Online dating is a great way to meet people, but it’s also an outlet for scumbags. Keep these tips in mind if you want your online dating experience to be safe.
Online dating has become one of the fastest-growing internet industries over the course of the past decade. Dozens of websites have staked their claim in the profitable realm of building relationships through the magic of cyberspace. While online dating is an attractive endeavor for folks who have a shortage of free time but an interest in meeting that special someone, it is important to know some general rules of the road in order to avoid regrettable or potentially dangerous situations. Here are five keys to keeping yourself safe while looking for a mate online.
Don’t Give Away Too Much
While you will certainly be asked about things such as your height, eye color and career field, it is important to draw lines regarding the distribution of your personal info. Information such as your address, the names and ages of your children or the location of your workplace should be kept under wraps until you have met with and personally verified the trustworthiness of a person. Not giving away too much applies to money as well as facts.
Over the years, hundreds of online daters have reported being the victim of scammers that were able to get money out of their pocket using a variety of creative techniques. As is the case with most situations that have a small potential for danger, a little common sense goes a long way.
Don’t Get Too Serious Too Quickly
Given that people who peruse online dating sites often do so while alone in the comfort of their own homes, thoughts and emotions tend to race in the wake of meeting someone who could be the one. In the aftermath of an introduction and a positive correspondence, many folks will drift off to sleep at night while fantasizing about a new life with Mr. or Mrs. Right.
While dreaming and wishful thinking can certainly be a fun and thrilling practice to engage in, it is important to not ante all of your emotional chips to the center of the table during the first hand. No matter how sprung you are on a potential online mate, you should never put yourself in a position to be easily heartbroken.
Use The Website To Communicate
Quality dating sites will have a user-friendly interface that allows correspondence between members in a private and secure setting. By conducting your communications within the dating website, you can streamline the process and ensure that nobody trolling the site will have easy access to pertinent information such as your e-mail address or phone number. Having a common place to do all of your online dating interactions can also minimize the chance of an un-received or lost message, which can sometimes lead to misunderstandings and missed opportunities.
Understand That Deception Does Happen
While the vast majority of online daters often slightly embellish entries such as weight or annual income, some folks go so far as to create a false persona. It’s one thing to say you weight 150 pounds when you are actually closer to 170, it’s quite another to say that you are a 27-year-old professional surfer when you are a 45-year-old manager of a Dairy Queen. Be careful of people or biographies that seem far too good to be honest. Hearts often race at the sight of a gorgeous face that claims to have a multi-million dollar annual income, but there is little means of verifying information up-front.
A good way to get to the bottom of a person and figure out whether or not what they are advertising is true is to attain the name of the company they work for and the city it is located in. Typing the information into a Google search will reveal if the company is real or not, giving you excellent insight into the legitimacy of the person.
Have An Easy Out
It is not a common occurrence, but at times online chemistry simply does not translate into real-life chemistry, causing dates to go sour long before their end. If this happens, having a plan to help yourself out of an awkward and undesirable evening is very important. The easiest approach is to schedule a planned phone call from a friend that can be used to prompt a quick exit if need be. If you are meeting a person for dinner at 7:00, tell a trustworthy friend to give you a phone call around 7:30.
If the date is going wrong, you can use your acting skills to pretend that your friend is stranded somewhere and needs a ride home immediately. If you are into the date and liking the person you are hanging out with, the call can be ignored or quickly finished, allowing you to get back to learning more about your new acquaintance.