Before you start a conversation
A few habits protect you long before you've ever exchanged a message with someone.
Read their profile carefully
A complete, verified profile is a good sign. Profiles with only one photo, no bio, no profession, or no verification badges should be approached with more caution. Trust your judgment about what feels off.
Look for verification badges
Members can earn three different verification badges on Favor:
- Selfie verified — a real-time selfie has been compared to their profile photo by both AI and our moderation team. This is required for every member.
- ID verified — they've provided a government-issued photo ID, which we've manually compared to their selfie. Optional, but a strong signal.
- Verified Professional — their role, industry, and years of experience have been verified through LinkedIn. We never display their employer's name or LinkedIn handle.
The more verifications a profile has, the more confidence you can have in who you're talking to. None of them, of course, guarantees that someone is a good person.
Use Favor's privacy features
You control how much of yourself is exposed:
- Private Mode hides your profile photo from the public discovery feed. You choose who gets to see it.
- Selective Photos lets you share private photos only with members you've chosen — and revoke access anytime.
- Hide your online status, last active time, and join date if you'd rather not advertise when you're around.
- Hide your profile when you view or favorite someone — you can browse the community without leaving traces in the other person's feeds.
Recognizing red flags
Scammers and bad actors follow patterns. If you see any of these, slow down and trust your instincts.
A member is unusually attentive in the first few days. Conversations move fast. They claim a high-status profession but say they're temporarily abroad. Within a week or two, they introduce a financial problem — a frozen account, a medical emergency, a customs fee, a "can't-miss" investment opportunity. By the time they ask for money, they've built enough emotional connection that the request doesn't feel out of place. If a Favor conversation begins to feel like this, stop responding and report immediately.
Behavior that should make you pause
- They want to move off Favor immediately — to WhatsApp, Telegram, Signal, or email — within the first few messages.
- They avoid voice or video calls or always have an excuse not to do one.
- Their stories don't quite add up — geography, employer, family details shift between conversations.
- Their photos look professional in a way that feels off (stock-photo lighting, unusually polished).
- They love-bomb early — declarations of intense feelings within a few days of meeting.
- They reference investments, trading, crypto, or "business opportunities."
- They ask financial questions early — what you do for work in detail, what you earn, what you own.
- They say they're stuck somewhere and need help getting home.
- They claim to be a senior professional but write with poor grammar, inconsistent style, or unusual phrasing.
If you see any of these
Trust the pattern, not the person. Stop responding. Report the member through the in-app tool or by emailing support@favorconnect.com. Reports are confidential — the other person is not told who reported them.
Staying safe in conversation
Pace yourself
Conversations don't need to escalate quickly. Sharing too much, too soon — your home address, your workplace, your children's school, your routines — gives a stranger more information than they need. Build trust gradually.
Use Favor's in-app voice and video calls
Before moving a conversation to your phone number or another platform, try a voice or video call inside Favor. Calls happen through our infrastructure, so the other person doesn't get your phone number unless you choose to share it. A short voice or video call also helps confirm the person is real and matches their profile.
Don't share things you can't take back
Some categories of information should never be shared with someone you haven't met in person:
- Your full name, especially combined with workplace or address.
- Your home address, building name, or precise neighborhood.
- Your bank details, credit card information, or financial account access.
- Government identifiers — Aadhaar number, PAN, passport, driver's license.
- Login credentials of any kind — email, social media, financial accounts.
- Intimate photos or videos.
Under no circumstances send money, gift cards, cryptocurrency, or anything of financial value to someone you've met on Favor — no matter how compelling the reason. There is no legitimate emergency, opportunity, or relationship arc that requires a romantic connection to send money to someone they haven't met in person. If anyone asks, it's a scam.
Trust your instincts
If a conversation makes you uncomfortable — about anything — you don't owe anyone a continued exchange. Stop responding. Block. Report if appropriate. You're not being rude. You're protecting yourself.
Meeting in person
If a conversation goes well and you've decided to meet, the first in-person meeting matters more than any other. A few standard precautions, taken every time, dramatically lower the risk.
Choose the meeting carefully
- Meet in a public place during the day — a cafe, a restaurant, a park.
- Choose somewhere you know — your familiarity with the neighborhood is an advantage.
- Avoid the other person's home, your home, or any private location for a first meeting.
- Avoid alcohol-focused venues for the first meeting.
- Avoid remote, isolated, or hard-to-leave locations.
Make your own travel plans
- Drive yourself, take your own ride, or use public transport.
- Don't let the other person pick you up or drop you off the first few times you meet.
- If you've taken a cab or ride-share, ask the driver to wait until you're inside the meeting venue.
Tell someone you trust
- Share the name of the person you're meeting, where you're meeting, and what time.
- Agree on a check-in window — let your friend or family member know when you're back home.
- Share your live location with that person during the meeting, if your phone supports it.
Stay sober and aware
- Watch your drink. Don't leave it unattended, and don't accept open drinks from anyone.
- If you choose to drink alcohol, pace yourself — staying aware is more valuable than being relaxed.
- Be cautious about who knows you're on a date — sharing this loudly can attract unwanted attention from strangers.
Trust your read of the situation
- If something feels off when you meet — appearance doesn't match their photos, behavior is different than in chat, they bring an unexpected guest — feel free to leave.
