We recently talked about the advantages of meeting people online, and how it may help you find that special someone. But online social networks and dating sites have become increasingly dangerous places for predators and other deviants to hide behind the internet facade and get personal information from unsuspecting people. One of the hard things about love and relationships is that sometimes we make questionable decisions because we want our relationships to work. We want to believe that people are good and that they love us. This innate weakness opens us up for potentially dangerous situations that can be heart-breaking at least, and life-threatening at most.
Just like meeting someone in person, it’s important that you safeguard your personal information with people that you meet online. Don’t be too quick to hand out your physical address or employment information to someone that you don’t know very well, even if it’s somewhat general information. Predators are very skilled at getting you to disclose personal info without thinking that you really are. Use your best judgment and remember that people (especially on the internet) aren’t always as they seem.
Remember that someone who is interested may be excited to learn more about you or meet you, but they should never seem pushy or aggressive about it. If it seems that they just want to escalate the relationship for no apparent reason, make sure that you let them know that you want to slow down. Someone that is genuinely interested in you should understand, and shouldn’t put you in that position in the first place. Don’t let someone put you into an uncomfortable situation by pressuring you for someone you don’t want to divulge. Common sense rules in these situations. If it seems strange, it probably is.
Meeting someone online can be exciting and offer you an opportunity to truly get to know them. But the benefits of having that internet barrier also present dangers in not being able to see the truths (or untruths) about the person you are interacting with. Protect yourself with basic common sense and don’t get caught up in a dangerous situation because you believe you found that special someone after a couple weeks of chatting online. We never want to start out thinking negatively about someone we’ve just met, but with the growing amount of violent crimes that involved people meeting on social networks and dating sites you can never be too careful. A little patience can go a long way to protecting yourself and possibly saving your life.
