It happens so often, it seems like these kinds of stories shouldn’t even be making the headlines anymore: Homeless “millionaire” scams women out of £50,000 via online dating .

And what happens as a result? People get turned off to online dating because they think it’s just a dangerous thing to do.

This is not the whole truth.

Yes, when you don’t meet someone in person, you do open yourself up to a higher risk of getting conned or tricked, but the same can be done when you’re meeting others in real life.

So the real question is – what can you do to protect yourself in love?

Love may be blind, but it shouldn’t be. You need to make sure you are keeping your eyes wide open as you enter into a relationship. Anything that seems off or that just doesn’t seem right should be carefully scrutinized.

And maybe we just need to make this point abundantly clear – if you’re just starting to date someone, don’t give them a large amount of money, no matter how nice they seem.

Dating is about getting to know each other, not about getting money from each other. The red flags should be flying as soon as someone asks for more money than the bar tab you have rung up.

Run away from these con artists – and online dating doesn’t have to be scary at all. But you’re the one that needs to do the running away as these thieves are always going to be around because people continue to fall for their trickery.

Don’t be the next victim.

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Let’s be honest for a moment, you want more from your love life. We all do. Even if we’re in great relationships or we are satisfied with being single, we want MORE. And that’s one of the best reasons for online dating in the first place.

It gives you more – more than you can handle in most instances.

You get to meet more people than you might have on your own by sitting in one bar with your girl friends or guy friends and you don’t even have to buy a sip of alcohol or risk getting hit on by someone you don’t like. Online dating puts you in control and it puts you in the driver’s seat.

No more wasting time throwing out a line with bait and just hoping that you’ve picked the right spot. Everyone on the site, well, nearly everyone, wants to find someone to love, or maybe just like, for the night. This means that you’re more than likely to find exactly who you’re looking for.

Or at least have fun trying.

The fact is that if you aren’t dating online, you’re probably not dating much at all. You’re relying on your friends for blind dates and for their exes. And that’s just not a recipe for success. But you already knew that, didn’t you?

No one’s hanging out at bars anymore, at least, not to pick up a date. They’re going there with their dates – not a great way to find someone who’s single, is it?

You already know that online dating is the way to go, but this little reality check may just get you started.

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Still not seeing anyone special? You need more strategies…

Without further ado, here are some tips to get some responses for your profile on that online dating site.

Get advice from someone else – Before you post your first profile, have your best friend read it…and then ask them to be brutal about what works and what doesn’t.

Focus on creating contact with someone on a regular basis – Don’t just sit around and wait for people to contact you, try to make contact at least once a week. Email someone or IM someone to get used to talking to others. Soon enough, you’ll be meeting up with all the right ones.

Be honest with those you meet virtually and in person – You want to be make sure you are telling the truth so that you’re actually making a connection with the people who would be the right fit for you.

But…don’t tell everything – Releasing all of your personal history, your divorce, your children, your lack of child support, etc. Until you know that you really like the person, total disclosure just isn’t necessary.

Create time in your life for love – You can’t start dating unless you have time in your schedule to date. You need to start making room for love…before you start adding dates into your day planner.

Good luck!

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