Chances are if you consider online dating to be risky you are of a certain generation that dated before the internet and smartphones. As the world changes, people need modern solutions to modern problems, and online dating turns out to be exactly the right solution for many people. While we often hear stories about people who fell victim to an online dating scam, the fact is that less than half of one percent of online daters fall victim to such scams. When done properly, online dating can be very safe.
Cybersecurity is crucial no matter what you are doing on the internet, but it is especially crucial if you are dating online. You’d be surprised just how easy it is for someone to piece together your life based on what is public about you. They can find out where you live based on Instagram tags, where you work based on your LinkedIn profile, even where your kids go to school if you tag that in public posts.
Before setting up an online dating profile, take a look at the information about you that is public and make every effort to make it private or remove it. Once you start dating online, cross-check any images of your matches in a reverse image search so ensure they are who they say they are. Only use reputable sites and apps. And before you get serious about someone, insist on a background check.
Among young adults, online dating has grown by 4 times since 2013, and 75% of online daters are under the age of 30. Romance scams can be extremely costly – the average is more than seven times that of typical online scams – but they can be avoided. Learn more about cybersecurity and protecting yourself while dating online from the infographic below by Our Dating Journey.
What do you think of this infographic? What are some of the challenges you have faced? Are you keeping yourself and your data secure? Let us know in the comments below or on Twitter, or Facebook. You can also comment on our MeWe page by joining the MeWe social network.
Last Updated on February 3, 2021.
