Safety First!
When a lot of people hear about CouchSurfing, they wonder if it's OK to invite
someone new into their home, or stay with someone they've never met. Our members
think about safety, too -- and that's exactly why CouchSurfing is a safer way to
meet people than you might think. As a tight knit community, CouchSurfers help
protect themselves and each other by educating themselves and sharing information.
With CouchSurfing, you have a lot more information about new people than you
do in most circumstances. Think about when you meet someone at a hostel or
on a train. What information do you have? Just your own first impressions.
Through CouchSurfing, it's more like meeting a friend of a friend. You have
the chance to read all about other members' experiences with that person,
whether positive or negative. You have a full profile's worth of information
about their interests and perspectives. You can see who their friends are and
how they know them. And you have the ability to correspond with them as much
as you want before you meet them.
Safety Features
Here are some of the ways that CouchSurfing gives you the information you
need to make informed decisions:
- References are feedback members write on
each other's profiles describing their experiences with one another. A
member cannot delete or change any references left for them. References
give you insight into a member's actions within the community and are a
valuable tool for predicting what they would be like if you met them
yourself.
- Vouching shows a strong bond between two
members and is a carefully considered sign of trust. A member's vouch
says that they stand behind another member and their actions. Anything
that a member does, whether good or bad, reflects on those who have
vouched for them, so this tool is used very carefully.
- Verification is a system that lets CouchSurfers
contribute to the community’s safety in a few different ways.
First, verified members have all made a donation to help
CouchSurfing keep running, so they’ve demonstrated that they care
about the community. Second, they’ve confirmed both their identity
and physical location, indicating that they are who they say they
are. The Verification system makes it much more difficult for someone
to misrepresent themselves as a CS member. If you'd like to become
a verified member, read more about how it works!
- Friends listed on each member's profile
are people they really know – not just a random assortment of
acquaintances and former schoolmates. A friend link is a statement
that describes the closeness of each friendship and how the members
got to know each other. If you're browsing potential hosts, you
can quickly see which of their friends met them through hosting and
surfing. This helps you see which references will be the most
relevant for you.
- Learn about attempted scams.
Members share information and that helps spot would-be scammers.
Check out this list to make sure you're up-to-date on attempts
that have been reported. We will update this page whenever we
receive relevant new information.
- Individual judgment is the most important safety measure!
All of CouchSurfing's safety features and all of the information
available on member profiles are designed to help members make
educated decisions about who they'd like to interact with. By reading
messages carefully, looking at profiles thoroughly, reading references,
and communicating clearly about guidelines and expectations, individual
CouchSurfers can interact according to their own personal comfort level.
For more advice, check out our tips section.
