Reporting & Complaints

How to report a member or content, what we do with reports, and how to appeal or complain about a decision we have made.

Last updated: 24 September 2026

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If anyone is in immediate danger, call 999 first. Then tell us so we can act on VanDates too.

1. How to report

You will find a report button on every profile, message, photo and meetup. Reports are confidential. The person you report will not be told who reported them.

You can also report anything at any time by emailing safety@vandates.com. Please include:

  • the member’s display name or a link to their profile;
  • what happened, and when; and
  • screenshots, if you have them.

2. What you can report

  • Anything illegal, including threats, sexual offences, fraud and anything involving children.
  • Harassment, hate, unwanted sexual messages or images.
  • Fake profiles, scams, requests for money or spam.
  • Anyone you believe is under 18.
  • Anything else that breaks our Community Guidelines.

3. What happens next

  • We aim to acknowledge reports within 48 hours.
  • A real person reviews every report. We deal with the most serious reports first, especially anything involving a risk of harm, children or illegal content.
  • We may remove content, warn the member, restrict features, suspend them or ban them permanently.
  • We will let you know when we have taken action, although for privacy reasons we cannot always share the details.

4. Illegal content

We remove illegal content as quickly as we can once we are aware of it. Where appropriate, we report it to the police. We report suspected child sexual abuse material to the National Crime Agency and the Internet Watch Foundation.

5. Appealing a decision

If we have removed your content, restricted your account or banned you and you think we got it wrong, you can appeal within 30 days. Email appeals@vandates.com with “Appeal” in the subject line and explain why. Someone who was not involved in the original decision will review it, and we aim to reply within 14 days.

6. Complaints about VanDates

If you are unhappy with how we run VanDates, how we handled a report, or how we have used your information, email complaints@vandates.com with “Complaint” in the subject line. We aim to reply within 10 working days.

  • If your complaint is about your personal information and you are not satisfied with our reply, you can complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office at ico.org.uk.
  • Ofcom regulates online safety in the UK. It does not resolve individual complaints, but you can tell Ofcom about concerns with an online service at ofcom.org.uk.

7. Contact

VanDates
High View, Ffrydd Vaughan
Dolfor Road
Newtown, Powys
SY16 4BQ
Email: safety@vandates.com