Staying Safe When Dating Over 60 in Ireland

Most people you'll meet online are exactly who they say they are: someone in their sixties or seventies, a bit nervous, hoping for good company. A few common sense habits mean you can enjoy meeting them without a knot in your stomach. None of this is complicated, and most of it you'd tell a grandchild anyway.

Keep the Details to Yourself, For Now

Your first name and your county are plenty to begin with. Hold back your surname, your home address, your Eircode, where you work or volunteer, and anything about your finances until you've met and you're comfortable. It's not rude; anyone worth meeting will understand, and most will be doing the same.

Chat on the Site First

Keep your conversations on the site for a while before swapping phone numbers or moving to WhatsApp. If someone is in a great hurry to get you off the site, ask yourself why.

Check They're Real

A short video call before you meet is a good idea, and a genuine person will usually be happy to do it. If they always have an excuse, the camera is broken or they're working somewhere with no signal, take note. You can also check their photos with a reverse image search, such as Google Lens on your phone: if the same pictures turn up under different names, walk away.

Planning the First Meeting

Pick somewhere public and busy, in daylight if you can: a cafe, a hotel lobby, a garden centre. Make your own way there and back, so you're never relying on a lift from someone you've only just met. Tell a friend or one of the family where you're going, who you're meeting and roughly when you'll be home, and keep your phone charged. Arranging a quick text halfway through is a good excuse to check in, and a better excuse to leave if you need one.

Money Is the Line

Never send money, gift cards or bank details to anyone you've met online, however good the reason sounds. That rule covers almost every scam there is. Our guide to spotting a romance scammer goes through the warning signs.

If Something Feels Wrong

Trust your gut. You can stop replying at any time without explaining yourself, and you can report a profile to us. If you've sent money, contact your bank straight away and report it to your local Garda station; the Garda page on romance scams explains what to do. In an emergency, call 999 or 112.

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