Casual dating over 60 in Australia: sexual health, safety and scams

Granny Slags in Australia

Australia is the site's second-biggest audience after the UK, and membership works the same way here. Joining, making a profile and browsing are free; reading and replying to messages needs a paid membership, shown with its price in the members area before you pay. Note the billing name shown at checkout, because it may not be the Granny Slags name.

Profiles are shared with partner sites in the same network, and the members area also accepts sign-ups from New Zealand, the UK and elsewhere. So the person messaging you may be in another state or another country. Ask early where they are, and be wary of anyone who is always "about to fly in". How Granny Slags works explains the set-up.

Sexual health testing in Australia

If you have a Medicare card, an STI test should be free at a bulk-billing GP, an Aboriginal Medical Service or a sexual health clinic. That's the guidance from both NSW Health and Queensland Health. At a GP who doesn't bulk-bill, the pathology tests are usually still bulk-billed, but you may pay a fee for the appointment itself.

No Medicare card? Many sexual health clinics will still test you for free, according to NSW Health, so ring the clinic and ask.

Your state's health department is the best place to find a clinic near you. Some official starting points:

• New South Wales: Play Safe, run by NSW Health.
• Queensland: Stop the Rise of STIs, run by Queensland Health.
• Anywhere in Australia: healthdirect, the government-funded health information service, has a service finder and a free helpline on 1800 022 222.

Being over 60 doesn't take you out of the picture. Any new partner is a reason to get tested, and condoms protect against STIs whether or not pregnancy is a concern. A GP or pharmacist is also the right person to talk to about menopause symptoms that make sex uncomfortable; you don't need to put up with it.

Romance scams: the Australian picture

Romance scams cost Australians millions. Australians reported $28.6 million in romance scam losses to Scamwatch in 2025, across 1,330 people, a 21.8 per cent increase on the year before, according to the National Anti-Scam Centre. Those are only the losses people reported.

The warning signs it lists:

• Intense affection very quickly, with the person mirroring your interests and values.
• A push to move from the dating site to private messaging.
• Reasons they can't meet: working overseas, the military, travel restrictions.
• Small requests for money that grow over time, for emergencies, travel, gifts, investments, gift cards or crypto.
• Pressure to act fast, secrecy, and discouraging you from talking to friends or family.

The National Anti-Scam Centre's advice: don't send money, crypto or gift cards to someone you haven't met in person, don't take investment advice from an online contact, and talk to someone you trust before sending money or personal details. Our romance scams guide goes through how these conversations usually build.

Intimate images and sextortion

Image-based abuse means sharing, or threatening to share, an intimate image of someone without their consent. Sextortion is the blackmail version: "pay, or I send these to your family". The eSafety Commissioner deals with both, for adults as well as children.

eSafety's advice if you're being threatened: don't pay, don't send more money or images, and cut off contact. Keep the evidence first, then report it. eSafety says it can help get content removed or stop the threats, and police may also investigate, because criminal laws cover image-based abuse. Report to police through ReportCyber.

The simplest protection is the consent rule that runs through all our guides: no photos without a clear yes to that specific photo, and nothing forwarded, ever. Our safety and consent page covers consent in casual dating.

Where to report in Australia

Report to the service that matches what happened; if you're unsure, start with your bank and ReportCyber.

The first hour after you suspect a scam

Speed matters most with money, so do things in this order:

1. Stop paying and stop replying. No more money, codes, documents or photos, however urgent the story.
2. Call your bank or card provider and ask them to stop or recall any payment.
3. Save the evidence: screenshots of the profile and messages, usernames, phone numbers, and any bank details you were given.
4. Report through ReportCyber if you've lost money or details, or Scamwatch if you haven't.
5. Call IDCARE if you've sent copies of your passport, driver licence or Medicare card.
6. Report the profile in the members area, then block the person.
7. Tell someone you trust. It makes the next few days easier, and it breaks the secrecy the scam depends on.

First dates, Australian style

Distances matter here. If your date is an hour's drive away, plan your own way there and back rather than relying on a lift, and check your phone has coverage where you're going if it's out of town. Meet somewhere public and busy the first time, such as a café, a pub or a hotel bar you know, and keep it short.

Tell a friend where you'll be and when you expect to be home, and agree a check-in text. Keep your home address to yourself until you're sure. If you're driving, that's a good reason to keep the first meeting to coffee. Our meeting-safely checklist has the full list.

If there's an age gap, agree what you both want, and what discretion means, before you meet; our age-gap guide covers that conversation. What Granny Slags checks, and what it doesn't, is on the safety and consent page.