- You don't owe anyone a full date if the early moments feel wrong.
- A polite exit ("this isn't quite what I was hoping for, I'm going to head out") is always available.
After the date
If it went well
Take what comes naturally. Continue the conversation, plan another meeting, share more of yourself as trust deepens. Most members on Favor are looking for the same things you are.
If it didn't go well
Be direct and kind. A short, honest message — "I had a nice time, but I don't think we're a fit. Wishing you the best." — is always better than ghosting. People appreciate clarity, even when it's not the answer they wanted.
If the other person doesn't accept the outcome — continues to message, escalates, becomes hostile — block them. Report if their behavior crosses into harassment.
If it didn't feel safe
If the meeting felt unsafe or the other person behaved in a way that crossed any of our community standards, please report them. Specifics help us act — what happened, when, and any details that would help us investigate.
If you felt physically threatened or were assaulted, please prioritize your immediate safety. Contact local police if appropriate. Once you're safe, reach out to support@favorconnect.com and we'll take action on our end — including permanent removal of the other member and reporting to authorities where appropriate.
Specific risks to know about
Romance scams ("pig-butchering")
The most common scam targeting dating app users worldwide. Pattern: the scammer builds an emotional connection over days or weeks, then introduces an investment opportunity — typically crypto. They show you fake "returns," encourage you to invest more, then disappear with your money. If anyone you've met on Favor mentions investing in anything, treat it as a hard stop. Report them immediately.
Catfishing
Someone using photos and an identity that aren't theirs. Our verification requirements significantly reduce this on Favor, but no system is perfect. Signs include reluctance to do video calls, photos that look too professional, and stories that don't add up. If you suspect catfishing, request a video call. If they refuse, end the conversation.
Solicitation
Anyone who tries to engage you in transactional intimacy — paid arrangements, sex work, "sugar" relationships — is in violation of our community standards. This includes both people offering and people requesting. Report them immediately.
Sextortion
Someone obtains intimate images of you, then threatens to share them unless you pay or comply with demands. The best protection is not sharing intimate images with anyone you haven't met in person. If sextortion happens to you:
- Do not pay. Payment rarely makes it stop and often escalates demands.
- Take screenshots of all communications.
- Report to support@favorconnect.com and to local police.
- In India, you can also report at the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal: cybercrime.gov.in.
Harassment after rejection
Some members don't accept a polite "no." If someone continues to contact you, escalates language, or creates new accounts to reach you after being told you're not interested, that's harassment. Block immediately. Report through the in-app tool. We take cross-account ban action against members who try to evade blocks.
In-person threats or violence
If you experience physical or sexual violence from a Favor member, your immediate safety comes first. Contact local police. In India, the all-numbers emergency is 112. After you're safe, contact support@favorconnect.com so we can permanently remove the member and assist with any law enforcement requests we receive.
Tools we've built for your safety
Beyond what you can do on your own, we've built several features specifically to protect you.
Three-layer verification
Every member is selfie-verified before going live. Optional layers add Identity Verification (manual ID check) and Verified Professional (LinkedIn role and tenure check). All three appear as visible badges on profiles.
Automated photo moderation
Every photo shared on Favor — whether on a profile, in the public gallery, in selective photos, or in chat — is reviewed automatically for nudity, explicit content, violence, and other prohibited material before it reaches anyone else.
Fraud and scam detection
Messages are scanned for patterns associated with romance scams, financial requests, and known scam scripts. Suspicious activity is flagged to our moderation team for review.
Privacy controls
Private Mode, Selective Photos, hide last active, hide online status, hide join date, and hide-when-viewing all give you control over your exposure within the community.
Block and Report
Blocking is silent and immediate — the other person doesn't see anything that suggests you blocked them, and all contact between you stops. Reporting is confidential — the reported person never learns who reported them. Both tools are available from any profile, chat thread, or specific message.
Trust-based gating
Photo requests and contact information sharing become available only after both members have exchanged messages. This brief gate gives both people time to assess the connection before exchanging anything sensitive.
If you need outside help
Sometimes situations need more than what we can offer inside the app. These resources are available to anyone in India and may help when you need them.
Dial 112 — India's all-numbers emergency helpline. Works for police, fire, and medical emergencies anywhere in the country.
Cybercrime and online fraud
- National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal: cybercrime.gov.in.
- Cyber Crime Helpline: 1930 (24×7, free to call from anywhere in India).
- Use this for romance scams, sextortion, financial fraud, identity theft, and online stalking.
Women's safety
- Women Helpline (All India): 181 (24×7).
- National Commission for Women: 7827170170.
- Local police can be reached on 100 or via the 112 emergency line.
Domestic violence
- National Domestic Violence Helpline: 181.
- Sneha Helpline (Mumbai): 91-22-2772-6771 (24×7).
- iCall (psychological counseling, multiple languages): 9152987821.
Mental health support
If you're experiencing emotional distress, please consider reaching out for support:
- Vandrevala Foundation Mental Health Helpline: 1860-2662-345 (24×7, free).
- iCall (TISS): 9152987821.
- Aasra: 9820466726 (24×7).
Survivors of sexual assault
- Rape Crisis India: 011-26692700.
- All India Women's Conference Helpline: 10921.
- Local One Stop Centres (OSC) — government-run support centers, available in most districts.