With so many people connected to the Internet and doing more daily tasks online than ever before, it is no surprise that criminals are finding ways to operate online as well. The online shopping and even dating scene is no exception. While the World is filled with success stories of finding happiness and marriage using online dating sites, one should proceed with caution when trying to date online. There aren’t any clear statistics that say online dating sites are more dangerous than meeting someone at a local bar/restaurant but if a user isn’t careful, getting scammed is more likely to happen online than in person. As with anything you do in life, a healthy dose of common sense and caution will go a long way. Here are some of the dangers of new online contacts and some tips to help prevent any of these scenarios from happening to you.
This may be the most important of the dangers of dating online and the one that needs to be taken the most seriously. No matter how great a guy seems or how attractive he may be, realistically you really never know who you are dealing with until you meet him face to face and get to know him a little better. There are stories on the Internet about people who have been harmed physically when meeting someone they thought was Mr. or Mrs. Right. Here are some tips that can help you avoid any situation you would never want to find yourself in:
• Be patient, if he or she is the right one there is no need to rush into meeting in person.
• Always take a friend with you or meet in a busy and very public place.
• Have a good friend give you a call a little into the date to make sure everything is OK.
• Never let him or her pick you up from your house. Always meet at the destination.
If this is the right person, none of these requests should seem out of the ordinary and your potential match should be comfortable accommodating you in these ways.
Like the saying “love is blind,” we are often jaded by love or what we think is true love at the time. When we are in a relationship, we are often willing to give up anything for the person we are with and there is nothing wrong with that when it is for the right reasons. With online dating one needs to be careful with giving too much too fast. This can be your feelings or your finances. One of the most common online dangers centers around your financial security. Con artists are always evolving their game to try to prey on the weak to get what they want or need and they have turned to online dating to do so. Here are some tips to help you protect your financial security while dating online:
• Never give out your bank account number or credit card to anyone you meet online.
• You should never send money to someone you are talking to online for any reason.
• You should keep as much of your personal information private as you can.
Don’t Be Discouraged
By no means is this blog trying to deter you in any way from trying to date online. It is just giving you the information you need to try it safely. As is true of any major decision, trying online dating should be done with prudence. Just like a large financial decision or a life change, you should gather as much information as possible before making your decision. Proceed with caution, an open heart, and an open mind and everything will work out for the best.
Do the following just to be safer.Cut your risks
According to financial services consulting firm Javelin Strategies and Research, identity theft affects 11 million people a year, at a cost of $54 billion.
8 things you should shred right now
To avoid identity theft, you need to shred paper and plastic documents with information you don't want someone to get hold of, like Social Security and bank account numbers.
As a general rule, you should save your tax returns on the chance you get audited. But after three years, you’re in the clear -- that is, unless the Internal Revenue Service suspects you are guilty of fraud, in which case the agency can audit you as far back as it likes.
Anything with bank account numbers should be shredded, and that obviously includes your paper bank statements. That’s especially true for that box of old bank statements you just found in your attic that you don’t know why you kept in the first place.
Unless you’re going to actually take up the bank on its offer and open an account, you should destroy these mailed offers right away.
Maybe you like to save your old college ID and security badges from previous employers for sentimental reasons; we won’t begrudge you a little scrap booking.
Protect your cards from hands-free Theft. Contactless smart cards rely on radio-frequency-identification (RFID) technology to speed retail transactions. Instead of handing our credit cards to a clerk or swiping them through card readers, we just wave our plastic in front of a scanner. Often, no signature is required; it's whoosh and go. But if you own one of these smart cards, your personal information might be ripe for the picking.Other articles:
