You can take a number of steps to protect yourself when you pursue love online. Experts offer these tips:
- Stick with reputable sites. Read reviews and check with friends. Thoroughly check out a site before posting a profile. It’s a good idea to read the security tips that some sites offer.
- Protect your personal information. Identity thieves attempt to harvest personal details such as your address, phone number and more. Remember that seemingly insignificant information, such as your pet’s name, might help someone discover your passwords. Don’t post your complete name on a profile; use a nickname or alias. Create a dedicated email account that you use solely for online dating.
- Conduct online searches. Simply typing a potential companion’s name into a Web browser can tell you a lot. If you can’t find anything on the person, cancel the date. Be willing to read past the first few pages, conducting deeper research.
- Pay for a background check. You’ll find initial background checks quite reasonable. To do a more complete background search on any one person you want to date exclusively may be prudent. You just need to make sure you’ll always be safe.
- Follow smart tech security practices. For instance, be wary of scammers who attempt to direct you to look-alike dating sites. Click on the wrong link, and you could be downloading malware that records your sensitive information. Never click on links in emails or messages. Don’t sign on to your dating profiles from public computers. Also, keep all of your security software update.
