How To Stay Safe With Internet Dating
Last Updated on: 24th February 2025, 11:51 am
Internet Dating And How To Stay Safe
Internet dating can be a fun and certainly rewarding experience for women and men of all ages. But you do need to make sure that you keep yourself safe whilst you do online dating. Keeping yourself safe is easy if you use common sense. Always remember that online safety rules are the same as real-world safety rules. Look for internet dating sites that suit you. The people using these sites are your kind of people. If you are looking for just fun, go to a casual dating website or app. If you are looking for someone who shares the same religion, look for Christian dating websites. Think about things that you do online and wonder if you would do it in the real world.
Stick To Dating Website Chat Systems With Internet Dating
The dating sites all have a chat or messaging system for a reason. it is so that chat stays within the website and you won’t get unsolicited ‘dick pics’. If someone starts pressuring you for WhatsApp, then they will send you all sorts of images that you don’t want. They will also have your phone number that they can use for anything.
Even if you add them to your personal social media account, they have access to everything in your life. Your kid’s photos, your work colleagues and your worst moments. With too much information, they can trace you down in real life.
Don’t Tell Them Where You Work Or Live
Telling someone where you live or work, is the worst possible thing to do. If they turn out to be even slightly cray-cray, then they know where to find you. You would never give someone your address if you met them in the street. If they ask where you work, do not tell them where you work. Just tell them what you do for a living instead. Tell them you are a sales assistant instead of working at John Lewis in Oxford Street.
If they ask where you live, tell them a ballpark area, I usually say the next town along. You can tell someone the city or town, but not the street or area where you live. When you are confident with the other person and you have exchanged a few messages with each other and been on dates. Then it is safe to swap personal details.
Remember…you ARE in control so do not let anyone pressure you into revealing more personal information than you are comfortable with revealing.
Taking It From Internet Dating To Meeting In Public Places
When you do arrange a date, make sure you arrange to meet in a public place. Make it in daylight hours so it is light and hopefully, there are lots of people around. Take a friend with you, they can sit close by and you do not need to tell your date, that they are there. But it will make you feel safer on your first date.
You can arrange for a friend to call you about an hour into the date, then if it is going badly, you can make an excuse and leave.
Take His Photo And Any Car Number Plates Details
If you can, take a photo of his car number plate before you get in it. I wouldn’t recommend getting in a stranger’s car on the first date. If you can grab a sneaky photo of him to share with friends, then that is a great way to help you stay safe. If anything bad does happen to you, then they have a photo of the date.
Be Safe But Have Fun With Internet Dating
You can still have fun whilst being safe. You never know, you might even find the love of your life on the dating website. Sit back and enjoy yourself whilst you have a bit of fun and adventure.
