Never Take Your Safety for Granted

Is online dating safe? Is Tinder safe? Is Bumble safe? These are the questions that I get regularly and I want to answer them for you.

Well, it’s not that simple. The answer is not just black and white.

But the good news is, if you follow the right tips and take the correct precautions before going on your date, you could end up having the best time of your life, creating beautiful memories, and possibly meeting the love of your life.

Spreading this knowledge and learning how to date online safely is vital, especially when we look at some online dating statistics.

For example, according to the Pew Research Center, in the United States, almost 30 percent of adults from ages 18-24 use online dating apps and websites. And that’s double what it was only 2 years ago.

And it’s not just the younger generation that is using online dating apps to meet potential partners.

Users from ages 55-64 have doubled since 2015.

With so many people using online dating apps and websites, and as we evolve with technology, it is of the absolute utmost importance that you stay safe while having the time of your life.

5 Tips on How to Safely Date Online

We care about you and your safety and we want you to have a good time. So let’s get into these 5 tips on how to stay safe while online dating.

1. Use Reputable Dating Apps and Websites

With roughly 8,000 online dating apps and websites worldwide, and an astounding 1,000 new additions to that every year, it may become hard to choose which websites to use.

Some of the most popular dating apps and websites include Tinder, Bumble, Hinge, Match, eHarmony, and OkCupid.

But before signing up for and using any dating app, do your research on it and make sure it’s the right one for you. Look up some reviews and people’s experiences.

Unfortunately, there are more than a few people that use these dating websites deliberately to scam others. 

So when someone asks for you to wire money to them to help you pay for their airplane ticket, I’d say that looks like a red flag. So listen to your gut carefully.

It’s your personal information that you’re putting out there for the world to see, so make sure you’re using a legitimate dating site, for your own safety.

2. Do Your Research Before Meeting with Your Online Date

It’s you’re right and responsibility to know more about the person you’re going to meet up with.

Sometimes, just trusting what the other person’s Tinder profile says isn’t enough. You’re going to want to find out, to the best of your ability, if you’ll be safe on this date.

And that’s why DateID is here; to help you.

So, if you’re like 95% of all the other online daters, you Google a person before meeting them. But the problem with that is, you’re only getting part of the story.

DateID does a deep web data dive and surfaces with the intel you need to ensure you meet people you’ll be compatible with.

DateID searches through their Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter, Google, the sex offender registry, and more. Then, DateID builds a screening profile on your date, based on publicly available information on the web.

Without the right data, you’re on the wrong date.

This is why you should do all of your due diligence in researching more about the person you’re meeting with in order to increase your chances of a fun, safe date.

3. Be Smart – Keep Your Personal Information Private 

With a quick search on Google of your name, if you don’t have your privacy settings set correctly, someone could find out your full name, home address, the address of the place you work, your number, and more.

You need to be sure that all of your information, on all social media platforms, not just dating apps, is set to private. You don’t want to have any stalkers finding out any additional information on you that you don’t want them to have.

So be wise about who you give your personal information out to. We recommend that you don’t tell people the location of your workplace or where you reside until you truly trust them. This should help avoid any unwanted situations.

4. For First Dates, Choose Public Locations

When you and your online date finally choose to meet up in person, and after you’ve used DateID to do some additional research on them, it’s time to pick the location.

As we mentioned previously, your personal information on where you live and work is just that, personal. Never meet at your office or place of residence.

Discuss with your date and choose a mutual place for the two of you and meet up there directly.

This is a safe bet for a first or the first few dates.

Ultimately, you’re your own number one and you need to be on the lookout for yourself. It’s the right thing to do.

If your date tries to pressure you into going somewhere private, refuse and leave the date immediately. Contact someone you know to come and pick you up, or talk to someone in the place you’re at and tell them about your situation. Don’t be afraid to speak up for yourself.

Go somewhere full of buzz and life. A public restaurant, a walk on a busy street or a busy part of town. Somewhere with light and people. Somewhere where someone would notice if anything were to start going south.

A huge tip and something we highly recommend is to tell someone close to you, like a friend or family member, that you’re going on a date with someone new, tell them their name, where you plan to go, and when you plan to come back.

You can even ask them to call you while you’re on the date or text you to make sure you’re doing well and feeling safe.

5. Follow Your Instincts – Always Do What’s Right For You

And finally, follow your instincts.

Whether this means reporting a person or blocking them prior to meet up, or literally leaving the person mid-date, you always need to do what feels right and safest for you.

If you don’t feel safe, talk to someone at the restaurant and ask for them to wait with you until a friend of yours comes to pick you up. If you feel pressured by them to go to a secluded area, especially on a first date, leave.

Never do something you’re not comfortable doing. Use the safety features on your phone to your advantage. Talk to your friends beforehand and have them call in or text to check in on you.

You know best when you feel comfortable or when something’s up. Follow your gut instincts, always!