You meet a woman online and schedule a date. You show up to find that there’s a totally different woman there. Or worse, you get an increasing suspicion that there is no woman.
Even for men, it’s important to keep safe online dating tips in mind. The online phenomenon of “cat fishing” can be disappointing, but it can also be dangerous. Here’s some safe online dating tips to keep from becoming a victim.
What Is Catfishing?
For those who don’t already know, catfishing is basically when someone pretends to be someone they’re not using social media. It’s named after a 2010 film about a famous catfish.
Why do people catfish? Sometimes out of boredom, other times out of malice and still other times profit is the motive. What the catfish phenomenon means is that you need to be cautious of who you make dates with — or even flirt with — online.
Why You Need to Move to Social Media
One thing that catfishing underscores is the importance of moving from an online dating site to a social network. Catfishing is a lot easier to sell on a dating website than it is on a social network. The reason being, on a social network you can see who people are friends with and get a good glimpse into their “real life.” This is less of a possibility on dating websites.
Catfish Red Flags
The main thing to do is know the biggest catfish red flags. This will help you to recognize when something just isn’t right. When considering safe online dating tips, here are four main red flags:
- Model: The most common profession for catfishers is model… which is fitting, as they often use professional model photographs as their main image.
- No Friends: How many friends does a person have? Most catfishers have less than 100. Think about it: How many beautiful women have fewer than 100 friends on Facebook?
- Illness and Injury: It might sound weird, but one of the biggest trends among catfishers is serious injury and illness. Things like cancer. Don’t be insensitive: just view this in the context of the rest as a major red flag.
- No Pictures / No Webcam: No pics at all? No webcam? Get real. Everyone has pictures online these days.
Two Ways to Stay Safe
There are two main safe online dating tips to adhere to: First, always meet in a public place for the first few meetings. Second, always let friends know where you’re going to be. And, of course, never give away personal information until you’ve really established some trust between you and the girl that you meet online.
For more online dating tips, consult with The Art of Charm.
