We work 24/7 to provide you with a reliable and secure platform so that you can relax while looking for a partner. To do this, we need your help, too. Please familiarise yourself with our security measures and our security tips in order to find the right partner for you.

Find out more about

• Security of your data
• Erasure of your data
• Highest level of IT security
• Encrypted communication
• Choosing your password
• Preventing misuse
  • This is what scammers usually do
  • Characteristics of scammers
  • Data phishing and profile takeover
  • How to detect a profile that has been taken over
• Using report button
• Respond to warnings by our Trust and Safety Team
• Your help counts!

Security of your data

We offer you a safe way to find the right partner.

Parship takes the security of personal data very seriously. Within the framework of statutory obligations and beyond, we use the latest technologies and strategies to protect your data from unauthorised access. The effectiveness of the measures we employ is regularly reviewed by external service providers. Independent experts check the quality, security and transparency of the services offered by us.

Click here to find out more about our privacy policy, what data Parship collects and how the data is processed.

Erasure of your data

In principle, you are entitled to have your personal data erased at any time.

If you are a Basic Member, you can simply erase your profile yourself via our website. You just need to follow the instructions below to do this:

• Log in and click on the icon for “My profile” – the circle with your picture on it, top right – and select “Data & Settings” and then “Manage profile”.
• In the section “Profile status”, find the instruction “Click here to permanently erase your profile.” Follow the link by clicking on “here”.
• On the next page, confirm that you want to permanently erase your profile and your personal data by entering your password. The field in which to enter your password is framed in light grey.

If you are a Premium Member, please contact Customer Service, which will erase your profile for you.

Please note that we have to comply with certain statutory record-keeping requirements. Among other things, records of business correspondence (including e-mails), e.g. order confirmations, invoices or reminders, must be kept for six years.

In addition, we retain data that may be required in the case of fulfilment or proof of fulfilment of rights of those affected (correspondence on deletion requests, information requests, objections, etc.). These data will be deleted after 36 months.

If you have objected to the processing of your data for advertising purposes, we usually save your e-mail address to ensure fulfilment of the objection to advertising. Should you wish to withdraw this objection to advertising and/or receive e-mails from us again, please contact our Customer Service.

Once deleted, your profile cannot be restored. All associated profile-related data (contacts, partner suggestions, personal information, etc.) are then removed and will no longer be displayed to other members.

Highest level of IT security

The secure use of our services is facilitated by consistently high technical standards. Using encrypted connections (HTTPS) is one of the security functions that reliably protects your data as soon as it is transmitted. Unauthorised access to your Parship profile is thus prevented in the best possible way.

This SSL encryption and other specific technical measures also ensure that your payment data and access data are transmitted securely.

In addition to using state-of-the-art firewall and other technologies, a clearly defined authorisation strategy ensures that only a very small internal group of staff can view your unpublished profile data. This is necessary e.g. for our quality assurance staff. In addition, only our Customer Service team can access your profile (excluding, of course, the content of your personal messages).

Our website is regularly checked for weak points by external security experts. Internal processes and security precautions are also subject to ongoing review by internal and external experts. We carefully check reports created in connection with this and immediately remedy any errors or problems we find.

Encrypted communication

Communication between our members is encrypted as long as it is conducted via the platform. Likewise, e-mail communication between you and Customer Service is transport encrypted as long as your e-mail provider supports what is known as Transport Layer Security (TLS) encryption.

Transport encryption is an end-to-end encryption between e-mail providers (GMX, Googlemail, etc.). In this case, transmitted data is encrypted in the various transmission sections. However, on the respective servers of the e-mail providers, this data is saved in plain text and therefore unencrypted.

Parship can only guarantee content encrypted communication by post as there is currently no content encryption that is easily manageable for all Parship members at the same time. Please note that Parship is an online service. As a result, it can only perform its main service (i.e. partner suggestions) and also enter into contracts online. Find out more about encrypted communication at Parship here.

Choosing your password

A secure password helps to prevent unauthorised third parties from accessing your Parship profile. Your password should meet the following requirements:

• be at least twelve characters long;
• include numbers and special characters;
• use upper and lower case;
• be used solely for Parship login.

Preventing misuse

We make every effort to keep rotten apples away from our platform – and have been doing so for nearly 20 years. We know exactly what methods the fraudsters use and do our best to remain one step ahead of them at all times.

