The net provides an all too easy way to meet chance encounters or the love of your life. You can remain in the virtual world and have an online fantasy or you can meet them in person. Internet dating is a tool for you to utilize when your infield game (club/day/inner) are not up to par. If you are going through a slump, just starting out, recently single, tired of the bar scene, shy or just really lazy the net is a viable option. Be warned there are those that will take advantage of this vulnerability. OBVIOUS RULE OF THUMB IS Never offer any password to email accounts or credit card info unless it’s a secure site!. But what other obstacles may one encounter which are not quite what they appear as.
Most people create their profiles from the privacy of their homes (with very little supervision from the Net Dating sites), some compensate for their shortcomings (fears, insecurities, scam artists, etc) by tilting the odds in their favor. This is done by manipulating or misdirecting your attention from the truth. Lets take a closure look at some examples.
1) PICTURES-some post only facial pix to hide the fact that they could be more than a “few extra pounds”. Others post seductive glamour shot type photographs of their attributes giving the illusion they exude sex appeal. SCAM BUSTERS
ay attention to pictures that reveal people always wearing sun glasses, showing off all their tattoo’s, distant (no close ups), posing seductively, pics of them with their ex who are cropped/blocked, cut out, too many pics. Look at the background does it look like it was shot in a studio-odds are they don’t really look like that. A picture is truly worth a 1000 words.
2) FAKES-phony profiles are easy to spot. The pictures are almost always too good to be true, usually seductive/revealing in nature. Their profiles contain enticements directing you to “their” so called web page. You may also get an email from a bot (automated message) that appears real. SCAM BUSTER: Take a closer look and you will discover nothing specific or personal was written. They almost never want to engage in exteded conversation.
3) TRAPS-often initiated by jealous, insecure people trying to catch their dates in the act. You are seeing someone on a regular basis and they are overly concerned why exactly are you still trolling online. They set up a profile in hopes you will respond. They either design an alternate profile with a different picture or get a friend to post a profile. SCAM BUSTER:Look for obvious indicators like asking right away if you are dating anyone…..odds are its ENTRAPMENT.
4) DATE BAIT-now these are slightly different from fake profiles. Their primary objective is emailing you after your membership has expired for the sole purpose of you renewing (getting more cash from you). Some even meet you for a token first date then disappear, again your credit card info is what they want. You met a hot chic from online……so why not renew is the thinking process. SCAM BUSTER; ask for personal info and see if they are evasive.
5) HIDDEN AGENDA-these types are interested in getting their own needs met. Gold diggers, sexual frustrations, virtual cheaters that never meet you, have a STD, desperate, etc. They sometimes initiate contact, are easy to hand out their numbers or correspond with you and can’t wait to meet you. Others have ulterior motives: they may be a transsexual, under-cover agent trying to capture a predator, they might be someone posing as the opposite sex for the sole purpose of extracting information, email harvesters to try and sell you something, virus to steal your info, etc. SCAM BUSTER:if they appear too anxious, too easy, too eager to engage in sexual communication
6) LOW SELF ESTEEM-these types are the girl next door types that attend church, overly nice, long profiles, have kids, and are bored with being single. Their mission is to land a man as soon as possible. They might be overweight, low income, suffer from some affliction, mental illness, alcoholics, virgins, re bounders, etc SCAM BUSTER:if they are overly interested in meeting right away, give phone number up easily, their profile is the size of a novel, etc
* please note they are not just on Net Dating sites. Social networking sites (myspace, Craig's list, hot or not, etc, various chat rooms and even message boards) are starting to see their share of virtual entrapment scams, viral infections, etc.
Most people create their profiles from the privacy of their homes (with very little supervision from the Net Dating sites), some compensate for their shortcomings (fears, insecurities, scam artists, etc) by tilting the odds in their favor. This is done by manipulating or misdirecting your attention from the truth. Lets take a closure look at some examples.
1) PICTURES-some post only facial pix to hide the fact that they could be more than a “few extra pounds”. Others post seductive glamour shot type photographs of their attributes giving the illusion they exude sex appeal. SCAM BUSTERS
ay attention to pictures that reveal people always wearing sun glasses, showing off all their tattoo’s, distant (no close ups), posing seductively, pics of them with their ex who are cropped/blocked, cut out, too many pics. Look at the background does it look like it was shot in a studio-odds are they don’t really look like that. A picture is truly worth a 1000 words.2) FAKES-phony profiles are easy to spot. The pictures are almost always too good to be true, usually seductive/revealing in nature. Their profiles contain enticements directing you to “their” so called web page. You may also get an email from a bot (automated message) that appears real. SCAM BUSTER: Take a closer look and you will discover nothing specific or personal was written. They almost never want to engage in exteded conversation.
3) TRAPS-often initiated by jealous, insecure people trying to catch their dates in the act. You are seeing someone on a regular basis and they are overly concerned why exactly are you still trolling online. They set up a profile in hopes you will respond. They either design an alternate profile with a different picture or get a friend to post a profile. SCAM BUSTER:Look for obvious indicators like asking right away if you are dating anyone…..odds are its ENTRAPMENT.
4) DATE BAIT-now these are slightly different from fake profiles. Their primary objective is emailing you after your membership has expired for the sole purpose of you renewing (getting more cash from you). Some even meet you for a token first date then disappear, again your credit card info is what they want. You met a hot chic from online……so why not renew is the thinking process. SCAM BUSTER; ask for personal info and see if they are evasive.
5) HIDDEN AGENDA-these types are interested in getting their own needs met. Gold diggers, sexual frustrations, virtual cheaters that never meet you, have a STD, desperate, etc. They sometimes initiate contact, are easy to hand out their numbers or correspond with you and can’t wait to meet you. Others have ulterior motives: they may be a transsexual, under-cover agent trying to capture a predator, they might be someone posing as the opposite sex for the sole purpose of extracting information, email harvesters to try and sell you something, virus to steal your info, etc. SCAM BUSTER:if they appear too anxious, too easy, too eager to engage in sexual communication
6) LOW SELF ESTEEM-these types are the girl next door types that attend church, overly nice, long profiles, have kids, and are bored with being single. Their mission is to land a man as soon as possible. They might be overweight, low income, suffer from some affliction, mental illness, alcoholics, virgins, re bounders, etc SCAM BUSTER:if they are overly interested in meeting right away, give phone number up easily, their profile is the size of a novel, etc
* please note they are not just on Net Dating sites. Social networking sites (myspace, Craig's list, hot or not, etc, various chat rooms and even message boards) are starting to see their share of virtual entrapment scams, viral infections, etc.
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