Is Your Internet Dating Site Safe?

Internet dating can be a great time for singles, but it is not all fun and games. Just like anything on the Internet, if you are not careful about the way you manage your online dating life, you could be setting yourself up for heartache, hassle, or even danger. So, are the dating sites that you frequent safe places to be? Look for these warning signs to evaluate the sites you use now or to find new sites in the future.

The vast majority of Internet safety issues come down to the ability to protect your personal information, and this is very much the case in online dating. You should never join a dating site without knowing what their privacy policy is. Of course you want them to keep your information safe from other members, so you can decide who gets to contact you how and in what way they make contact, but it is also usually a good idea to avoid dating sites that sell your email address and other information to other websites and marketers. Any dating company that traffics in their members’ information is typically not the kind of dating site you want to be in. It shows a lack of regard for protecting the information that puts you at risk for an Internet scam or worse.

In addition to the site’s privacy policy, you also need to learn if and how the site screens the people who join. The idea of a site that lets anyone and everyone create a profile might sound ok on the surface – there are more people there for you to pick from, and you get to make the call about whom you get to meet and whom you don’t. In reality, at a few minimal screening criteria helps protect you in more ways than one. Do you want to come across the profile of a convicted sexual offender or someone with a history of domestic violence or stalking? That is a can of worms no one wants to open, but if no one is screened out from the dating pool, these are exactly the kinds of people you might meet. These questionable dates are well aware of which dating sites will let them join and which won’t, and so you can expect a site that has no screening criteria to have a number of less than desirable types in their membership ranks. There is no guarantee that anyone you meet on the net will turn out to be safe, but you can at least play the odds by avoiding sites without screening procedures.

These kinds of people might be a danger to you physically, but the Internet dating world is also filled with people who can hurt you financially. There are many con artists out there with a fake photo and sob story looking for lonely hearts with deep pockets to bilk out of their cash. In fact, some dating websites are set up specifically for this purpose. Take a close look at that website. Does it look like it was done professionally, or do you get the impression that someone threw it up as quickly as possible? Does the site claim to be based in an English speaking country but the wording and the grammar don’t seem to fit that claim? If the website doesn’t look like the front for a seriously run dating business, steer clear. At the very least, if they can’t take of their website, they’re not going to be careful about protecting your information.

In the end, your biggest protector in the world of online dating is your gut. Trust your instincts and always err on the side of caution. Also look out for these classic online dating danger clues, so you are safe to look for love online without paying way too large a price.