PORTSMOUTH, NH, April 23, 2026 /24-7PressRelease/ -- As dating app data breaches dominate headlines and romance scam losses hit record highs, a new pre-date screening tool is giving online daters something the apps never did: a way to vet the person on the other side of the screen.

DateGuard.ai, which bills itself as "The Carfax of Dating,"¹ uses research-backed vocal biomarker technology to analyze emotional compatibility between two people before they ever meet in person. The platform — now live at dateguard.ai — works alongside any existing dating app, including Hinge, Bumble, Tinder and Match.

The launch comes at a critical moment for dating safety. The Tea app's recent data breach exposed over 70,000 user photos and sensitive personal data to 4chan, drawing coverage from NPR, BBC and The New York Times. Separately, Match Group — parent of Tinder and Hinge — faced its own security incident. Meanwhile, FTC data shows Americans reported $1.3 billion in romance scam losses in 2022, and a 2023 Pew Research study found that fewer than half of Americans now consider online dating a safe way to meet people.

The crisis has since accelerated. The FBI's 2025 Internet Crime Complaint Center report, released April 7, 2026, revealed that cyber-driven fraud totaled $21 billion — a 26 percent year-over-year increase. Romance scams alone now account for an estimated $10 billion annually in U.S. losses, according to the FBI, while investment scams often originating from romantic connections added another $8.6 billion. AARP estimates that 11 million Americans over 50 — one in 10 adults in that age group — have been targeted. On April 4, 2026, Tinder began requiring mandatory biometric face scans in the Netherlands, underscoring the industry's growing urgency — but also raising new privacy concerns, since unlike a password, a compromised facial scan cannot be changed. DateGuard's vocal biomarker approach avoids this risk entirely: audio recordings are destroyed within 24 hours, and only numerical biomarkers — not biometric templates — are retained.

"Dating apps are lead-generation tools. They introduce you to strangers but they do not vet a single one of them," said Michael Berman, founder of DateGuard.ai and CEO of Data Specialists Group LLC. "You wouldn't trust a stranger with your safety without an independent check. We built that check for dating — except instead of checking the record, we're reading the voice."

The tool works in four steps. Users purchase a report, verify their identity with a selfie to prevent catfishing, then answer five spoken questions. They invite their date to do the same. DateGuard's AI engine — powered by Emotion Logic's LVA7 system, backed by over two decades of vocal biomarker research — analyzes both voice samples and delivers a Compatibility Score along with proprietary Pothole Alerts™ that flag emotional red flags like elevated stress or cadence mismatches. The Compatibility Score is provided for informational and entertainment purposes and is not a guarantee of compatibility or safety.

In a market where 85% of women say they want dating platforms to verify user information, according to TransUnion, and AI-generated catfish profiles are emerging as a new threat, DateGuard's combination of selfie verification and vocal analysis addresses gaps that traditional background checks cannot. All voice recordings are destroyed within 24 hours — a direct contrast to apps that have proven unable to protect the data they collect.

DateGuard.ai offers three pricing tiers: a single report at $79.99, a monthly plan at $39.99 per month with three reports, and an annual plan at $299.99 per year with unlimited reports. The global online dating market is projected to reach over $17 billion by 2030 (Grand View Research), but no major platform currently offers pre-date emotional screening.

About Data Specialists Group LLC

Data Specialists Group LLC builds consumer safety tools powered by vocal biomarker technology. Founded by Michael Berman, a marketing veteran and author of Cheat Codes, the company develops products that give people objective data where trust used to be a guessing game. Learn more at dateguard.ai.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements. These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results, performance, or achievements to differ materially from anticipated results. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements about market projections, future growth, expansion plans, and product capabilities. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof. Data Specialists Group LLC undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof.

Media Contact:
Michael Berman, Founder & CEO
[email protected]

¹ Carfax is a registered trademark of Carfax, Inc. DateGuard.ai is not affiliated with or endorsed by Carfax, Inc.

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