Local resources, Pride and helplines — plus how to avoid catfishing and sextortion when you date online.
Ireland has come a long way — the first country to bring in marriage equality by popular vote — and online dating is now how most gay and bi men meet here. That also makes it a target for romance scams, fake profiles and sextortion, and image-based abuse is now a specific crime under 'Coco's Law' (the Harassment, Harmful Communications and Related Offences Act 2020). Throat Theory removes the weakest link — the unverified stranger — by verifying every profile. This page gathers the national services that help, plus city guides for Dublin, Cork, Galway and Limerick below.
The biggest risk in online dating isn't the date — it's not knowing whether the person is even real. Before you meet someone in Ireland:
If you're ever pressured, threatened or sextorted, stop, keep the messages, and reach out — locally you can contact LGBT Ireland National Helpline (1800 929 539).
It can be, with basic precautions: confirm the person is real before meeting, meet first in a public place, tell a friend where you're going, and never send intimate images to someone unverified. Throat Theory verifies every profile to remove fake accounts at the source.
There's no national fraud phone hotline — report scams in person at your local Garda station (and tell your bank immediately). For intimate-image abuse, report to hotline.ie; it's a crime under 'Coco's Law'. Preserve the messages and don't pay.