Safety On The Net

Over the last 10yrs the Internet has become a lot more popular for people to find love and romance. As this popularity begins to grow, individuals are starting to develop relationships online with people they have not even met or know very little about.

With so many people, communicating over the net and deciding to date virtual strangers in cyberspace. It is important to be safe, smart, and responsible. Common sense can go a long way in the world of the web. Here are some general common sense guidelines for playing it safe.

  • Always watch out for someone who seems to good to be true.
  • Start your communication solely by e mail or online chat.
  • Find out all the information you can about the person. Learn to ask as many questions as you need too. Ask about where they grew up? Where they work? About their lifestyles? These will all help in finding out who the person really is. Be wary if the person isn’t willing to reveal any personal information this is generally a warning sign.
  • Honesty is the key, always be open and upfront about yourself. It is so easy to exaggerate and to deceive someone online, about your martial status, age, sex, height and physical appearance. Be sure to ask for a recent picture, if the person is unwilling to share a recent picture with you then this is generally a warning sign. If the person is always coming up with an excuse to share a picture with you then it’s because the person has something to hide. After sharing recent pictures with each other, continue getting to know each other keep the correspondence open and honest.
  • Start to talk on the telephone with one an other and continue to learn more about them. A phone call can reveal a lot about the persons mannerisms and background, it is worth the telephone bill if this ensures your safety and security. Don’t give out your phone number or personal information unless you trust this person. Trust doesn’t happen overnight, this takes time to develop, only when you feel comfortable and ready should you provide this person with your phone number.
  • Don’t rush into anything, meeting someone online and arranging to meet them in such a short space of time can be quite dangerous. Take time to find out who this person really is. If this person is pressuring you into meeting before your ready to, then this is another common warning sign.
  • Trust your instincts, 99.9% of the time your instincts are right. If something doesn’t feel right then generally it isn’t. So back off completely, it is better to be safe than sorry.
Red Flags in Internet dating
  • The person frequently disappears and becomes unreachable by phone or e mail and instant messenger.
  • The person provides conflicting information about age, interests, appearance, marital status, profession, employment, and so on.
  • The person refuses to speak to you on the phone after establishing your trust and friendship.
  • The person doesn't provide direct answers to direct questions, always tries to dodge the answers to the questions. And always answers a question with a question.
  • The person refuses to provide you with their home number and only provides you with their work number. They only phone you from their work. This is generally because they don’t want their spouse to answer the phone or for you to find out about their life they already have.
  • The person never introduces you to friends, professional associates or family members.
  • The person pressures you into having cyber sex online.
  • The person refuses to send you a picture of themselves this is normally because their lying about their personal appearance.
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