People have been meeting prospective partners through virtual means for quite a while now. First, it was posting an ad in the newspaper, then people were sending a cassette of their own video where they talked about themselves, and now there are dozens of online dating websites for people to take advantage of.
There are dating sites that have been developed to trap unsuspecting folks looking for a suitable partner. They use pictures of attractive people to gather the attention of visitors and then round up on the unsuspecting users for their own means. They extract vital information out of the person and then use it to blackmail them for financial means or for motives more sinister in nature.
There are people on the most legit websites even who could wreak havoc on your life and sanity:
This is why here are some signals you need to look out for in the person you are meeting on the website that you are using:
They do not agree to a video chat or telephonic conversation
Doing a video or telephonic chat with the person you met online is a common practice for online dating. Many couples immediately jump to it, to be able to cement their relationship even further. Video chat or telephone conversations bring you closer to the person. It makes you seem more human. However, if there is a person you have met online who is not willing to have a Skype or phone conversation with you, it is a red flag. They might come up with a million excuses, like their camera is broken or that they do not have time, but it is important to keep in mind that in this day and age, there is no place for such excuses.
Do the pieces of the puzzle fit together?
Everyone has at least one online profile, other than the dating site itself. If they have the time to use a dating website, they have the time to use a social media website too. If a simple Google search does not bring up any profiles of the person, then you might be dealing with a phony. Even the strictest social media websites will allow for the display of the profile, even if you cannot access them. A lot of people will at least have a LinkedIn if they are not other social media accounts.
There are so many more signs and red flags that you need to look out for, some of them will easily be dependent on your intuition as well. You can, however, save your time and opt for a legit dating site like Single and Sober. A safe and secure online dating community for those individuals currently in the recovery stage, Single and Sober has been devised with client vulnerability in mind. Founded by Mike Reed in 2015, the domain will allow you access to hopefuls from all over Canada, England, USA, and Australia.