Is DOWN safe?

What is DOWN?

Launched Jan 2013 as "Bang with Friends" (Facebook-connected), rebranded DOWN after a trademark dispute; changed ownership several times; now a swipe/location-based app with explicit "Get Down" (hookup) vs "Get Date" intent options.

Category: Casual/hookup — explicit, intent-based

Safety rating: Basic

Current marketing claims mandatory selfie photo verification and "anti-misconduct measures," but no dedicated public trust-and-safety page, named safety team, panic button, AI-scam-detection disclosure, or background-check partnership could be found — claims found rest on thin third-party/marketing statements rather than a verifiable safety center.

Ratings are qualitative (Strong, Moderate or Basic) and based only on safety features we could verify from the app’s own help pages and reputable reporting. How we rate apps.

DOWN safety features

• Mandatory photo verification (selfie match) — per app-store/review descriptions, not independently confirmed on an official safety page
• Generic "anti-misconduct measures" referenced, specifics undisclosed
• Standard block/report tools presumed (not officially documented)
• No disclosed panic button, AI scam detection, background-check partnership, or named safety team; no dedicated safety-center URL located

A red cross marks a feature that has ended, is missing or could not be confirmed.

Features and pricing

• Swipe-based, location-based matching
• Clear intent-setting: "Get Down" vs "Get Date"
• Originally Facebook-friend-based, later expanded
• Free per app-store listing (in-app purchases likely, unspecified)

How to report a scammer or harassment on DOWN

Report the profile inside the app first, then use DOWN’s own help and safety pages:

• No dedicated Trust & Safety page or named contact/team found — recommend checking in-app settings/support directly

Screenshot the profile and messages before you block or unmatch, because the conversation may disappear. If you have lost money, contact your bank straight away and report it to the police or national fraud service listed on this page.

Staying safer on DOWN

• Our research did not find a photo-verification feature on DOWN, so reverse-image-search a match’s photos before you invest time in them.
• Keep the conversation in the app until you have met. Scammers push early for WhatsApp, Telegram or text because the app can no longer see or moderate the chat.
• Ask for a live video call before meeting. Repeated excuses, a camera that never works or a face that looks off are all reasons to stop.
• Treat any quick push for intimate photos or video with suspicion. Sextortion gangs work fast and target people on casual platforms.
• Never send money, crypto, gift cards or a verification code to someone you have only met online, whatever the story.
• Meet somewhere busy and public, arrange your own travel and tell a friend where you will be.

Scams to watch for

Sextortion and image blackmail

The criminal poses as an attractive person (often a young woman) on a dating app, social media or game, flirts quickly, and persuades the target to exchange nude images or join an intimate video call that is secretly recorded.

Fake ‘safety ID’ verification links

Soon after matching, the scammer moves the chat to an encrypted messenger and says that, for their safety, you must 'verify' on a third-party website before meeting.

Sugar-daddy allowance scams

A wealthy-seeming 'sugar daddy' or 'sugar momma' offers a weekly allowance of hundreds or thousands in exchange for companionship.

Meet-up robbery setups

Criminals use fake profiles to arrange a date at a private home, quiet park or isolated spot.

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