Online dating : safety guidance

Posted by admin on February 17, 2014

Online dating is now one of the most common ways of meeting a new partner - meeting people through online dating sites is both normal and proven to be successful. However, like in any environment where you are meeting with relative strangers, there are a few safety tips which you could keep in mind.

Personal information

Our messaging system is designed to allow you to communicate with other members without revealing your true identity. Please use the messaging system until you feel like have got to know someone well enough to share your offline contact details or personal information. Any genuine person will understand this - if they don't respect your personal safety at this early stage then they are probably not great relationship material!

Scammers

Unfortunately all dating sites have romance scammers operating on them. We use Scamalytics to catch and block almost all scammers, and we also have a dedicated page with information about scammers. The two most important things to remember are:

• Use the website messaging system - don't allow the conversation to be moved onto email or chat.
• Never give money to anyone you meet on an online dating service.

If you receive a suspicious message then please report it using the link directly underneath each message. If you have any additional concerns do not hesitate to contact us for advice.

Meeting in "real life"

Hopefully your first date will be enjoyable, and may lead onto something more serious. But you should also keep in mind that you are likely to be meeting someone you don't really know. There are a few things which you can do to stay safe and avoid placing yourself in a situation where you may suddenly feel quite vulnerable:

• Meet in a public place - not your place, or their place, or a hotel room! Somewhere which is busy enough that you know there will be people around for the duration of your date.
• Make sure you know how you are getting home - and are not relying on your date to facilitate this.
• Don't drink too much - stay in control.
• There is nothing wrong with scheduling an end time for your date in advance. You can always go on a second date! An ideal way to end a date from a safety perspective is to have a trusted friend come and pick you up.
• Let people know where you are going and who you are meeting.

Further information

• The Online Dating Association has advice and links to resources here.
• Action Fraud is the Government organisation which deals with online fraud, including dating scams.

Emergencies

If you find yourself in an emergency situation where you are in fear of your safety, you should always dial 999.

You can contact FreeDating.co.uk here, or there is a link at the bottom of every page.