• Security check on registration

Every Parship registration is automatically checked as to whether it could be a case of misuse. Some of the data we receive during the registration of a new member are automatically compared to other data saved in a database of saved anonymised empirical data on so-called fake profiles. If something looks suspicious, the registration will be checked by members of our Customer Service team on the basis of the underlying evidence (e.g. in this case, we investigate any suspicious features in the free text details and/or saved profile photos).

• Information at the start of membership

Just a few days following registration, we send our members an e-mail containing information on the security aspects of finding a partner online and make them aware of this important subject.

• Ongoing checks

Every day our specialist security team checks suspicious profiles and profiles reported by our members and, if necessary, removes these from our Service. In addition, we employ a large number of technical barriers to spot fraudsters quickly and securely.

• We also keep in close contact with the relevant law enforcement authorities and prevention agencies and support these in their work.

Watch out!

This is what scammers usually do

• Fraudsters rely on tempting their “victims” out of the protected Parship environment as quickly as possible and continuing contact using messaging services or private e-mail. They use excuses like “I only have trial membership” or “It is easier for me”.
• Messages are often written in poor English and the senders pretend to be, for example, from the USA.
• The content of the messages is very affectionate to create emotional intimacy. Flowers or other gifts are sent. Often even third parties are introduced: for example, a woman calls you, claiming to be the daughter and thanking you because her father is now so happily in love. A whole – deceptively genuine – story is acted out.
• Sometimes there are even telephone conversations: mostly via Skype without the video function (in the case of male scammers), or with video function and often nudity and sexual stimulation (in the case of female scammers).
• They avoid meeting up in person. Excuses for this include, for example, that they are “on a business trip” or “preparing a business deal”, even when asked several times. As evidence of a supposed business trip, some scammers are not afraid to send scans of alleged flight tickets “as proof” by e-mail.
• In gearing up to discuss the issue of money, there will be reports of strokes of bad luck: for instance, a failed business deal (e.g. problems with customs on a delivery of goods or a loss of income), a traffic accident without insurance, sickness or an accident in the family, theft of money … Meeting in person would, however, require financial support (travel, visa, etc.). It used to be mainly money transfer firms like WesternUnion or MoneyGram that were misused for this purpose, but now foreign bank details are given, too (often from Asia or the Middle East).

Never transfer money to a person you do not know in person. The money will be lost forever – and your faith in love severely tarnished.

Characteristics of scammers

We describe below the features that are characteristic of romance scammers. These scammers steal other people’s identities in order to fraudulently gain trust.

Please note that, by no means, do we at Parship wish to classify certain professional groups or nationalities as fraudsters. We know from experience, however, that unfortunately scammers often use these combinations of characteristics.

Male scammers

• Age: 30 – 55 years old, primarily looking for 35-70-year-old women
• Marital status; often widowed or divorced, sometimes with child(ren)
• Professions: Soldier, engineer (gas, oil, construction, gold, precious stone industry), very often English job title
• Nationality: often US American or British, but poor language
• Communication: quickly familiar tone, early use of pet names (e.g. “darling”, “honey”), mood fluctuations (rude e-mails followed by lengthy, gentle apologies), very emphatic and emotional argumentation when asking for money, quick shift to external communication channels (Skype, e-mail)

Female scammers

• Age: 27-40 years old, primarily looking for 35-70-year-old men
• Marital status: single
• Professions: often no information or offer to provide information upon request; typical professions: fashion, design, teacher, nurse
• Religion: often deeply religious
• Nationality: often US American, British or Eastern European
• Communication: Very exuberant right from the start (“I really like your profile!”, “I was so delighted to receive your message”), early use of pet names (“darling”), quick shift to external communication channels (including invitation to erotic video chats)

Please stay alert, even in the case of very promising contacts, intensive exchanges of messages and the first possible signs of love. If you think there is something strange about a contact, if the conversation suddenly turns to money or something makes you suspicious, then stamp on the brakes. Break off contact immediately and forward these e-mails to our Customer Service. We treat your information with the strictest confidence.

Data phishing and profile takeover

You build up strong, intimate relationships with your contacts from online dating – and then your Parship account, or that of one of your contacts, is taken over by an unknown person. Attacks of this type are especially serious because the fraudsters are using user accounts that have already been checked: in this way, existing intimate relationships are misused to fraudulently obtain sensitive data and/or financial means.

In many cases, the login data for a profile takeover is acquired by what is known as phishing. Sent via e-mail, a supposed Parship form or supposed official Parship link requests confidential data of the profile owner so that this can then be misused. By the way: Phishing does not just affect Parship, but all online portals where personal login data are used (e.g. social media channels, e-mail providers …).

