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5 Important
Online Dating Safety Tips
Share Your Online Dating Tips
5
Important Online Dating Safety Tips
Just as in traditional dating, online
dating does carry with it a few risks. The world is not perfect.
There are bound to be people out there with evil or harmful
intentions. While several online dating services have
implemented screening and safety measures to weed out some
criminals or married people, this is never 100% foolproof, and
it is entirely up to the individual to take safety measures into
their own hands.
Here are five online dating safety tips that are vital to
protecting yourself when dating online:
1. Make your email account anonymous.
Use a free email account service like Hotmail or Yahoo! to set
up an email account that does not give out any personal
information. Do not use your work email address or an address
that indicates your full name when communicating with online
dating matches. Also, don’t give out your email address too
soon. There are some people out there that use online dating
services to gather email addresses from innocent singles so that
they can send out SPAM messages.
2. Give your cell phone number rather than
your home number when in the phone call stage of online dating.
If you are listed in the phone book, giving out your home phone
number is practically the same as giving out your full name and
home address. With online technology, it is easy to type a home
phone number into Google, and, if the number is listed, your
name and address will show up along with the phone number. You
may be giving out more information than you think you are.
3.
Meet in a public place on your first few dates. A public
place guarantees a higher level of security and safety as there
will be several witnesses around and your date will not know
your home address. It’s also a good idea to tell a friend where
you will be and when you will be returning, just in case.
4. Always be weary of anyone asking for
money. If someone you communicate with through an online
dating service starts asking you for money before you meet, you
can almost guarantee they are scam artists. There are “Russian
Bride” agencies out there trying to scam unsuspecting men out of
money by having women (sometimes the women don’t even really
exist) ask for money from the men for flights out to see them,
only to disappear after they receive the money. There is no
reason that online dating should involve giving money to the
other person. If you want to visit Iveta in Slovenia, fly out to
see her, don’t blindly give her money.
5. Trust your gut. If your gut
instinct tells you that a guy or girl is not telling you the
truth, has bad intentions, or will end up hurting you, listen to
that instinct. If you notice any red flags, such as pressing for
personal information too soon, insisting to pick you up at your
house for the first date, or possessive tendencies even before
you meet, think twice about sharing your phone number, email
address, or especially home address. Also keep an eye out for
someone who may already be married. If they never want you to
call, won’t give details about their lifestyle, and try to keep
everything secret, there is a possibility that you are dealing
with a married person. |
