Coffee Meets Bagel Expands Verification to Tackle Catfishing

Coffee Meets Bagel (CMB) is expanding its approach to dating safety with a combination of artificial intelligence, identity verification and human moderation designed to reduce fake accounts and other forms of fraudulent behaviour. Selfie verification has gone live both across the US and Canada and worldwide.

The dating platform says its safety measures begin before profiles reach users. Photos are screened using an AI model designed to identify AI-generated imagery, while additional systems are used to detect potentially fraudulent accounts and suspicious activity.

In Singapore, CMB has taken its verification programme further by integrating with Singpass, the country’s national digital identity system. The company says it is the first dating app in Singapore to introduce the integration, with approximately 80% of its Singapore-based users now verified through Singpass.

The platform also reports strong uptake of its selfie verification system. Within three months of its launch, 81% of active users had completed the verification process.

Verification is one part of a broader safety system that CMB says includes fraud detection, message moderation, reputation management and human review. The company also monitors behaviours including sexual harassment, location manipulation and the use of AI-edited photographs.

The focus reflects a wider challenge for dating platforms as generative AI makes it easier to create convincing fake profile images and potentially impersonate real people. Identity and photo verification are increasingly being used alongside automated moderation to address risks that can undermine user trust.

CMB CEO Shn Juay has positioned the company’s safety strategy around making online dating more intentional and authentic, with particular attention to user safety.