In April of this year, an unidentified female Hollywood executive filed a civil suit against Match.com. She alleges that she was brutally sexually assaulted by a man she met on the site after their second date. She joins a number of other women in the suit that alleges that Match.com does not do enough to distinguish and weed out online predators.

Match.com is one of the most popular and reputable dating sites in the country. They do verify, as much as is possible, the identities of their members. And, while we certainly can’t speak to any specifics in this lawsuit, it is important to remember that we’re all personally responsible for our own safety.

Online dating sites provide a very convenient and easy way to meet others. However, people often have an unclear understanding about the services provided by dating companies and many have the false belief that members are being personally screened for them. Unless your dating service clearly makes this declaration to you, you should assume meeting somone through this route is no different from meeting someone in a cafè or supermarket. Always take the normal precautions of meeting someone for the first time.

Although online dating can be a scary proposition, many people have also found the love of their lives through this venue. Online dating through reputable sites is relatively safe, but taking precautions is still extremely important. Some of the most important things to remember include:

• Not giving out too much personal information
• Meeting only in public places until you’ve really gotten to know the person
• Looking for red flags, such as a person asking for money or for a lot of personal details early on

All online daters have to follow these guidelines to ensure their own safety. You truly cannot expect a dating site to find every bad apple.

News & Views Lawsuits, Match.com, Sexual Assult, Violence

It’s a sad day when high schools begin to teach about dating violence in the classroom. But the reality is that many teens, especially girls, are going to have troubles with dating violence at one point in their lives.

To help combat this grim reality, those who are new to the dating scene need to keep these rules in mind for themselves as they head out with a new date:

• Always tell someone where you’re going – This way, people can find you if you’ve been gone for too long or they just want to check in on you. If your date changes your dating location at the last minute, refuse to go there until you let someone else know. Or, you can be subtle and just text message the change to a friend.
• Always have a time frame in mind and let others know – Let your friends and family know when you will be back, and then stick to the plan.
• Any sign of violence is a bad sign – Even if your date is just ‘playing rough,’ if it makes you uncomfortable, you need to leave your date, call home and get someone to pick you up.
• If you’ve already experienced violence, you need to tell someone – Even if you don’t think it’s a big deal, letting someone know will help you gain perspective on the situation. And they can help you get the help you need, even if you don’t want to.
• Never go anywhere that’s not public until you feel completely comfortable with someone – This is common sense. Get to know a person first before you head back to their house or to a dark alley.

Dating violence typically happens with someone you know well…or someone you thought you knew. No matter how long you’ve been going out or how much you love this person, any violence is too much violence. You need to get away from this person now, before it’s too late.

Diary Abuse, Love, Violence, Women

When you’re dating online, the last thing that you’re thinking about is your identity. Well, maybe you are. But it’s not in the same way as everyone else on the Internet might be thinking of it.

There are thieves out there. Lots of them. On the Internet, where everyone can be an anonymous as they want to be, you are taking a risk when you go online to meet people.

And I’m not just talking about basic online safety either or trying to prevent meeting up with stalkers or violent criminals.

Identity theft is becoming more and more common on dating sites. When you’re giving our your personal information, many people are able to see it, see your picture, and see how they can use this information to get into your credit cards, bank accounts, and more.

But what can you do? You can’t lie about who you are because that defeats the whole purpose. You would have to head back to the bars to date again. Sigh.

Here are some quick tips for staying safe and staying online:

• Don’t list last names that are visible to the public
• Change your birthday slightly – like the year, for example
• Don’t identify where you work or where you went to school

In short, don’t have a profile that’s filled with personal information. You can even list your address as near to the city that you actually live in, then reveal the real location when you are comfortable. Read more about dating safely.

Safety Bars, Identity, Meet People, Online Safety, Risks, Stalking, Violence