5 Warnings for New Online Daters

My last article was intended to point new online daters in the direction of exploring a dating site that meets their relationship goals.

Before you go all-in, you need to know online dating isn’t just commercials of caressing couples and engagement dates.

Here are the five warnings to make you a smarter online dater:

Did you just start the initial sign-in process and find your inbox is cascading with emails from overly interested daters? If it seems too good to be true, well…

A lot of the less reputable sites pay to get “members” and dating profiles. Gasp! Don’t tell the dating business gods I spilled the beans.

Unfortunately, they aren’t actually interested in you so much as they are interested in getting you to fork over the membership dues.

Be careful where you plug that credit card number.

You think you’ve met someone really nice who has just come on some hard times. Do not give money to anyone, ever. I’ve seen this happen to the Internet naive and older generations.

If you meet someone worthwhile, they won’t ask you for money. They don’t have an inheritance coming in. They don’t have to pay the lawyer fee now. They don’t have a family overseas in jail. They are not a displaced Nigerian prince or princess.

Also beware of members who try to get you “to view their webcam” or go checkout their website. Again, this is a scam to get your money. They are not real people who have an interest in you.

“If you’re mindful about it, you’ll have

better odds at avoiding the liars.”

Yes, the oldest profession in the world uses modern technology.

Men, please just be aware. Is the woman with the vague profile and pictures very eager to give you her number? Well, she’s eager to get something from you in return.

Craigslist seems to have the highest concentration of this problem. It’s likely due to the ease of communication and no real dating profile platform, but the problem still permeates other dating sites.

Some are upfront about this. Others go to lengths to hide it. Some hide their face and claim they don’t want to show it because they live “high-profile” lives or don’t want their clients to see them.

Could be true, or it could also mean that little beeping sound in the back of your head is a warning bell of an a-hole.

I’ve known many women who didn’t know this about the guy until they were deep into “dating.” And of course women are guilty, too. Ask the question and look for clues.

People lie about a lot of things in online dating, not limited to being married. They will lie about their age, about having kids, about their pant size, their cup size, their wallet size and even their gender.

You can’t stop this, but if you’re mindful about it, you’ll have better odds at avoiding the liars or catching them before you’re too invested.

For those of you who are doing the lying, please stop! No healthy relationship can start on a foundation of dishonesty.

Unfortunately, everything written here is true, but that doesn’t mean online dating can’t be fun, safe or effective. Opportunists and poachers will exist in every walk of life looking to prey on the weak and the uninformed.

You are now no longer uninformed. Therefore, their ability to snare you is diluted.