Online Dating Safety Tips for this Valentine's Day

By: Cindy G. Castillo

Because the only thing that you should have stolen this Valentine’s Day is your heart, Cox offers you a list of useful tips to protect your identity and safety if you are considering online dating.

Searching for online dates is becoming a popular trend, and many are considering it as there are more and more marriages that stem out of online dating sites.

Just in the Phoenix area alone, according to SimmonsLocal, the most popular online dating sites include EHarmony.com, Match.com, Classmates.com, Google Plus, and many others.

Israel Barajas, Hispanic Coordinator for Cox offers an insight on a couple safety measures and precautions that should be considered when choosing to try online dating.

Find a respectable site with a free trial – When looking for the perfect site for online dating, make sure to do your research on how reliable and trustworthy the site is, and not make your choice at random. Also, choose a site that preferably offers a free trial, especially if you are a beginner when it comes to online dating. Get used to how creating a profile works and how to make conversations before jumping in to additional site fees.

Do not use your real name as a username – Establish an e-mail address especially for online dates. Do not use your full name; use something that is going to be recognizable to you but that doesn’t disclose too much of your information, such as using the digits of your date of birth.

Protect your identity! – Online dating sites will require you to create a profile page, but make sure not to provide more than what’s necessary. Keep it simple. Remember, the more you disclose, the easier you can be found through Google searches.

Never share your personal financial information – such as your social security number, credit card numbers, or bank account information.

Always protect your username and passwords!

Really get to know your matches – When the time comes to meet your match for a potential first date, verify that you really know who this person is and how trustworthy they really sound. Trust your instincts!

Meet in a safe place – When choosing the location of your date, make sure you are in a public place, and let a family member or friend know where you will be and at what time in case of an emergency.

Online dating provides a handful of benefits, such as ensuring that you are meeting someone who shares similar interests and with whom you can easily start a conversation. Exercising precaution and taking the necessary security measures will help you stay safe and make online dating an even more exciting experience!