There is no perfect place to find love.
For those that do not have a lot of time on their hands to physically meet people, online dating is a no-brainer. Here, it is possible to meet someone you would like to be with and arrange a meet.
With every other online thing,
though, this could go sideways. What if they are not who they say they are?
What if the person on the other side is some form of creep?
There are a lot of what-ifs. That informed this piece on the many dangers of online dating, and how to stay safe too.
1. Chat on the phone before meeting
If you set the first date with your
online contact, make sure to chat on the phone first. There is fun in having
blind dates – but it is more important to stay safe so that you can have more
fun in life too.
Have a call and know what they
sound like. If possible, switch to a video call just to get more comfortable
with one another before the date.
2. Tell someone
Whenever you are going to meet
someone you met online, tell someone close to you.
Let them know the details of the person you are going to meet, and where the meet is happening. We recommend asking your contact to try reaching you on the phone some minutes into the date. Just to check up and be sure you are safe, that’s all.
3. Use a VPN
News of cyberstalks is not strange
to us anymore. Such unscrupulous individuals can mine or analyze your internet
traffic to determine where you are chatting them from.
If they should get their hands on
your address, that could become a nightmare very fast. You should download a VPN for network
encryption before you start chatting at all.
That way, no one can know your location, neither can they obtain personal information that you did not directly divulge.
4. Cloak your Number
You can always stop talking to
someone that you feel is not a good match for you. If they do not take the
message well, that could open up a door to constant disturbance harassment, and
even worse, stalking too. It becomes worse when you have already given out your
phone number.
Fortunately, trusted service like Google Voice
allows you to create a phone number separate from your main
line. That phone number can always be disabled anytime, so don’t worry about being
stuck on it either.
Final Words
A solid piece of advice is to
always trust your gut feeling. If you feel that something might be off, it
probably is.
Likewise, never divulge too much
information online. When a potential date starts asking for things like your
credit card details, social security number, or other sensitive information,
they might be trying to scam you.
Do not ignore the red flags and
stick to trusted platforms. That way, online dating won’t leave a bad taste in
your mouth.
Article written by Marie Cadelina
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