Dangers of the Online Dating

by Oksana Boichenko

Much has been said about online dating advantages, as it is a great way to meet a possible life partner or to make friends. But online communication can also hold potential dangers of scammers, con-artists, or plain not nice people. You can easily protect yourself by following a few simple rules and make the most of your online experience at the same time.


Things NOT TO DO:


Getting personal has a limit - it is possible to give too much personal information, for example, your address, your work place, bank account, or credit card information. It is never a good idea to share this type of data, especially, if you are communicating with a person, whom you have not met face-to-face. If you are using free online chats, you could easily be talking to a man, who is a hacker or a thief, while you might be under the impression that you are chatting to a sweet lady, who is interested in you. Such people normally gain your trust, and when you least expect it use this information to appropriate your savings, credit, or even identity.

The type of theft mentioned above is more spread in the US and Europe, but Russia and some CIS countries have a different type of danger - scammers. The latter work in a different manner: they will also gain your trust, but instead of stealing your money through your credit cards or bank accounts, they will do everything possible to have you send the money yourself. A typical scenario is for your "lady" (many of whom turn out to be men half the time!) is to start coming up with the reasons as to why she will not be able to continue communicating with you: she won't have the money to pay agency fees, she will no longer have access to a computer, one of her relatives will get sick and she has to move to take care of him/her, etc. In order to avoid being tricked in this way, we suggest that you always use trusted reputable agencies to find brides from overseas, have enough information about your lady to make sure she is real (i.e. talk to her over phone, have some of her real-life photos, etc), and notify agencies if you feel suspicious about your sweetheart asking for money. It is also advisable to do a background check if you are seriously interested in someone from overseas - some agencies will perform this service by visiting and interviewing a lady you are corresponding with to see if she is real, and how interested she is in communicating with you.

If you are communicating online with people from your community or nearby, it is a good idea not to tell them where your house is located. Unless you have met them and know a person well, you are better off not to share this kind of information. We suggest you are certain of who a person is and his/her intentions before inviting them to your home to avoid unwanted trouble.


Things TO DO:


Make sure that your friends and family are aware of your online communication, and have as much information about the person you are talking to as possible. It is advisable to let them know when you are planning your first date/meeting with your online sweetheart. Let them know how you met online, what you know about this person, where you will be meeting, and when you plan to be home. It is also a good idea to have one of your friends or relatives give you a call during the date - this will give you a great excuse to leave sooner if you do not feel comfortable with your new acquaintance.

Always plan your first meetings in a public place to make sure there are plenty of people around. Should your new acquaintance have any malicious intent, it will be difficult for him/her to carry it out, and give you plenty of time to keep a safe distance.

You can also plan your first meeting as group gathering - aside from it being a safe option for a first time meeting, it can also help both of you avoid awkward silences should the date not go as smooth as planned.

About the Author
Oksana Boichenko
OksanaLove, Inc.
http://www.oksanalove.com
The matchmaker with 12 years of experience in the online dating business. You can find your second half - just visit our dating site and meet your Russian bride among the thousands of beautiful Russian women.

Search for single pretty Russian and Ukrainian brides at e-RussianWoman.com