Press

SafeD8 is a new dating app from the Netherlands that only lets verified people chat. It launches on 15 December.

The problem: romance scams keep growing

In the Netherlands, 494 victims reported romance fraud to the Fraudehelpdesk in 2023, with record damage of 7.6 million euros. In the United States, the FTC received 55,604 romance scam reports in the first nine months of 2025, with reported losses of more than 1.16 billion dollars.

The real numbers are higher. According to the Fraudehelpdesk, shame keeps many victims from reporting at all.

How it goes wrong, time after time

A stolen face
The scammer uses photos of someone else, often a soldier, doctor or engineer working abroad.
Quickly to another app
Within days the conversation moves to a chat app where nobody is watching.
Never on camera
There is always a reason why a video call is not possible.
Then the money
An emergency, a customs fee or an investment tip. Small at first, then more and more.

What SafeD8 does about it

Live selfie verification
Every member takes a selfie with a random gesture, reviewed by a person. Without approval, no chatting.
Stolen photos are recognised
The same photo on a second account is flagged automatically.
Scam patterns in chat
Requests for money and links in the first messages are detected; accounts that send people to paid pages are banned.
Video date first
Inside the app, without sharing a phone number. Real dates come with a safety check-in.

People deserve to know that the person they are talking to is real. That is the one thing a dating app has to get right, so we built everything around it.Ralf, founder of SafeD8

Facts

Launch: 15 December, as a web app that can be installed on any phone.
Available in 10 languages, for dating nearby and worldwide.
Free to use; Premium from 5 euros per month.
The first 50,000 sign-ups get 3 months of Premium for free.
Founded and built in the Netherlands.

Press kit

Logo (PNG) App icon (PNG) Animated logo (GIF)

Press contact

For interviews, images and questions: pers@safed8.nl