Online Dating: Set your Predator Radar
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If you’re tired of the bar scene, or never liked the bar scene to begin with; if you’ve had no success meeting Mr. Perfect in the frozen foods section of your supermarket; if you’re newly single, separated, divorced or widowed and wanted to search for that special someone, there is a 21st century solution – online dating.
But with 21st century ideas come 21st century issues.
We’ve all heard the stories of someone meeting their soulmate online and how happy they are, yada yada yada. For some it happened relatively quickly. For others it took a little longer. Others are not quite as lucky. Instead of an exciting, safe way to meet others, online dating exposes hopefuls to a new age of crime.
Online Dating Scammers
Many of those looking to find a date through online dating sites are coming out of another relationship and just want to find someone compatible with the same likes and interests. What many must first wade through, though, are the seemingly never-ending queries, winks, nudges, emails and instant messages from those whom you’d never want to meet in your wildest daydreams. The thing is, they try to make themselves look like the perfect guy.
These guys are more than likely sitting in an internet café somewhere. Some are very skillful at crafting an online persona complete with pictures, but their goal isn’t love. Their goal is to say what you want to hear so that you will “fall in love” with the person they’ve created. About the time the phrase “too good to be true” might be ringing in your head they’ll hit you with reality--the person you thought you were corresponding with, the person you though you “fell in love with” really only wants your money.
Scammer Radar
Here are a few signs to look to keep yourself safe in this next generation of dating.
1) Remain wary of those profiles without pictures. Private pictures are okay (I will give a list of questions to ask to help weed out whether or not you should even ask to see those private pictures in my next article).
2) Read the profile very carefully.
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I just wrote on this very topic, of how to keep safe while online dating, on my blog. A reader kindly added to the list of online dating safety tips that I started. You can find it here in my recent (September) posts: http://orderofprotectionsurvivor.blogspot.com
Great topic to write on, Darlene!
September 16, 2010 - 3:54pmThis Comment
Thanks, Kristin. And thank you for the link to your blog.
Darlene
September 16, 2010 - 5:42pm