One of the main difficulties regarding protecting yourself from predators in the online dating arena is the simple fact that predators can be quite intelligent and cagey with deception. Trusting your intuition simply isn’t enough.
You have to be willing to do your own due diligence to make sure you’re safe, including measures other than background checks. Most often, it’s women who have to be most careful. With that in mind, ladies, here are 5 more tips to help you have a safer online dating experience:
1) Don’t be too quick to give out your personal information, including your address and phone number. If you are comfortable talking with him on the phone, you make the call and block your number when you do.
2) When you first meet, keep in mind that this person is still a stranger to you. Make your first few encounters in public places around other people. Drive yourself and don’t get into a car alone with him.
3) Don’t be too quick to meet in person. You don’t know him and there’s no reason to potentially jeopardize your safety for the sake of haste.
4) Let a couple of your friends know what you’re doing, who you’re meeting, where you’re meeting and when you’ll be home. Make sure they have your correct phone number and arrange for one of them to do a check-in call during your meeting.
5) Keep your purse with you. This may be common sense, but it’s easy to be forgetful in the moment. Don’t let yourself feel too comfortable to quickly.
Categories: Dating
