Of course, meeting people online is neither strange nor unusual. It’s a completely normal part of our lives. However, we’re not afraid to say that it’s the right way to go, especially when it comes to romantic relationships. What should you watch out for when dating online?
The biggest threat?
First, you need to realize that all those profiles are highly anonymous, which encourages lying. Whether it’s a minor lie that hides our appearance or a major one where a marriage scammer or even a predator is hiding on the other end of the connection. You might think that’s nonsense, but most of us would eventually be unable to resist at least minor adjustments to our own profiles. According to surveys, 64% of women and 60% of men lie.
How can you avoid getting caught?
If you don’t want to fall into the other person’s trap, you need to ask a lot of questions. Because if someone is really lying, you can assume that if they start communicating with you and you ask good, detailed questions, they’ll give themselves away sooner or later. Of course, we still can’t rule out the possibility that you’ll encounter a scammer.
What else should you watch out for?
If you come across someone who has a very good or even professional-looking profile photo on a dating site, it’s definitely wise to be cautious. It certainly doesn’t hurt to ask your conversation partner for some additional photos from earlier times and from different situations, because it’s possible that their appearance is misleading you again. You could say that if they don’t provide another photo, it’s a sure sign they look terrible.
Taken or not?
Another red flag is if the person presents themselves as completely single and is finally looking for true love. They message you during the day, usually from work, but in the evenings and on weekends, they don’t even send a single word. So this is probably not someone who spends their evenings buried in books and sleeping, but rather someone who uses this kind of communication as a form of entertainment to boost their own self-esteem.
Some people in relationships use this to indulge in the feeling that they can have an adventure, since long-term marriage is so boring. These people will text you even at night, using it to satisfy their craving for adventure.
Since neither of these types of people will want to meet you in person, it should be immediately clear to you that they are just online players and chronic healers of their own insecurities.
Let’s be completely honest: the best way to meet someone is still face-to-face. Because if we rely on the internet, we might be waiting for true love forever.
