The first date safety checklist people actually use.
Not the lecture. The list. Screenshot it, send it to the group chat, run through it in the Uber. Fifteen things, three phases, none of them paranoid.
Before you go
Everything in this phase takes five minutes and happens on your phone. Do it the day before, not in the car.
- Run their phone number. Name, age range and city on record should match the profile. One free check on WarnIQ does this. See how to check someone before a first date.
- Run a profile photo through the photo check. If it lives on other profiles under other names, cancel. See the catfish check.
- Do a short video call. Thirty seconds on camera, no excuses accepted.
- Pick the place yourself. Public, busy, somewhere you know. Daytime for a first meeting is normal, not uptight.
- Tell one person where you are going, who with, and their phone number. Send a screenshot of the profile.
- Share your live location with that person for the evening. Both major phones do this natively.
During the date
The goal here is simple: stay in control of where you are and how you leave.
- Get yourself there and back. Your car, a rideshare you book, transit. No pickups on a first date.
- Keep your drink in sight and in hand. Order it yourself, watch it poured, and if you lose track of it, get a new one.
- Keep your phone charged and your friend's thread open. Agree a check-in time in advance.
- Keep your address to yourself. "Near downtown" is enough. Same for your workplace and your routine.
- Have an exit line ready. "I've got an early start" needs no explanation. If it feels wrong, leave. Staff will help if you ask.
- Don't go to a second location you didn't plan. A walk to the car is fine. A drive to "this great spot I know" is not.
After
The part people skip. Two minutes, and it helps the next person as much as you.
- Text your friend that you are home. Agree in advance that silence means they call you, and then the police if you don't answer.
- If something was off, say so somewhere it counts. Report the profile to the app. If the number was a scam, a catfish or worse, file a community report so the next person who checks the number sees it.
- If you were harmed or threatened, call the police and keep the messages. Screenshots with timestamps matter.
The signals that mean leave
Most first dates are just awkward. These are different. Any one of them is enough.
- They don't look like their photos, or their name isn't what they told you.
- They pressure you to drink more, go somewhere else, or let them drive you.
- They get angry at a boundary, however small.
- They push for your address, your schedule, or who you live with.
- Money comes up: a loan, an investment, a "business opportunity".
Share it
This checklist is free to screenshot, link, print, or paste into a group chat, a campus safety page or a dating-coach newsletter. If you run a community and want it in your own words, go ahead; a link back to this page helps the next person find it.
Questions people actually ask.
Verify who they are from their phone number, check that the photos are theirs, do a short video call, pick a public place yourself, tell a friend where you are going and who with, and share your live location for the evening.
No. Arrange your own transport there and back on a first date. It keeps you in control of when you leave and keeps your address private.
Have an exit line ready and use it without explaining. "I have an early start" is enough. If you feel unsafe, tell the staff; bars and restaurants deal with this and will help you leave.
Let your friend know you are home. Report the profile to the app. If the person was a scammer, a catfish or threatening, file a community report on their number so the next person who checks it sees what happened. If you were harmed, contact the police and keep the messages.
WarnIQ is not a consumer reporting agency. Results are for personal safety decisions only and cannot be used for employment, housing, credit or any purpose covered by the Fair Credit Reporting Act. Community reports are user-submitted and reviewed for documentation; they are not verified legal findings.
The list is free. So is the first check.
Run the number before you run through the list.
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