Online Dating: Do Your Research Before the First Date

Since the introduction of the Internet, a limitless world has opened up. There’s access to shopping, movie rentals, historical information and even relationships. There are plenty of websites that offer romantic matches.

Plus, there are forums where you can spend time with people who have similar interests. Sometimes, meeting someone online can lead a wonderful and lasting friendship (or more).

Are They Who They Say They Are?

But other times, it can be a portal to a very dangerous introduction. With the rapid rise of online dating, meeting someone new to date is easier than ever before. Unfortunately, with the rise of online dating, it’s now easier for people with bad intentions to find someone to prey on.

There are plenty of horror stories in the news where both men and women arranged an in-person meeting with someone they met online, only to end up the victim of a robbery or something worse.

Bad People Exist

While there are more good people in the world than bad ones who would harm others, you can’t take a chance that the person you’re going to go on a date with just happens to be one of the good people.

You have to know who you’re meeting before you show up. Just because someone gives you a seemingly great life story online and they seem to be a good person doesn’t mean they actually are.

It can mean that they’ve simply learned how to talk enough and say the right things in order to get other people to trust them. But you shouldn’t trust people right off the bat – because though most people are honest, the few who aren’t can take advantage of you in multiple ways.

It’s risky

You can end up losing out financially through a scam by someone you meet through online dating. You could end up getting physically or sexually abused. You could put your family at risk by bringing a violent predator into your life.

The risks aren’t worth it – and you owe it to yourself and those who love you to find out the truth about who it is you’re communicating with online.

Protect yourself

You can run a background check on the person.

It’s not difficult to do and there are plenty of companies that you can choose from that will offer you this service. Having a background check can let you see if the person is in financial trouble.

This can be a red flag that will let you know if you’re dealing with someone who could possibly scam you out of money. There are both men and women who seek others solely for the purpose of exploiting their bank accounts.

A background check can show you if they really do live where they say they reside. It can also show you if they have any prior arrests, if they’ve ever been convicted of domestic violence or any other physical altercation that could put you at risk.

By getting a professional background check done before you even get to the first date, you can have the information you need to know if you should keep that date or cancel it.