How to Be Safe During
Online Dating: What You Need to Know
We here at take me for
coffee have realized lot of people use dating apps or online
dating services. While meeting new people online is exciting, you must always
implement a few safety precautions. Since most dating sites or apps aren’t
responsible for conducting background checks on their users, as one of the
users, it’s up to you to determine boundaries that’ll help keep you safe online.
We’ve put together a
few precautions you should take to help you interact with other people safe
while on an online dating site.
Safety While
Connecting Online
·
Don’t interact with suspicious profiles
A suspicious dating profile will have no bio and have only one picture
that looks like it’s downloaded from the internet. The picture may be that of someone
famous but doesn’t match the name on the profile. Check whether the profile is
linked to the person’s social media accounts. You can use that to learn more
about the person you wish to interact with.
If a user is acting
inappropriately towards you or has a suspicious profile, report and block them.
You can do this anonymously whether or not you’ve matched. However, you want to
be careful when discerning such things because people misrepresent themselves.
Don’t share your
personal information with a person you’ve just met on an online dating site.
Personal information includes:
You don’t have to talk
about subjects that are personal to you. Also, remember that an online dating
site will never send you an email asking for your login credentials, so
consider reporting such emails.
There are plenty of
scammers hiding behind profiles on dating sites waiting to meet women or any
other person they can take advantage of. Some of these scammers will give you
compelling stories about how you should help them. Stay away from such people
and if you can, report the profile to the site or app you’re using.
How to Tell if a
Profile is Suspicious
Here are some examples
to look out for or suspicious behaviors you might come across to tell you if
someone is a scammer or operating a fake profile on an online dating site.
- The person will have
a crisis and asks you for financial assistance.
- Randomly disappears
from your singles dating site, then contacts you with a different profile or
name.
- Pressures you to
talk to them outside your singles dating site or asks for your phone number too
soon
- Tries to impress you
with unbelievable grandiose stories
- Their profile says
they’re well-educated, but they can’t construct good sentences
- They are too
romantic or give you too many compliments too early in your interaction
- Is not
straightforward when you ask them questions
- Asks you for your
home or work address so they can send you gifts or flowers.
When You Meet in
Person
So now you’ve been
chatting with someone you like for weeks, and you feel it’s time to meet. What
do you do? Remember when we said people lie about who they are? Setting up a video chat is a great way to ensure the person you like
is who they say they are. If they refuse to have a video call with you, term it
as suspicious behavior.
Screenshot your date’s
profile and send the image to a friend. Let them know what the plans are. If
the plans change while you’re on the date, let your friend know too.
Try not to meet
someone you don’t know in your apartment, home, or in a secluded area. You will
be more comfortable in public areas such as a coffee shop, a bar, or a
restaurant.
Be in control of how
you arrive at the date so you can leave whenever you want. This is a great hack
for when you feel uncomfortable.
Just because you’re
having coffee with someone after meeting on an online dating site doesn’t mean
you owe them anything. Have a few drinks if you like but make sure it’s not
because your date is also having a drink. If your date touches you in a way you
don’t like, let them know. The first thing we’d recommend you do to maintain boundaries if you’re uncomfortable with the direction a
conversation is going, speak up.
If your gut tells you
something is off or wrong about your date, believe it. Your date should
understand that your safety comes first. If they keep insisting on spending
time with you even when you want to leave, enlist the help of a waiter or a
bartender to create a distraction so you can leave.
Finally
We hope you’ve enjoyed
our tips for how to be safe during online dating. You can always block, report,
or un-match anyone you meet on a dating website, whether you’ve met them or
not. This will ensure they cannot access your profile or get in touch with you
in the future.