I wanna address the elephant in the room: online dating and scamming- how do I know I am safe disclosing things about myself to people via the internet? I mean, not just me, but anyone on the internet?
This site is meant to meet people, make friends, and maybe meet someone you might want to have a long-term relationship with- but it may not be safe to meet someone in person, even if the meeting is set in a public place...this is a christian site, and that is certainly a significant reason why I am here. But that doesn't exempt the fact that there are people out there who would be dishonest about themselves- maybe going as far as putting another person's picture for their profile pic. I hope that I don't sound paranoid, I just would rather err on the safe side.
So the question is, what is the best way to go about ensuring one's safety on an internet dating site?
So far I have met some pretty great people, and I have a had a lot of fun messaging back and forth with these guys! So what if when I get to know them better, and one of them is a good match- and we'd like to meet?
I met a woman on this site, and her Pastor friend was really concerned, so I sent him an email with my name and phone numbers. My ministry name, the church that I attend, my Pastor's name and phone numbers, church and cell. I told him that I agreed that these were issues that would come up more and more in the future and that we had to do all that we can to ensure the safety of our congregations.
I never heard back from him, and I don't know if he ever called to check me out, but I would hope that he did. My relationship with the lady was never affected, even by his concerns, and that is why I contacted him directly with the information. I think we should do all these things before meeting in person.
Of course I have the advantage of knowing the Pastor personally, I give the Sunday Evening service at the church to stay in practice for the summer months, when I go on the road doing Revivals. Not everyone has that kind of relationship with their Pastor. But someone in the church office should know them.
You surely have some faith God IS watching out for us even when we do not know there is a danger. Add to that the Spiritual discernment for believers and that famed women�s intuition of women and you get more caution than is necessary.
Worry is the opposite of Faith. And women are probably too cautious. I know after meeting some really �strange� (to put it nicely) women I know how to see that hidden beauty of the heart.
My two cents is to use common sense. If you have any misgivings.....don't meet a person. Also, a person will usually show give away his or her true personality and intentions over the course of time. By taking it slow, these things will be revealed.
There is also no reason not to meet the person in a public place. I have one friend who meets quite a few people from online. She just sets up the meeting at a favorite restaurant. She and a couple of friends go together. She meets up with the guy and the friends sit at another table. That way, if something goes wrong, she has backup. If all goes well, she has friends to drive home with and visit about it. Win/win situation. It also takes all pressure off about the guy driving her anywhere. She has friends waiting on her.
Hi Angie.. some good ideas I've discovered for figuring out who you are talking to online:
If the user has a webcam, ask them to go on yahoo(if you've made the contact go that far) and ask them to write your first name on a piece of paper and hold it up to the camera with their face.
Also, if they give you their full name do a background pull from intellius.com or something close to that to see if what you are reading/hearing from them matches what the current detail report shows.
