Online Dating Safety Tips Secret Friends Guide

Online Dating Safety Tips For Your Online Protection Against Scammers

By Julia Barnes

Online dating safety tips include ways you can protect yourself against scammers and identity thieves by hiding your personal contact details and taking precautions to protect yourself on a physical date.

Many people are honest and do not try to pretend to be someone else. A relationship is normally built over a period of time, with online dates, gifts, exchange of emails, live webcams and physical dates. This kind of relationship may lead to a more serious relationship, where down the track, there may be a marriage and living in the same family home.

Be Alert For Scammers Seeking Your Money

But, some are scammers who are looking for ways to get your money, to help pay for transport and accommodation expenses, then ongoing expenses to cover treatment for a sudden illness and even payment to relatives for a funeral. All these expenses for someone you have never met physically and do not know if they really existed.

This, is why you need to be alert for deceptive and misleading behaviour by using these online dating safety tips.

When you are meeting a potential date online for the first time, or at a social event, you need to be alert to requests for personal information and money. Your personal protection and security are paramount. You do not want to be a victim of bad behaviour, misleading conduct and any form of violence, including physical, mental and online abuse.

1. Too Good To Be True

Watch out for someone who seems too good to be true. Begin by communicating solely by email, then look for odd behavior or inconsistencies. The person at the other end may not be who or what he says he is. Trust your instincts. If anything makes you uncomfortable, walk away for your safety and protection.

2. Protect Your Real Identity Against Identity Thieves

Make sure all contact on a member site takes place through a double-blind system, ensuring your true identity is protected until you decide to reveal it. Never include your last name, home address, phone number, place of employment, email address or any other identifying information in your profile or initial messages. When corresponding with someone, turn off your email signature file. Stop communicating with anyone who puts pressure on you for personal information or attempts in any way to trick you into revealing it.

3. Building Trust Over A Period Of Time

Cautious decisions will result in a better dating experience. Be sure to protect yourself against trusting the untrustworthy; potential boyfriends must earn your trust gradually over time, through consistently honorable, straightforward behavior.

Take all the time you need to investigate for a straightforward person and pay careful attention along the way. If you suspect someone is lying, he probably is, so act accordingly. Be responsible about romance, your heart will thank you.

Don’t become prematurely intimate with someone, even if that intimacy only occurs online. If you mutually decide to cross the point of no return, be smart and protect yourself. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (http://www.cdc.gov/ ) provide some of the most current information available about sexually transmitted diseases and preserving your health.

4. Ask Many Questions To Increase Your Knowledge

Most online dating services do not require members to submit to background checks. So make sure you get as much info as possible by asking questions, utilizing internet search engines and most importantly, using common sense. Nothing is 100% reliable, just remember to use your head…not just your heart.

5. Request Several Photos Of Your Potential Date

A photo will give you a good idea of the person’s appearance, which may prove helpful in achieving a gut feeling. In fact, it’s best to view several images of someone in various settings: casual, formal, indoor and outdoors. If all you hear are excuses about why you can’t see a photo, consider that he has something to hide.

6. Do Not Give Your Phone Number To A Complete Stranger

A phone call can reveal much about a person’s communication and social skills. Consider your security and do not reveal your phone number to a stranger. Try a cell phone number instead or use local telephone blocking techniques to prevent your phone number from appearing on a Caller ID. Give out your phone number ONLY when you feel completely comfortable.

7. Building An Online Relationship Over A Period Of Weeks And Months

The beauty of meeting someone online is that you can collect information gradually, later choosing whether to pursue the relationship in the offline world. You never are obligated to meet anyone, regardless of your level on online intimacy.

Even if you decide to arrange a meeting, you always have the right to change your mind. It’s possible that your decision to keep the relationship anonymous is based on a hunch that you can’t logically explain. Trust yourself. Go with your instincts

8. Look Out For Bad Behaviour

Pay attention to displays of anger, intense frustration or attempts to pressure or control you. Acting in a passive-aggressive manner, making demeaning or disrespectful comments or any physically inappropriate behavior are all red flags.

You should be concerned if your date exhibits any of the following behavior without providing an acceptable explanation: Provides inconsistent information about age, interests, appearance, marital status, profession, employment, etc.

