Online Dating Safety Precautions

Online dating is a convenient way to meet new people or to find that special someone.  Unfortunately it is also an easy way for other people to find you, sometimes people that you would be better off not meeting.  Your number one concern when considering online dating should always be your safety.  So how do you go about finding your special someone while still keeping yourself safe?  There are a few common sense rules you should be following.

1. Remain anonymous throughout your early contact.  This starts way back when you first sign up for the online dating site.  Before you sign up, go get yourself a free anonymous email account to use for your online dating.  When you do decide to initiate contact  with someone or respond to their initial message, be very careful about what information you reveal to that person.  Never give out personal information like your last name, home address, or phone number until you have been communicating for a significant amount of time by email or instant messenger.  If someone continually presses you for your personal information it is usually a bad sign and you may want to reconsider having a relationship with that person.

2. Never send anyone money.  There are a few scams out there that people try to run on online dating sites and this is the most common of them.  It usually goes along the line of someone chatting with you for awhile and convincing you that they really want to meet.  They have a problem though.  They can't afford the plane fair, or bus ticket, or even gas money if they aren't looking to scam you out of too much money.  Don't fall for it.  You will never hear from them or your money again.  Never send anyone money.

3. Talk on the telephone before meeting in person.  Spend a lot of time with the person on the telephone before you even consider meeting them in person.  Don't be afraid to ask questions and lots of them.  It is easy for someone to lie to you in an email.  It is a lot harder to lie to you when you can here the inflections in their voice.  And use your cell phone to make it harder for them to find out your last name and home address from your phone number.

4. Meet in a public place.  If you do decide to meet someone in person do it in a public place in the middle of the day if possible.  You want the location to be crowded and extremely well lit. Make sure you tell someone where you are going and what time you expect to be home.

5. Always follow your instincts.  If something just doesn't feel right about a person or a situation you must trust yourself enough to not meet this person or to get up and leave if you are meeting face to face.  Our instincts rarely let us down.  If it makes you nervous, don't do it.

Your safety when dating online must be your primary concern.  Follow these tips and you can enjoy your online dating experience and stay safe while you are having fun.