Safe Online Dating Strategies

Fifteen years ago, I had a co-worker who took out a singles ad in a local paper. She was in her mid-30's and had recently broken up with her long-term boyfriend, and wasn't sure of the best way to go about re-entering the dating scene. Along the way in her dating adventures, she met an ex-con, an artist who was more interested in what she was wearing than in her, and a guy who could talk of nothing but himself.

At the time, I thought she was both brave and crazy. I couldn't imagine meeting up with total strangers who had responded to a few lines from a newspaper ad. But many years later, when I myself was suddenly single, I turned to online dating.

In today's world, meeting online is an increasingly common and acceptable method of dating. Gone are the days when someone would look at you sideways and say "but you don't look like a geek" if you explained that you'd met your date or significant other on the internet.

That doesn't mean that internet dating is always safe. I personally met my boyfriend as well as several platonic friends online. A close friend of mine from college met the girl he married through Match.com. On the flip side, I know quite a few singles who met people who turned out to be vastly different in person from their online personas. I've had friends fall for fantasies woven online. Worst of all, I've read tales of people of both sexes being stalked by someone they met online, including a local case where a woman was murdered by a man she met on a social networking site.

As scary as these outcomes are, the reality is they can happen with any type of dating. People find their lives turned upside down by men and women they meet at the store, the bar, or through a work conference too. You have to be mindful of risks and aware when things aren't quite right, regardless of how you've met someone. If you choose to venture into online dating, there are extra precautions you can take to protect yourself.

1. Look for Warning Signs Well Before You Meet