Monday, February 5, 2007

How to Protect Yourself When Using Online Dating Services

Will you be the next one to find the love of your life online? 44% of adults are single according to the stats from Fox News. I have many friends who have successfully met over the internet, so it can be done. The other side of the coin is meeting a twisted individual who will make your life a living nightmare. Let's look at some vital tips to keep you safe and make the dating experience exciting.

No one wants to end up as a headline in the newspaper, for never coming back from a date! I have talked to different women about what their dates were like. One said she noticed the guy was really nervous and could not stay focused on the conversation. Needless to say she did not have a second date with him. Oh, by the way, he was lawyer.

Some important safety dating tips:

When setting up the date over the phone or on the internet, do not let the person talk you into picking you up! Keep control of the conversation and emphasize that you will meet them at a certain public place. You can have a friend drive you and you can have them pick you up. The key here is to have a well thought out game plan. Get to know a taxi driver and have him/her pick you up. By getting to know a nice taxi driver, you can make a safe get away if you need too.

Make sure you meet in a public place. Whatever you do, do not meet the person in a strip club. Do not meet them at their apartment or house, because that would be a bad time to find the person is related to Jeffrey Dahmer or Ted Bundy.

Tell a family member and a friend your going out on a date. Once your in the public place, you can excuse yourself to the bathroom and call a friend to let them know how things are going. The best time to excuse yourself is during dinner, which will not look suspicious. Again, after enjoying some caviar and a one hundred dollar glass of wine, your instincts should be telling you if this person is a possible soul mate. After the date, call your friend immediately, so they will know your alive and kicking!

If you have a cell phone, take it with you and make sure the battery is fully charged. Make sure you have emergency numbers programmed in your cell phone, for quick access. It is not a bad idea to have some pepper spray ready if needed. A flame-thrower is not a bad idea for first dates! This will keep things hot. If your food is under-cooked, the flame-thrower is an added bonus.

Do not get drunk by pounding back 5 shots of Jack Daniels and putting yourself in a situation where you can not use sound judgment. You need the perceptual powers of your mind, so you do not end up in a body bag somewhere. Not to mention, you might embarrass yourself by getting up on the table and doing a strip tease. Getting drunk will weaken your defenses and make you susceptible to being controlled by your date. Yes, drinking may take care of your nervousness, but you will lose your instincts to make right decisions.

Make sure you keep "ALL" personal items with you at all times! If you go to the bathroom, make sure your drink is consumed fully. You can simply ask for a new glass of water, when you get back from the bathroom. You don't want some magical sleeping powder slipped into your drink. If a person gets a hold of your cell phone, then your really in trouble. Protect your personal information by keeping it with you!

Do not go home with a person on the first date, unless the person is Lindsay Lohan or Richard Gere. Seriously! If you feel the other person is pushing you, then get up and leave immediately. The goal is to stay in a public place and pushy people are normally cons! A good con will try to talk you into anything! Watch out for the know it all and the pushy con artist! People who say, "oh... I know you want too" or "come on... we're having fun... let's go to your place." Anyone who tells you how to feel or what to think, run for your life!

In the unlucky event you have a psychopath on your hands, leave and get to your car. If you notice the person is following you, quickly get near a group of people. Call a taxi or friend to come and get you! Stay around a group of people and wait, but whatever you do, do not go anywhere alone. What does a person do in almost every horror movie? They run to a place where it is dark and there is no human soul in sight! You have to keep your wits and stick to the plan. Call someone and stay near a group of people. When you first get into the restaurant or wherever you are, scope out the the groups of people around you and be ready.

If you have a good time and feel at ease around the person, then set up another date and keep following the above rules, until you are sure about the date's intentions. Fox News found "ONLY" one website, that did a background check for felons and it was True.com. Also, you can have your cell phone number masked by Itellas.com. Itellas.com is just one extra measure, that may protect you from being traced by a psycho date! Most people today are finding love on the net and not through friends, so have a plan and wear a raincoat!

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