Flirting and dating in the US: age rules, safety and scams

After the UK, the US is where most Flirt Naughty readers live. This page covers the facts that matter when flirting turns into meeting: who can join, where to get tested, how to report a scam, what to do about image abuse, and who to call if something goes wrong. Each fact links to the official source; check with the service itself if it matters. Facts checked 18 October 2026.

US numbers at a glance

These are the numbers and websites most worth saving before a first date.

Who can join

You must be at least 18 to join Flirt Naughty. If you live in Alabama, Mississippi, Nebraska or Wyoming, the minimum age is 21. Some sign-ups may be asked to verify their ID through LEM Verify (a photo ID and a selfie), for example if they join using a VPN; for everyone else, an ID badge is optional. How it works explains what is and isn't checked.

Sexual health: finding a test near you

The CDC's GetTested locator is the quickest way to find free, low-cost and confidential testing for HIV and other STIs: search by ZIP code. Many state and county health departments run sexual health clinics too.

Using condoms with new partners and testing regularly keeps flirting fun rather than worrying. If you're not sure which tests you need, ask the clinic; that's part of what they're there for.

Before a first date

A little preparation keeps a first date relaxed rather than risky. None of it needs to feel dramatic:

• Have a quick video call first, so you know the person matches their photos.
• Meet somewhere busy and public, and get there and back under your own steam.
• Tell a friend who you're meeting, where and when, and agree a time to check in.
• Keep your address, workplace and surname back until you know the person.

Our guide to moving from flirty chat to a first date covers when and how to ask.

Romance scams: how they work

A romance scam is a fake relationship built to get money. According to the Federal Trade Commission, scammers often:

• profess strong feelings very quickly and push to move the chat off the dating site
• say they can't meet because they live abroad, work on an oil rig, serve in the military or work for an international organisation
• ask for money for an emergency, surgery, a plane ticket, or visa and legal fees
• offer to help you get started with crypto investing
• ask to be paid by wire transfer, gift cards, payment apps or cryptocurrency, which are hard to reverse

The FTC's bottom line: never send money or gifts to someone you haven't met in person. A reverse image search of their profile photo can show whether it belongs to someone else.

What to do if it's happened to you

1. Stop replying. Don't send anything else, however urgent the next message sounds.
2. Call your bank or card issuer straight away. If you paid with a gift card, contact the company that issued it too. The sooner they know, the better the chance of stopping a payment.
3. Report it to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
4. Report it to the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center at ic3.gov, especially if you've lost money.
5. Report the profile to us through the members help centre, with the username and screenshots.

Our safety page goes through the warning signs in full.

Intimate images and sextortion

Sextortion is when someone threatens to share intimate images of you unless you pay or send more. Don't pay and don't send anything else. Keep the messages, stop replying, and report it to the FBI at ic3.gov and to local police.

You have more options to get images taken down than you used to:

• The TAKE IT DOWN Act. Under this federal law, covered platforms must remove intimate images shared without consent, and known identical copies, within 48 hours of a valid request. The FTC began enforcing that duty on May 19, 2026. If a platform doesn't act, or has no way to make a request, you can complain at TakeItDown.ftc.gov.
• StopNCII.org. StopNCII.org can create a digital fingerprint of an image so participating platforms can block it, without the image leaving your device.
• CCRI Image Abuse Helpline. The Cyber Civil Rights Initiative runs a free, 24/7 helpline for adults affected by image-based abuse on 844-878-2274.

Laws on sending unsolicited explicit images and on sharing images without consent also vary by state, so local police are the right place to ask what applies where you live. Whatever the law, sending an explicit image nobody asked for is never flirting; our guide to flirting versus harassment explains why.

If a date becomes frightening or abusive

Call 911 if you're in immediate danger. The National Domestic Violence Hotline is open 24 hours a day on 1-800-799-7233, or you can text START to 88788. If someone won't accept a no and keeps contacting you, keep a record of every message and call, report the profile, and contact your local police.

If you've been sexually assaulted

Call 911 if you're in immediate danger. RAINN runs the National Sexual Assault Hotline, free, confidential and open 24/7, on 800-656-4673, with online chat on its website.

Flirt Naughty in the US

Joining, building a profile and browsing are free; reading and replying to messages needs a paid membership, which renews until you cancel in Settings > Billing. See prices for how billing works. Your card statement shows the billing name displayed at checkout. Profiles are shared with partner sites in the same network, so you may hear from members who joined elsewhere.

For the fun part, start with our flirting guides, or go straight to how to flirt by text.