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.

 

• Report and block suspicious users

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 personal information

Don’t share your personal information with a person you’ve just met on an online dating site. Personal information includes:

• Your credit card details.
• Social security number.
• Home or work address.
• Bank information.

 

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.

 

• Ignore a stranger’s request for financial help

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

 

• Set up a video call/chat first

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.

 

• Let a friend know when you’re going.

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.

 

• Only meet in a public area

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.

 

• Take your own transportation

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. 

 

• Maintain boundaries

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. 

 

• Listen to your sixth sense.

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.