Is Internet Dating Still Dangerous?

Years ago, if you told someone that you met your mate online, you were looked at almost as if you had lepracy or something. Those days are long gone, but are there still dangers in internet dating? I used to think that finding someone online was no different than finding someone at the grocery store, in church, or getting gas. Rationalizing it out to be the equivalent to not truly knowing those people either. Honestly, that dude that you met in the club... how much do you really know about him? You only know, what he tells you right? So how can internet dating be any different?

We can now talk to people online, who, we would never probably talk to in a bar or a club, and dating sites and personal ads no longer have the "stigma" that they once did. Of course, you may still feel a twinge of embarrassment when telling your friends or family that you met your new boo online, but do people really care anymore? Internet dating has gained popularity by leaps and bounds, and unfortunately, so have the dangers and horror stories some have encountered.

With the anonymity that internet dating has afforded, con artists have found themselves a new playground for scams, which has also allowed people to be anyone they think you want them to be because they are engaging you primarily through the written word. Don't get me wrong; I'm not saying that you can't find a good mate online, but just be a little more wary when meeting them in person. Internet dating is still a relatively new way of people connecting with people from all over the globe, and people need to understand the dangers out there so they can make their search a safe one.

There are many scams that prey on lonely, older women/men. I remember watching Dateline NBC one night, and there were covering a scam from all the over in Nigeria. These men would go into the online chat rooms, meet older, white women, and scam them out of hundreds of thousands of dollars. They would send pictures of some model looking guy, and they would tell them that they were stuck over there, because of some reason or other and they were hoping to get back to the states so that they could get back to their "business". Needless to say, these women were bilked for tons of money. Most of them really believing that they had a relationship with these men, only to find out that the man that they fell in love with "long distance" isn't even real.

Internet dating has been portrayed mostly with "success stories", because many of those who have had bad experiences are too embarrassed to talk about them openly, thinking they are the rarity, or the "unlucky one". Movies and T.V. have also focused on the lighter side of internet dating as opposed to the darker side. What's tricky here is people WANT to believe they are going to find what they are looking for (nothing wrong with that) and DON'T want to believe someone may be lying to them or playing games. They think they are "too smart" to fall for b.s., and it is that attitude that leaves them wide open to be proven wrongInternet dating has proved to be successful for some, but statistics show it is not always successful for many. The numerous horror stories of bad internet experiences can range from the humorous, to the deadly. If you have decided that you really want to try internet dating, remember to take it seriously, and play it safe.