The UK government introduced the Online Safety Act, which includes a requirement for robust age verification. While the law clearly defines this requirement for sites containing adult content, it remains vague when applied to dating sites and apps. At Greed Dating, we chose to adopt the stricter specifications because we believe it's vital to prevent children from accessing platforms where conversations and content are exclusively intended for adults.
Scammers are also a persistent issue for dating platforms. We realised we could use the same core technology to address both age verification and scam detection. While commercial systems exist that offer this functionality, they are prohibitively expensive for many smaller dating operators.
Our system, implemented across Greed Dating and all associated niche platforms, costs just $1 per 1,000 users to verify age and identity—making it both effective and affordable.
Users are asked to activate their device’s camera and align their face within a guided frame. They are then prompted to blink at randomly timed intervals over a 15-second period. The system detects these blinks and ensures they fall within acceptable reaction time windows. If the user passes the test, they are verified as a real, live person—not a static image or pre-recorded video.
Once liveness is confirmed, the system performs an age estimation using one frame from the video stream along with five additional audit frames. If the user appears to be 18 or over, they are granted access to the site. If under 18, they are directed to a manual verification process that involves submitting a selfie and valid photo ID.
In the background, additional checks are performed to detect cheating attempts, such as trying to pass off videos or images of other people instead of live footage.
The stored audit frames become part of our internal moderation system. This significantly enhances our ability to identify scammers. For example, when someone uploads a photo of a woman, but their audit frame clearly shows a man with no resemblance, the account can be instantly banned—along with any linked or duplicate profiles. The audit image is archived and used in a facial matching system to prevent repeat offenders from returning under different accounts.
One of the ways Greed Dating and its network of niche sites sets itself apart is by showing the audit image publicly on each profile. This allows other users to see the real person behind the account.
To preserve user privacy, these images are pixelated with a coarse grid by default. This makes it easy to spot mismatches between profile pictures and real audit images, without fully revealing the person’s identity. Once a conversation begins between two users, the image becomes visible with a finer grid, offering more clarity while maintaining a degree of privacy.
What’s truly bizarre is that—even after being publicly exposed—some scammers continue to create new profiles. You would expect them to move to platforms with weaker verification systems, especially when their real face has been captured, archived, and linked to banned activity. Perhaps they operate without fear of consequences, or maybe they don’t fully understand the implications of their actions.
Since deploying this system, we have observed a dramatic decrease in the number of scammers across our network.
The image below shows some of the individuals we have caught using this verification technology.
Although the system has many benefits, it began as a tool to comply with robust age verification laws. It has significantly eased the burden on our moderation team, who no longer need to manually guess someone’s age from a static profile picture.
Absolutely. Our network blocks underage users every day. It stands to reason that other dating sites face the same challenges. Applying strict age verification to dating platforms protects vulnerable users and helps keep online communities safer.
The combination of advanced age verification and real-time identity checks has transformed the way we operate Greed Dating and its niche platforms. It’s no longer just about compliance — it’s about building a trusted environment where real users can safely connect. By stopping underage access and exposing scammers through visible audit images and facial verification, we’re raising the standard for what a responsible dating site should be. We believe this approach will not only protect our users, but also set a precedent for the rest of the dating industry to follow.