How To Organize Safe Online Dating?
If you want to avoid scams while dating online, you will need to be armed with some safety tips. Romance scammers and cybercriminals constantly develop new ways to trick online users. Usually, their victims are users who are searching for life partners. Criminals make their victims believe in their affection and induce them to transfer money, send intimate content or share personal and billing info. Even if the dating platform of your choice has a high level of security, you will need to be careful when communicating with strangers.
Online dating safety tips
Learn these tips to avoid romance scammers and make your dating journey even more effective.
- Don’t reveal your personal or billing information on your personal page or during communication.
- Stop communicating with the user if you notice suspicious activity.
- Use special online tools to check the authenticity of your partner’s photo.
- Make sure your profile picture differs from that you’ve uploaded on your social media account. Thus, the criminals won’t be able to use online search and find your social media pages.
- Ask a lot of questions (sometimes weird ones) to identify whether the person on the other side of the screen is real.
- Use video communication tools before organizing a real date.
- Avoid sending intimate pictures and videos. Also, don’t show intimate parts of your body during video chats.
- Make sure you have anti-spy software on your computer to avoid stealing your passwords and billing details.
- Choose a public place to meet with your partner for the first time.
- Inform your friends or relatives where you are going to meet.
- Always have a fool-proof plan if your date appears unsuccessful.
Never transfer money to strangers. If someone asks you for financial assistance, cut off all contacts with this person since, most likely, you are communicating with a scammer.
What to do if you were scammed?
Even if you use the services of the most reputable mail order bride platform, nobody can guarantee you 100% safety. Fraudsters may create fake accounts and use psychological tricks to lure their victims into the trap. Once you have a dating safety plan at hand, it will be easier for you to find an efficient way out of this situation and avoid unpleasant consequences.
Romance scams
If a romance scammer has tricked you, you can do the following:
- Add the user to the Blacklist. Contact customer support to report the scammer.
- Save screenshots of your cooperation.
- Report the incident to the local police.
- Contact the Federal Trade Commission via phone to inform about the crime.
Webcam blackmail
In case the criminals are threatening to share your nudes, you can take the following actions:
- Stop panic. You need to seriously get a grip and seek reliable support. Panic won’t help in this situation. Start with contacting local police and reporting a crime. If you don’t have anyone to support you, contact a special helpline. The specials will help you create a backup plan and overcome your panic.
- Don’t pay. Even if you yield to blackmail, criminals can still upload your intimate content on different digital platforms. Furthermore, they can continue the blackmail demands so that you can be trapped in the vicious cycle.
- Cut all ties. Stop communicating with a user as soon as you notice that you are blackmailed. You will hardly compromise. Instead, the emotional abuse can get even worse.
Phishing
Criminals can access your personal and billing details. Never follow questionable links, even if you think you are communicating with a reliable person. Make sure all your passwords are secure and change them as soon as you notice that you’ve been scammed. Turn off all your active cards and contact the police to notify the specialists about the crime.
Final word
Online dating scams continue to rise, so you need to keep caution when communicating with strangers. To protect yourself from being scammed, you will need to use the services of reputable websites and follow the rules mentioned above to protect your identity and money.
