JP-Lovenet’s Guide for Safe Communicating On Dating Sites

While most people think that it's not damaging to exchange personal email addresses and phone contacts over the internet, you shouldn't do so just yet. Even though you may have been in constant communication for some time with your exciting and new crush, both of you are still strangers. At least until you've decided to meet in real life.

In the online world, most people can, and at some point do put on a show concerning their appearances according to Michele Baird of lovenet-jp.com. In essence, they mask who they really are so be extra cautious of sharing your personal information and identity with strangers online. If you're planning to meet at some point, you can even keep your identity hidden until after you've both decided to set a date to meet up in person.

When communicating with a sweetheart or two online, it's strongly suggested that you limit the information that you share on the dating site according to Michele. This is because most of these sites tend to have moderators who generally report information and other content that is seen as threatening and offensive. If your friend or even yourself has decided to communicate via email, it's best to create one that's strictly for online chatting.

Hence, you should never use your personal email to chat with persons online unless you're sure of their credibility. In the case of a phone call, it's also a good idea to use a Google Voice account. This creates a new phone contact for you and sends it to your phone. This protects you and ensures that your phone number stays private if things get messy or if you decide to shift your attention elsewhere.

Make Sure You Don't Catch A "Catfish"

Catfishing is truly an out-of-this-world scam on its own. Catfishing is simply when another person uses another identity to trick someone into a relationship. For the most part, catfishers will make a ton of excuses leading up to your date and they will also never want to talk or even chat via webcam.

So, if you happen to stumble upon a profile that's too good to be true, chances are it is. You can even do a reverse search on profile pictures. If you find anything suspicious such as a name change, there's a chance that you've gone and found yourself a catfish.

How To Spot Online Dating Scams

While online dating can be very beneficial, they're not infallible to the cybercriminal world. Besides personal safety online, there are stalkers, predators, catfishers, and a ton of other scammers out there. These sites are some of the perfect places to catch an easy victim.

In some instances, a scammer can contact you with a story stating that they're in a foreign country and they're unable to access their fund. They can even tell you that they're facing challenging family emergencies and they might ask for cash. If you're ever faced with this, it's advised that you report them through the website and block them asap.

If you're interested in verifying the person's identity, it's a good idea to ask for a recent picture. If they happen to make some excuse, it's in your best interest to be cautious. So, if you're chatting with a new sweetheart and they continuously make excuses of why you shouldn't meet, this is a serious red flag.

If ever you're sent strange links by persons you haven't talked to, it's a good idea to stay away and don't ever click on them. Scammers tend to pose as regular site members and target persons by convincing them to click on links which usually sends them to malicious sites, webcam sites, and sometimes pornography sites. If ever someone should request a webcam chat, be mindful of how you behave.

Criminals can easily record things via webcam and then use it as a form of blackmail. So, if ever your conversation starts uncomfortably, don't feel obligated to stay, keep in mind that it's okay to leave. Additionally, scammers are known for creating a series of fake accounts that are then run by bots.

These bots are programs that are designed to get users to move to porn sites, malware sites, or to simply scam users out of credit card information. Bots are very easy to spot and they usually give predetermined responses. So, if you're having an off conversation, there's a high possibility that they're just a bot in disguise.