How to stay safe on dating websites

Online Dating can be scary at the best of time. From never quite knowing what you are getting through to the sheer financial investment that you need to use on these websites and smartphone apps to make sure you get the most from them.

But what can you do to make sure that no matter if you are using from niche dating sites to fetish dating there is something out there no matter what you taste or preference but what should you be on the lookout for to make sure you stay safe while using them!

Watch out for dating and romance scams!

This is when a connection is made in the online world only (so via a website or smartphone app) with no actual physical contact between the two parties. They will typically tend to shower you with loving words or maybe even send a gift or two. Once the scammer has gained their trust they will then begin to play on their emotions. So they could maybe talk about a sick relative that doesn’t exist or maybe some financial trouble they are in which is completely fake. It is usually at this point that the suspect is fooled into handing over personal information or money.

So what are some easy tips for you to follow to make sure that you don’t fall for a scam of this nature? What things should you be looking out for?

they ask you to send them money, more often than not via Western Union!
they ask you for too much personal information
they use poor grammar or language (ie, broken Engrish!) , despite claiming to be a native speaker.
you’re sometimes will invite you to talk to them on a website away from the dating one you met on.
they claim to have ‘fallen in love’ with you, usually from very early on! As always, if it sounds too good to be true, it more than likly is!

If you come up against one of these scammers the absolute best thing to do is cut off contact and report it to the site in question.

A good ‘reality check’ for you to do if you venture into the online dating world is to make sure your friends and family know what you are up to. More often than not it can be far too easy to be ‘caught up in the moment’ on these sort of sites and by their nature, they are very emotionally unforgiving. You are putting yourself out there to be budged and to see who likes you and if someone shows you any kind of interest it can provoke a response from you.

Talking to friends and family about people you are talking to or thinking about meeting up can give you a very much needed ‘outside view’ at times before you end up making a mistake that could really cost you dealy on both a personal and financial level!

So it doesn’t matter if you are using Tinder, eHarmoney, subs-and-doms.com or Bumble, make sure you keep your wits about you and have your safety at the forefront of everything you do!

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