information will stay private unless they tell you that it can be disclosed to another party.
Many agencies with high-profile clients conduct background checks and keep their clients’ information a secret after all.
We can’t really say how background checks will look like on these dating apps and websites. However, we can assume that the platform in question will be sharing more information. As a matchmaker, you can assure clients that their match has been vetted and are who they say they are—so you can assure one client and protect the other’s privacy at the same time. So, their dating safety is better with your matchmaking agency than if they chose an online platform.
