How to have a safe online dating experience

It is said that almost all modern daters have tried online dating at some stage in their life. If you are also considering Internet dating, this article is exactly what you need to read.

Do some extensive research before joining a dating website.

A large number of couples met each other on the Internet after 1998. (Perhaps you’ve seen the well-known movie You’ve Got Mail, right?) A lot of people don’t want to tell you how they actually met their partners because not everyone believes that online dating is something that they should talk about (Internet dating was a taboo topic for a long time).

In order to have a safe online dating experience, you must do your own research before joining a dating site. Read as many reviews as possible. There are lots of experts who have tested different dating sites, so you don’t have to reinvent the wheel! All you need to do is to carefully read reviews online and understand the pros and cons of each dating site that you consider.

Apart from that, it’s perfectly okay to ask your friends which dating sites are reliable. Their answers may surprise you. You might realize that many friends of yours have tried online dating and they just haven’t told you about it yet!

In addition, you would be well-advised to understand that there are a wide variety of dating websites in various niches, i.e. mainstream dating, GPS local dating, international dating, Asian dating, European dating, Eastern European dating, Latin dating, interracial dating, sugar daddy dating, sugar momma dating, LGBTQ dating, and so forth. Hence, you have to know exactly what you want before you join a dating site.

In general, there are two things that you must clarify:

What type of relationship are you looking for? (e.g. a serious relationship, a casual dating scenario, etc.)
What kind of partner do you prefer? (e.g. an Eastern European bride, a woman in your local area, etc.)

Note that you must know your answers to the above-mentioned two questions, and then you can choose which dating site is right for you.

For example, Tony is a 39-year-old man from San Francisco. He is divorced, and now he is looking for a new relationship. He can confirm that his new relationship should be a serious, meaningful and long-term relationship (he needs the stability in his love life so that he can have the energy to focus on his career); he can also confirm that his new bride has to be a feminine, pretty and traditional woman (he needs a caring and nurturing woman who values family so that he can feel masculine in the relationship). Thus, his conclusion is: he should join an international dating website which introduces Eastern European ladies to western men & the dating site has to focus on promoting serious relationships rather than casual hookups.

Tony’s example is all about self-awareness. He knows exactly what he needs, what he wants and what he should look for. That’s why he is able to choose the right dating site and enjoy a safe online dating experience.

Free dating sites = low-quality candidates; VIP dating sites = high-quality candidates.

There is always a price to pay. Nobody is supposed to give you something for free unless they are your parents!

In other words, when you join a free dating site, don’t assume it’s a safe online dating experience. Chances are the quality of their candidates is much lower, so that’s actually a higher risk – you don’t want to interact with spammers and scammers who pose as “members” on a 100% free dating site.

In contrast, VIP dating sites are usually quite straightforward – they tell you how much membership fees you need to pay as well as what benefits you will get from their services. On surface level, paying a membership fee looks like a higher risk. But in reality, this is a bit like an insurance because their website usually has high-quality candidates (they have the resources to filter potential candidates).

My recommendation is if you are not serious, maybe free dating sites are more suitable because you shouldn’t invest in a casual hookup anyway. But if you are serious and you do want a real relationship, I think VIP dating sites are better for you because VIP dating websites are more likely to give you a safe online dating experience.

Use your common sense.

If a woman asks for you money before meeting you, your common sense should tell you that it’s a red flag and you must stop talking to her.

As long as you don’t send strangers money on the Internet, you can have a safe online dating experience. Also, remember to meet a candidate in a public place such as a coffeehouse or a restaurant, so that you know it’s definitely a safe online dating experience.

When you go out with someone for a date and you met that person on the internet, remember to tell at least one friend or family member what’s happening, so that if something goes wrong, someone can help you. For instance, you can tell your best friend that you are going to see an individual that you’ve met online and it’s a date. Ask your best friend to call you within 1.5 hours no matter what as your best friend can check whether you are okay/safe or not.

Another suggestion is when you meet someone for a coffee date or a dinner date, you’d better not bring your everyday wallet. Let me explain.

If you are dating a gold-digger, that person will definitely want to have a look at which cards you have in your wallet, so they might say something along the lines of, “Oh, are you really 40 years old? I don’t believe that. You look much younger than 40. Can I have a look at your driving license?” When you open your wallet and take out your driving license, that person is actually staring at which bank cards you have in your wallet.

Therefore, my recommendation is you should bring some money with you for the first date, but it will be better if you just keep some cash in your pocket without bringing your wallet with you. In this way, nobody can see what’s in your wallet! That’s a great way to ensure a safe online dating experience, isn’t it?

Another scenario that you may be aware of is: If you bring your suitcase with you for the date and you go to the toilet, don’t leave the suitcase on your seat, because the person you are dating might open your suitcase and have a look at what’s inside – you don’t really know this person yet. As a result, no matter you bring a suitcase or a bag, always keep it with you even when you go to the toilet. Of course, you don’t have to bring a bag or a suitcase with you when you go out for a date. Just leave it at home!