Refuses to speak to you on the phone after establishing ongoing, online intimacy. Fails to provide direct answers to direct questions. Appears significantly different in person from his or her online persona. Never introduces you to friends, professional associates or family members.

9. On Your First Physical Date

When you choose to meet offline, always tell friends where you are going and when you will return. Leave your date’s name and telephone number with a friend. Never arrange for your date to pick you up at home.

Provide your own transportation, meet in a public place at a time with many people around (a familiar restaurant or coffee house is often a good choice), and when the date is over, leave on your own as well.

Refrain from drinking excessively, as it could weaken your ability to make good decisions. If at some point you and your date decide to move to another location, take your own car. When the timing is right thank your date for getting together and say goodbye.

10. Arrange Your Own Accommodation And Transport

If you plan to fly in from another city, arrange for your own car and hotel room. Do not make known the name of your hotel and never allow your date to make arrangements for you. Get a rental car at the airport and drive directly to your hotel.

Always call your date from the hotel. You can also check out the location you both agreed to meet at ahead of time to see exactly where it is and to get more familiar with an area . If the location seems inappropriate or unsafe, go back to your hotel.

Try to contact your date at that location or leave a message on an answering machine. Always make sure a friend or family member knows your plans and has your contact information. And carry a cell phone at all times.

Ways To Escape The Date From Hell

Never do anything you feel unsure about. If you are in any way afraid of your date, use your best judgment to diffuse the situation and get out of there. Excuse yourself long enough to call a friend for advice, ask someone else on the scene for help or slip out the back door and drive away.

If you feel you are in danger, call the police; it’s always better to be safe than sorry. Never worry or feel embarrassed about your behavior; your safety is much more important than one person’s opinion of you.

Dishonest People Are Online And Offline

While cheaters, liars and frauds certainly can be very convincing on the Web, you’ll also find them in nightclubs and offline dating services, parties or even sitting across from you at your local coffee house.

Despite where you meet someone, dating is never risk-free, but a little caution will reduce your risk to your safety when trying to find that certain someone for your heart.

If you are concerned about meeting a new date, you could bring a trusted friend along, just in case there are any problems and you need to escape from a horrible situation or you are disappointed with your date.

Scammers Looking For New Victims

There are scammers online, searching through dating sites to send people emails and start a relationship. These emails usually do not mention your name or any specific details, are fairly general, and do not give much information about the sender of the email. These types of emails should be ignored as spam.

If you respond, you may be given a link to a website, where personal information is requested. This personal information could be used to steal your identity and if you have given credit card information, your credit card may be emptied out.

Give Me Your Money To Meet You

Another type of spam email doing the rounds, is starting an online relationship by corresponding back and forth. Often, after a week or a few days, your new friend wants to meet you and needs money to fly to your destination. Asking for your money is a red flag. You should not give money to someone you do not know and have never met.

Ongoing Requests For More Of Your Money

Sometimes, some of these scams, end up asking endless amounts of money. First its money for flight and accommodation. Then he has has fallen dangerously ill and needs money for hospital treatment. Then, money is requested by relatives for the funeral. Money for someone you have never met and you do not know if he has ever existed.

There are many people who are quite honest and do not try to mislead you in any way. But, there are some dishonest people who are looking for new victims. This is the time, when you need to be alert for scammers with online dating safety tips.

About the Author:
Julia Barnes is a popular author of romance, travel and dating articles including Speed Dating, Online Singles Websites, Find A Date, Online Dating Risks, Sexy Lingerie, Sexy Leather Lingerie, Sexy Leather, Mysteries Of Dating, Romantic Cruises, Honeymoon Trips.
Keep a lookout for more articles coming soon.

More Dating Facts....

Are there any dangers with using an internet dating site?
There are benefits to using internet dating sites but a sad fact is that there are also great dangers. There are some people who use dating sites as nothing more then preying grounds for unsuspecting people.

Predators surround us daily but the horrors of the World Wide Web seem to grab our attention more than others. There are countless horror stories within the dating world of married men or women trolling personal ads to have affairs on their spouses.

There are psychologically deranged people searching for victims. In reality this is true of dating off the internet as well. You just have more opportunities to run across people such as these when you are connected online. The best advice is to use common sense and have a little bit of prudence. If it seems too good to be true…it probably is.

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