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Online Dating Safety Tips
Every year, millions of people meet, date, make friends and get married with people they have met online. Online dating is fun and brings together people who otherwise would have never met in the normal course of their daily lives. However, just like in offline dating, there are a few guidelines that you must follow in order to avoid unpleasant and potentially unsafe situations:
- Do not post on your profile contact information - posting personal information is not only a violation of our Terms of Use, but also exposes you to unnecessary risk.
- Do not choose a screen name which is a combination of your first and last name. If you have done so already, you can still change it by going to 'Settings' in your member menu.
- Trust your instincts - if you do not feel safe, do not feel obliged and do not let yourself be pressured into doing or saying something that you are not comfortable with. Always use your judgment and a good measure of common sense to avoid situations in which you may put your personal safety at risk.
- Do not give away personal information - regardless of how you click on initial communications, do not divulge any of your personal information such as: address, home phone number, your work address and work phone number, addresses of friends or relatives or your last name.
- Meet in public - on a first date, always make sure that you arrange to meet in a public, well known place. Never meet at a house or in a remote secluded location.
- Tell a friend - tell at least one friend or family member who you are meeting, where you are going and when you expect to return. A good practice would be to have a friend call you at a pre-determined time during your date.
- Don't ask to be picked up - do not divulge your home address and certainly do not ask to be picked up on your first date.
- Don't drink too much - refrain from drinking excessively, as it could impair your ability to make good decisions and may put you at risk.
- Take your cell phone with you - your cell phone is your life raft in case of danger. Do not go on a first date without it. If you do not have a cell phone, you may want to consider borrowing one for the date.
- Refuse an offer to drop you at home - even if you have had a few drinks and cannot drive by yourself, politely refused to be dropped at your place. Take a taxi instead.
- When on a date, don't leave personal belongings or drinks unattended.
- Agree to set up a next date only if you are ready and feel comfortable.
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