Dating Tips

5 important online dating safety issues

Be safe when meeting your online date

1. Guard your true identity until you’re comfortable to share full details.

When you’re contacting people online, through online dating sites, it’s highly advisable not to give out personal information – or at least not until you feel comfortable in doing so. This means your name, phone numbers, email address, website, blog details, your address or any other information that could be used to identify you.

2. Don’t use your real name as your username.

Most dating sites require you to choose a username. For safety, do not use your real name, as you never know who could be browsing the site. It also doesn’t always take a genius to be able to track you down. A lot of usernames may be taken, so you may need to be creative when coming up with ideas.

Do be careful if choosing a sexy username though. A sexy username may succeed in getting you noticed, but not necessarily by the ‘right’ kind of people!

3. Think twice before posting a picture of yourself on free dating websites.

Dating profiles with photos inevitably have a better chance of gaining clicks and attraction, but think twice before you post a picture on a free dating website. If it’s on a secure area of a paid-for dating site, then it’s a bit more secure and can only be seen by members. But if it’s on a free dating site, anybody could see it. So think about whether you feel happy about the potential of anyone finding your dating profile and picture.

4. Use an anonymous email address.

When you’re trying out online dating services, it’s a good idea to set up an anonymous email address to use. Not only is it handy to keep all your dating emails together in one place, but it also helps protect your identity. If and when you do decide to move from communicating via an online dating site to direct emails with interesting people, it means that you still get to retain some privacy.

5. Trust your gut instincts.

Do try and trust your gut instincts and, if you feel uncomfortable about someone who’s been emailing you, then act on it. Online dating can be great, but there sadly are some nutters out there and you need to carefully sift through your emails and suss out the true gems from the crazy bods. If you feel unsure about someone, then it could be for a very good reason!

Tags: date, online dating, safety, tips

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