Although there are some who say that the key to a fulfilling life is the embracing of risk, we don’t advise taking that approach to online dating safety. Without putting too fine a point on it, you need to be very careful about how and when you meet people in person when you’ve only ever encountered them online before.
How to keep safe online
Quite aside from the possibility of heartbreak, there are those who may be trying to use online dating for criminal purposes – to gather personal information for phishing or fraudulent activities for example. To minimise the risk to yourself, we recommend a few key points to help ensure that you have a safe as well as enjoyable online dating experience:
- Don’t let people pressure you into giving away more personal information than you are comfortable with.
- Beware of taking your clothes off in front of a webcam – it’s been known for attempts to be made to use this against people.
- Don’t post personal information such as phone numbers
- Set up a separate email address that does not use your real name – there are any number of reputable services such as Hotmail, Gmail or Yahoo! that can help with this
- Pick a user name on the site that does not give away any personal information
If the other person you are talking to is sincere in their interest, then they will be just as concerned with making sure that you are safe too, and won’t object to any of this
Meeting Up
If you do decide to meet someone in person, then that’s fantastic, but do still continue to apply the same common sense guidelines you would use for an ordinary date:
- Meet and stay in public places
- Tell people where you are going and who you are meeting, and when you will be back
- Take a mobile phone and keep it switched on
- Don’t accept a lift from your date
- Keep an eye on your possessions and don’t leave drinks or food unattended
Good luck, remember your online dating safety, and above all – have fun!