This is what a phishing e-mail looks like:

• The text is often full of mistakes and looks as though it has been translated.
• In some cases, the personal address (Dear ….) is missing. Caution is advised here, as it is not unusual for the fraudsters to know the name of the profile owner already.
• Phishing e-mails usually contain a request to enter personal data. These may be passwords, e-mail addresses, TAN or PIN.
• The request is often linked to a threat of sanctions if the instruction is not followed. Parship would never do this.
• The sender’s e-mail address is not the same as the company’s actual known address. This may be very a small difference or unusual addition.
• In the case of links, the prefix https:// in front of the web address is incomplete. The “s” here stands for “secure”. If this is missing, you should not disclose sensitive data.

In general, the following applies:

• Make sure that the request to enter personal data comes from a genuine sender.
• Always be careful when entering/disclosing your e-mail address and password.
• Protect the security of your account simply by changing your password on a regular basis and using a separate password for each account – this applies both to your profile at Parship as well as to your e-mail account and other online platforms.

How to detect a profile that has been taken over:

• The profile entries have been noticeably and comprehensively changed.
• Photos that are not of the original profile owner have been uploaded.
• Even though a relationship already exists, you are suddenly receiving what appear to be automated messages – with no further replies to your messages.
• You receive contact details that are different from any contact details previously exchanged and are asked to leave the protected area of our platform.

If you notice something strange, or you are asked to enter your personal details in an e-mail, or you discover unusual activities on your profile or other profiles, contact our Customer Service immediately – we are always happy to assist you!

Using report button

You can contact our Customer Service at any time if anything appears suspicious to you. We are grateful for every report. This is easy to do via the message history menu. In cases that turn out to be a violation of the Service, we can respond appropriately and block the profile, delete individual content or even terminate the contract. It is especially helpful if you report any of the following circumstances:

• Profile takeover and phishing

A profile you know is noticeably changed and the identity of another member is possibly being misused. Read more about this above under Profile takeover and phishing.

• Fraud

You should be alarmed if you are asked to transfer money. Find out more about how this type of fraudster operates above under Watch out!

• Obscene and pornographic content

Improper, obscene or pornographic content is not tolerated by Parship, whether it is in messages, profiles or our video date function.

• Hateful content

There is no place for left-extremist or right-extremist texts or photos in profiles or in the video date function in your search for a partner with Parship. Freedom of expression is important to us. A dating service should not, however, be a platform from which to defame individuals or groups on the basis of their ethnic affiliation, social class, religion, age, nationality, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation or gender identity.

• Offensive content

Parship does not tolerate harassment or malicious insults. For example, if images or characteristics of an individual are repeatedly commented on in a derogatory manner. Not every honest comment can be categorised as insulting, but we check anything that upsets you or makes you feel bad.

• Age restriction

Young people under 18 years old are subject to special protection – including and especially in relation to love. In order to protect young people from illegal or dubious requests, Parship is only accessible to people over 18 years old. If you are contacted by a minor, please report the relevant profile to us.

• Fraudulent access to premium services

Names, addresses, telephone or fax numbers, e-mail addresses etc. are not to be included in the personal descriptions or free messages of Basic Members.

• Commercial activities

E-mails / messages (including messages from the video date function) to customers are to be sent for no other purpose than that of communication. In particular, goods or services are not be advertised or offered to other customers (except in cases where this is expressly permitted by Parship).

• Chain letters

Repetitive content sent excessively frequently is not a successful strategy for finding a partner. Such chain letters are often used to collect e-mail addresses or in preparation for fraud. They should be reported and not forwarded to others.

• Threats and cruel content

Insults, calls for violence, intimidation and other attacks on the right of personality, whose primary purpose is not covered by freedom of expression, are also not tolerated by Parship. We check everything you report to us.

• Dangerous or damaging content

Uploading data that contains a virus (infected software) is not permitted. Likewise, no data may be uploaded that contains software or other material that is protected by copyright law. Unless the customer holds the rights to this data or has the required approval of the creator.

Respond to warnings by our Trust and Safety Team

It is important for your security and the security of all our members that you immediately respond to any warnings or security questions issued by Parship! Follow the recommendations of our team of experts or contact us if you have important information to share with us. Help us keep Parship a secure platform for finding a partner!

Your help counts!

We do everything we can to make it as safe as possible for you to find a partner. Please help us do this and stay alert!