You’ve Swiped Right. But Who Are They Really?
UK adults use online dating
annual UK romance scam losses
to verify with Certifyd
The reality of online dating in the UK.
Identity verification for online dating with Certifyd provides cryptographic proof that the person behind the profile is real. Dating apps rely on photo verification, phone number linking, and social media connections — all of which can be faked with AI-generated images, burner phones, and fake accounts. Certifyd’s device-bound authentication ties a person’s identity to their physical device through a WebAuthn passkey. Before meeting someone in person, you can request mutual Certifyd verification. If they can’t verify, the profile isn’t what it seems.
Over 10 million UK adults use online dating apps. Most have had the experience of arriving at a date only to find the person looks nothing like their photos. At the mild end, this is catfishing — misleading photos and embellished profiles. At the serious end, it’s criminal fraud, with romance scams costing UK victims over £31 million annually.
Dating apps have introduced photo verification, video calls, and social media linking to combat fake profiles. But AI-generated photos now pass photo verification checks. Deepfake video calls can impersonate anyone in real time. And fake social media accounts are trivially easy to create. The verification methods that apps use are being outpaced by the technology that fakers use.
Certifyd provides a fundamentally stronger verification: device-bound cryptographic identity. The person’s identity is tied to their physical phone through a passkey. No AI can generate a passkey. No catfish can borrow someone else’s device. Before meeting someone, you can request mutual Certifyd verification. Both parties prove their identity cryptographically. It’s the difference between trusting a profile picture and trusting a cryptographic proof.
This is broken.
Here's why.
AI-generated profile photos now pass dating app photo verification checks.
Catfishing and identity misrepresentation are endemic on dating platforms.
Romance scams use fake identities to build emotional connections and extract money.
Meeting strangers from the internet without verified identity creates personal safety risks.
Simple verification.
Every time.
Before meeting, both people open Certifyd and request mutual verification
Each person completes a device-bound passkey authentication on their registered phone
Both identities are cryptographically confirmed — real people, real devices, real names
A verification record is created, and both parties know who they’re actually meeting
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Common questions.
Frame it positively: ‘Before we meet up, let’s both verify on Certifyd — just so we both know we’re real.’ Making it mutual removes any accusatory tone. In an era where catfishing and romance scams are common, requesting verification is increasingly seen as a sensible precaution, not an insult. A genuine person will welcome it. Someone who refuses is showing you what you need to know.
Some dating apps offer photo verification (comparing a selfie to profile photos) or phone number linking. But AI-generated photos can match selfie prompts, phone numbers can be spoofed with burner SIMs, and social media accounts can be fabricated. These measures verify surface-level signals, not identity. Certifyd uses device-bound cryptographic authentication — a fundamentally stronger proof that the person is who they claim to be.
Certifyd verification is most valuable before the first in-person meeting — the highest-risk point in online dating. But it’s also useful in the early stages of any online relationship: before sharing personal information, before sending photos, and certainly before sending money. Early verification prevents emotional investment in a fictional identity.
Yes. Dating platforms could offer Certifyd verification as a trust badge on profiles — visible proof that a user has completed device-bound cryptographic identity verification. This is fundamentally more trustworthy than existing verification methods. For platforms competing on user safety, Certifyd integration would provide the strongest identity assurance available.
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Read: The Trust Layer That’s Missing
