So how can you protect your personal information when you’re using an online dating site? There are some easy ways to protect yourself that don’t take a lot of effort. Just to be sure that you haven’t posted any possibly identifying information have someone you trust read over your profile before it goes live and other people can see it.

Here are some other easy ways to make sure that your personal information is protected when you’re posting an online dating profile.

Be Selective About Your Photos

When you’re looking through photo albums and boxes of photos trying to decide what photos are appropriate and what photos make you look your best you should also pay attention to the backgrounds in the photos.

Don’t post a photo online that shows you standing in front of your home where the address is visible. Don’t post photos that show any identifying features of the yard like a piece of yard furniture, a play house, a particular configuration of trees, or anything else that might make it easy to figure out which house is yours.

Don’t post a photo of you standing in the driveway next to your car where the license plate is visible. Look at the backgrounds of your photos and make sure that there are no identifying features in the backgrounds.

If you want to use a photo that does have some kind of identifying information in it, use a photo editing program to white out the identifying information. This is the best way to keep your photos from giving someone any information that might help them figure out where you live.

Never post photos of you with your young children. It’s natural to want to show off your children, but it’s never a good idea to post photos of young children on the Internet. Save the family pictures to show over dessert after you’ve gone out a few times.

You might also want to make sure that any photos you post don’t show off a tattoo, a scar, or a birth mark that might make it easy for someone you don’t know to identify you.

Be Careful What You Say

Many online dating sites offer chat rooms to users or let users use a private instant messaging application to get to know others on the site. This can be a very useful, very fun way to get acquainted and to see if you want to take the next step with that person.

However, sitting at home in front of the computer, it’s easy to feel a sense of intimacy with someone who is still a stranger. You don’t really know who is on the other side of that chat screen or who is lurking in the chat room so make sure that you don’t slip and give out personal information in a chat room or during an instant message session.

You can talk about your life but just don’t go into too much detail on anything personal. For example, you can talk about how much you like your job but don’t mention specifically where you work or what your job title is. You can mention a favorite store where you like to shop but don’t say that you like it because it’s just a mile from your house.

Don’t Give Out Personal Information Too Fast

When you start emailing and chatting with someone on an online dating site, you might feel a sense of immediate connection to that person that makes you feel really comfortable sharing a lot of your feelings with that person. It’s good to share your feelings, but make sure that you don’t share too much of your personal information too soon.

If you want to start talking on the phone with this person, ask for their number and you call them first, or give them your work phone number. Don’t give out your address or even your last name until you have talked to this person on the phone and feel comfortable sharing more personal details.

Don’t be afraid to take it slow when it comes to communication. Wait until you feel comfortable to start talking on the phone or setting up a personal meeting with someone that you meet on an online dating site.

Even though it pays to be cautious and protect your personal information, don’t let that deter you from trying online dating. Online dating is perfectly safe when you take normal precautions to make sure that your personal information doesn’t fall into the wrong hands.


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Filed under: Online Dating

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