Staying Safe With Online Dating
Online dating can be a most enjoyable way of meeting someone special, but you do need to take safety very seriously. Most online dating websites do not pre-screen their members, so that there are no guarantees that it is safe for you to meet the people listed there. Below are some tips to ensure fun and safety when online dating.
1. Anonymity at First
Keep personal details private, such as surname, home address or email address, workplace, and so on, either in your online profile or first few emails to a new contact, until you know someone better.
2. Ask for a Photo
Ask people for their photo. There should be no reason for a person to refuse you this request.
3. Common Sense
Trust to your instincts and common sense. If you sense that someone is not telling the truth, you may well be right. You need to find someone who is trustworthy, and it is dangerous to become too intimate with someone over the internet, so think logically and be wary of trusting too easily.
4. Telephone
It is easy to test how well people can communicate if you telephone. You can work out if they are anti-social this way before you meet them, and it's worth the expense. Using a pay phone or cell phone is safer than using your land line. Don't give out your home phone number until you know the person well.
5. Don't Meet Straight Away
Take some time to get to know a contact as well as you can before you agree to meeting up. You need to know whether they are just uttering sweet things to butter you up, or whether they are genuine. You are not obliged to meet anyone until you are ready, and if anything does not feel right then you also have the right to change your mind and say no.
6. Psychoanalyze
Look for signs of anger, aggression, intense levels of frustration, and so on, in your contact. Be careful of anyone who tries to pressure or control you. If any of these signs occur you should stop communicating with that person. Here are some other possible danger warning signs:
-'over' agreement with everything you say
-refusing to talk on the phone, even though you have already got to know each other well online
-providing sketchy or dubious details about things like marital status, profession, interests, age or appearance
-asking you to make their travel arrangements
-never giving a direct answer to your questions
7. Meeting up
When you have arranged to meet your online dating contact, give another person the details of time and place, and expected return time. It is also a good idea to give the name and phone number of your date, and to take your cell phone. Don't have your date collect you from home, but meet in a public place and have your own transport. If you have a drink, don't leave it unattended, and at the end of the date leave alone.
Caution is if great importance in online dating. Take plenty of time to get to know your contact, and don't allow yourself to be rushed into anything.