Is Online Dating Safe? It Is if You Follow These Safety Tips

Your safety should always come first. I don’t care how attractive a man’s internet images are. He might not even be that guy (catfishing is when someone posts images of themselves that aren’t his and then lies about who he is). If only to guarantee that you don’t hook up with a nasty — or even dangerous — guy, you should approach internet dating with some suspicion.

I’m not trying to terrify you, but I don’t want you to believe that every male you meet on dating apps is trustworthy. To answer the question of whether internet dating is safe, the answer is yes…as long as you follow specific safeguards.

1. Stick to Quality Sites

Not every dating site is the same. Some people are more concerned about your safety than others. Bumble, Tinder, Match, eHarmony, and a few other services are trustworthy, and many have anti-catfishing safeguards in place, though they aren’t always failsafe. Many of the women I’ve taught have told me that these sites tend to attract higher-quality guys, owing to the fact that they charge for their services.

Fake profiles are far more common on free services like Badoo and Zoosk. Do not squander your time.

2. Learn the Signs of a Catfisher

It’s insane: more than half of online daters have viewed dating profiles in which they believe the person has lied about something. These are sometimes modest lies, such as their age or height, but other times they are full-fledged catfishing. They may use someone else’s photo or create an entirely new character. Why? There are various theories. Catfishers can get bored or lonely at times. They pretend to be someone else when they’re too insecure to date as themselves. Look for these telltale signals that you’ve been catfished.

3. Learn How to Reverse Image Search

Here’s a tricky little tool to see if you can uncover more images of this individual to double-check that he’s who he claims to be. On a dating site, right-click or screenshot his photo. Click the camera button in the search box on Google.com and upload the photo from his profile. If he’s used that photo elsewhere, it’ll show up in the search results. You might be able to find him on Facebook or through another dating profile.

You want to make sure his picture appears on profiles with the name he gave you! I know a woman who did this for a man named Stefano who claimed to be Italian and living in California on a dating app. He wasn’t Italian, his name was Pete, and he lived in Ohio, according to the search! The man had no idea that his photo had been taken and used as a catfish on dating services. This method might expose a lot of information!

4. Do a Little Investigating

Is it safe to date on the internet? The more information you have, the safer you will be. I’m not suggesting you go full stalker on him, but do a Google search for his name and see what comes up. Block him if he has a warrant out for his arrest!

Just be careful: it’s all too easy to go down this rabbit hole. You look him up on the internet, and he turns out to be real… As a result, you begin to click on links and social accounts. You now know a lot more about this guy than he has told you in ten minutes. This can be a problem if you tell him about his recent sailboat racing victory and he questions how you heard about it. Awkward….

5. Take Your Time Before Agreeing to a First Date

There’s not much to be gained by agreeing to go out with a man you’ve been chatting with on a dating app within a day or two of virtually meeting, and the more time you give yourself before meeting, the better you’ll be able to get to know him and be confident that he won’t chop you up into a thousand pieces on that date. I mostly joking.

If he truly cares about you (and isn’t just searching for a hookup), he’ll be patient and willing to wait. If he asks if you want to meet within the first five minutes of texting…and it’s 9 p.m….probably he’s only searching for one thing.

You need to be comfortable with this man before meeting him. Talking just builds the relationship, so talk for several days or even weeks before you meet him.