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Online Dating Safety Tips: Common Sense & Common Cons

By David Planck

Republish: EasyPublish™
Published: 28Jan2012
Word count: 1475
Viewed: 64 time(s)

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Online dating is an exciting way to meet singles and that special someone, but some people don't always have common sense when interacting online or meeting for the first time. By following a few safety guidelines and recognizing the common cons that occur in the online dating world, you can keep yourself protected.

Common Sense - When Online Dating

First, we must recognize the truth: anyone from anywhere can create a profile with a picture they found on Google image search. If anyone asks you for your personal or financial information, a huge red flag should come up. Never give out any information that identifies you to a person you don't know. This includes your name, address, phone number, social security number, or bank account information.

Common Cons - Things to Look For

Messaging on the Internet is tough, especially in cases where you're limited to 140 characters. If you suspect or come across any of the following items in the list below - chances are it might be a dating scam and you should cease contact with the person you're talking to.

- Chat is vague or doesn't seem to match the topic of conversation, or topics change often over one message or many.
- Receiving immediate responses back to your private messages/e-mails could be the sign of a program that is automatically responding to you
- After a quick exchange the other person tells you they wish to talk on another messaging service, or exchange e-mail addresses to talk, share pictures, or view webcam.
- Asks you for money because: It's an emergency and only you can help.
- They were just widowed.
- Wants you to donate to a "cause."
- They claim to be traveling, living, working aboard, or deployed.
- Asks for your address so they can send you gifts (flowers, etc).
- Talks about meeting or finding your profile was "written in the stars," "destiny" or "fate."
- You go to message them and find that their account is deleted, yet you see their picture under another name later on.
- Their photo seems unrealistic or modified in some way. If the dating website you use has a report feature and you come across any suspicious activity, report that person. It will flag the account to administrators who should personally review the account and delete it if necessary.

If you do manage to find a fish in the digital sea, follow these guidelines to stay safe when you meet.

- Never have your date pick you up at your house.
- Tell friends and family where you're going and what time you should be back.
- Keep your cell phone with you at all times.
- Meet in a public place with lots of people.
- Stay sober or drink with caution.
- Don't assume the person you're with is safe.
- Avoid the perception of any obligation by going 'dutch' on the bill.
- Don't bring your date back to your home, or go to theirs - go to a hotel.
- Use a condom.
- Remain alert until the date is over and you're home safely.

Keeping yourself safe both online and offline is very important. Don't get a false sense of security or ignore these rules because you use a dating website that does background checks on its members. People with a criminal record can still get into these websites due to flaws in the background checking system - it's not perfect.

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