4 Tips for Staying Safe while Online Dating

How to date online safely

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I always preface any dating posts with my own story, I am the biggest advocate out their for online dating having met Connor on a well-known swipe phone dating site. We met, fell in love and are getting married this year, so if you're feeling downhearted trust me your lobster is out there somewhere.

We're living in the strangest of times right now during Covid19 meaning many aspects of our regular lives have had to change, including dating. While online dating is quite the norm now, this is usually followed by an in real life date. Obviously this isn't happening at the minute so I've got you covered with keeping your love alive during lockdown but what if you're at the start of your dating journey? Don't worry I have the best tips for staying safe while online dating and to avoid the catfish

Use trustworthy free dating sites

There are literally hundreds of free dating sites so it's important you're picking the right ones. Think about it, if you haven't heard of a dating website, how likely is it that other people have and that you'll find the partner of your dreams? Established sites are better such as Match Me Happy because while it's free it has a solid infrastructure and AI technology to keep their users safe and secure

Keep your contact details safe

Most online dating websites give you facilities to keep your profile private, you should utilise this as much as possible and think about what information you include in your profile. Don't post identifying information such as full name, phone number or email address in an open profile - wait until you've established a connection and trust the person on the other side of the computer

Facetime / Video Chat potential dates

In a world when there have been a whopping 8 seasons of Catfish, it's safe to say people are not always who they seem so a little investigation doesn't hurt anyone. Take a look at their social profiles if they've been happy enough to share these. Definitely try and video chat with the person, in lockdown the whole world has been video chatting so there's really no reason not to and it helps you confirm you are talking to who the dating profile said 

Take your time

If there's one thing we all have right now it's time. Real-time to get to know someone without any opportunity of meeting the person in real life. Take your time getting to know someone, getting to know their likes and dislikes, chatting on facetime, and really establishing a connection. A lot of people rush in with online dating and for one reason or another fallen foul of scammers, con artists, or just the not person they need. Time should help you determine who is genuinely looking for love and who's probably promising you 2 minutes of magic (both are fine as long as it's what you want!)

Most importantly - have fun! Dating should be a whole heap of fun, you're looking for the other half of you so really be yourself and enjoy the search

What's your top online dating tip?