What Are Some of the Risks of Online Dating?

December 22, 2008 by admin

Just as there are risks in dating offline, there are some risks to dating online too. These can be diminished by using commonsense and abiding by all the website policies and rules before you start. These rules are there to enhance your safety. One of the most important rules is not to give away your personal information to anyone, even if they seem trustworthy.

Paid websites mostly provide you with an anonymous email address which you should use all the time, even if it seems more trouble to log into the website to do so. If you hit the reply button, you might give away your real email address and so are at risk of having all your personal details found out. Never give out your credit card details to anyone, even if it seems to be an email from the dating service itself. Instead, send them an email asking if they have really sent the email you received. Most state in their guidelines that they will never send an email asking for personal details.

The biggest risk of online dating could be that your date is not who he/she claims to be. They could be just looking for a flirtation rather than a serious relationship, or they could be a sleazebag.  But remember, these possibilities also crop up in real life. If your date ever asks you for money, then cut the relationship off quickly and report the person to the dating service.

Once you decide to meet your date, always tell friends where you'll be and what time you'll be home. It's a good idea to get them to phone you halfway through your date too, then if things are not going according to plan, you can get help, or use the call as an excuse to leave. 

Never give out your address or personal phone number to your date until you are sure you can trust them. It is possible to run a background check on people once you do know who they are; this is one way you can eliminate doubts about the integrity of your date. Trust your gut instincts. Somehow, most of us do have a feeling when a person is not to be trusted. It usually comes across in something they say or do. So if your feeling is saying, Watch out, then take notice of it.

Another risk could be that the person is already married. If they are, your communications will usually be irregular and secretive. Their photo will be unclear and grainy, to prevent them from being recognized by friends or family, and if you call them you'll more often get their answering machine than them. Avoid married people. If they are cheating on their spouse, they'll be just as likely to cheat on you.