Dating Precautions from admin's blog

Have you been using any of the online dating sites to find your true love? Well, many have and they have some really scary stories to share. The bottom line from these folks is “be careful, not everyone is who they seem to be".

As most of you know, but not all of you, the Internet is fraught with all sorts of people (good and bad). Some truly want to enjoy their online experience and meet people socially to see if there is a possible relationship for them. Others, however, are there stalking; they are looking for the perfect “mark”. Online dating websites are no different than the other social medias out there, you have to know who you are communicating with.

So here are a few stories to open your eyes.

A good friend of ours has been using Online dating sites lately to see if it might work for her. She is recently divorced and ready to explore the possibilities of another (hopefully successful) relationship.

Let’s face it many of us have had failed relationships or even marriages; we want to find that person who fits with us, likes what we likes and is comfortable with moving forward in a relationship; with a person who has already had one and has some baggage. Let’s face it, we all have baggage.

Okay, I digress, sorry….back to my friend.

She (yes it seems to be the women who are targeted) met and started seeing a few people and settled on one she thought was a good fit. They dated and got to know one another (got quite close actually) and then she finds out he is married. Seems this is a common theme among many subscribers to these dating sites (married men playing the field in hopes of having their cake and eating too).

Another friend has been into the online dating scene and has been seeing a few men and the common theme from these men has been requests for assistance money-wise. They were asking anything from a short term loan to helping them out be cashing a cheque because they did not have an account to do so. Needless to say, she was ripped off.

Apparently this is another common theme in the online dating world; men looking to prey on women financially for their gain. Some looking for a sweet deal on marrying a lady with some money to make their lives better and others looking to quickly rip them off and move on to the next victim.

So, what can you do?

First, remember that what or who you see online in these communities are not always as they seem. Do your homework. Pretend you are a cop, look for the person you meet online elsewhere; do they have a presence on LinkedIn or Facebook or Twitter etc.

Second, and most importantly, ask questions that can be answered and verified. Where do they live? Where do they work? Have they been married? Are they married? Is this an actual picture of you? Anything you can think of to verify that you are dealing with a real and honest person. Only after this extensive questioning (yes it seems like an interrogation) should you agree to taking the next step and meeting.

And, If you do decide to meet, ensure you do it in a public area with lots of people around and don’t be afraid to get up and walk away if you feel uncomfortable. Remember this is about what you want and not what he or she wants.

Every Online dating site takes measures to ensure their subscribers are real and honest in their representations about themselves, but let’s face it, you can’t check them all out and there are risks.

At HotDiggiddy.com we want you to find the perfect match for “walking your dogs together”, “joining a dog loving group for outings” or “finding a dog lover to date”. Let’s face it, Fido knows who is good and who is bad (in most cases). Let your dogs help you sniff out a good person.