Online dating is incredibly fun and full of potential, but it also comes with its fair share of risks. From scams to stalking to outright threats of violence to plain old disappointments – online dating has it all. It still can be a very worthwhile experience, of course, as long as you know how to stay safe while doing it. So, what are the main ways to date online safely? Here are our ten main tips.
How to Stay Safe Online?
The digital space allows for many different ways to interact with people, and not all of them are particularly pleasant, healthy, or consensual. So, whenever you’re chatting with strangers, it’s always important to follow these basic safety tips:
1. Be careful what information, links, and photos you share in your dating account
When preparing your dating profile, you’re asked to add as many cool photos as you can, add links to other social media, and write an extensive bio. All this is good, however, it’s strongly recommended to be careful about what kind of information you’re linking to. Profile photos are also a potential risk, as reverse image search tools can be used to stalk people. So, it’s always best to make sure you’re not using the same photos on your dating profile as the ones used on sites where you have sensitive information.
2. Don’t send your date money, gifts, or your personal information
There are scammers abound on most dating platforms. No matter how tempting and charming someone appears, if they are asking you for money, gifts, or sensitive personal information, it’s crucial that you don’t oblige them unless you’ve already gotten to know them pretty well and you’re 100% sure they aren’t scamming you.
3. Look your date up online
Make sure that you really get to know the person you’re going on a date with beforehand. Check out the social media profiles they have linked, ask them for extra links if they don’t have many, and so on. What’s more, if they don’t have too much info on their profile and they don’t even have many photos, there is a pretty significant risk that the profile you’re looking at is fake.
4. Ask your date for a video call before your first date
A very simple tip many people skip is to just ask your date for a quick video chat before your first date. This way you can make sure that they really are who they say they are. You can either be straight with them and tell them you’re asking for safety reasons, or you can be coy and say you’d just love to see their face. Either way, if they refuse, that’s usually a major red flag.
5. Use proper cyber protection and be careful what links you go to
It’s always a good idea to stay protected on the Internet. Stuff such as a good licensed anti-virus program or a VPN is very useful for online dating as well, as many online scams rely on tricking you into clicking on certain links. So, as a rule of thumb, never open suspicious links sent by people you’ve yet to meet in person.
How to Stay Safe When You Finally Meet in Person?
Online dating may start on the Internet, but its whole idea is to eventually transition into in-person dating. Whether you’re dating someone on a local online dating app or you’re chatting with foreign brides from the other end of the world via particular sites, the goal always is to sooner or later meet the other person face to face. When that happens, you’d want to make sure you stay safe, even more so than when you were merely chatting online.
1. Always meet with your date in public
This one is as crucial as it is basic – when meeting someone for the first time, always make sure that you’re constantly in public. This doesn’t just include the date itself, but your commuting to and from the date too.
2. Never depend on your date for transportation
Speaking of commuting, an absolutely vital rule is to make sure you’re never dependent on your date for transportation. You never want to get into a situation where you can’t leave even if you want to, because you don’t have your own transportation option.
3. Tell a friend who your date is, as well as when and where you’ll be meeting them
Another simple precaution is to simply tell a friend when, where, and with whom you’ll be on a date. This way, should something bad happen, your friend can act as a safety net. An additional tip is to call your friend in front of your date – this way, they will also be aware that you are “protected” and will be much less likely to try anything untoward against you.
4. Always keep an eye on your drink
Rohypnol, also known as roofies, has been responsible for innumerable crimes against single women. The main big safety tip for making sure you don’t add to that statistic is to always keep an eye on your drink while you’re in public.
Many women even take their drinks with them when they move around to guarantee that no one can possibly put something in their glass without them knowing.
5. Never get drunk on a date
Even without roofies, many people just commit the cardinal sin of getting drunk on a date all on their own. Needless to say, something like that is incredibly foolish as, by getting drunk, you open yourself to lots of potential abuse, the same way you’d be if you were just roofied.
A good tip is to figure out what your drinking limit is ahead of the date. This way, you can still enjoy a couple of drinks, but you can also make sure that you let things get out of hand.
Conclusion
Whether you are a man or a woman, making sure you’re always following these safety tips is crucial for staying safe while dating others online. Not everyone you meet online means you harm – in fact, the vast majority of people don’t – however, staying safe won’t only protect you from the ones that do, but will also keep your mind at ease and let you enjoy your dating experience to the fullest.
