Online dating safety advice.
Whilst online dating opens the door to virtually limitless opportunities to find your ideal partner we want that you are safe online and offer the following online dating safety advice.
Really staying safe online is all about common sense. whist you should take adequate precautions do not go overboard. Most of us have a built in self preservation antena and if something does not ring true with the person with whom you are sharing correspondence then take heed.
It is important to remember that the overwhelming majority of online daters are just like you with no hiden agenda and simply testing the waters of online dating to find interesting people.
So if you like this online dating safety advice is aimed at making you aware of the less than 1% of online daters that are for a variety of reasons untrustworthy.
Africa! Surely everyone is aware of the so called "Nigerian scam"? It goes something like this and really is quite hopeless in its presentation, is usually aimed at men, but not always and is not at all subtle:- Hi I just dropped by your profile!! Already the alarm bells should be ringing! They then go on to explain how they have access to lots of $, but they need your help.....
Russian dating agencies, the majority of which are based in America, again this is aimed at men, but is far more proffesional than the African scam above. The story here is you pay to write and receive letters from drop dead gorgeous Russian women and is often false and the payments can add up!
These two example are extreme, but there is a very simple rule with online dating. If it seems to good to be true....It probable is!
Be sure of who you are sharing correspondence with, be sure that the photo and profile of the correspondent actually are real......How? If the relationship is developing nicely arrange web cam meetings and exchange telephone numbers. If either of these options are, difficult, or complicated for your new online dating partner, be suspicious, these days everyone has access to a telephone and there are internet cafes with web cams even in Outer Mongolia!
Only share personal information when you feel confident to do so. Never reveal your home address until you have met and feel comfortable.
Whilst we as an agency will take every precaution in scrutinising all membership applications we cannot guarantee that some unscrupulous people will not slip through, so we strongly advise that however well your relationship is developing you treat any request for money, or financial assistance with great suspicion.
Ready to meet? If the meeting is local choose a public place and a busy time for your first meeting. A busy cafe/bar/restaurant is ideal. If at any point you feel uncomfortable during your date, excuse yourself and leave. If you will be travelling to a distant country then clearly you will need to be much more confident of your relationship and it is very unwise to travel halfway around the world until you are 100% sure, both of your feelings and more importantly of the feelings of the person you contemplate visiting.
If the date goes well, we would suggest further dates in public places until you feel sure.
Should your first date/meeting involve travel, particularly to a foreign country we would suggest a much greater period of email exchange and web cam meetings and or phone chats.
You can read more about online dating and relationships in our blogs
Online dating safety advice with-Confidential Matchmakers
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