How Much Should You Trust Your Online Date?

Trust is important in every relationship. Allowing yourself to be vulnerable with your partner opens the doors to a deeper connection than can’t be experienced with any other type of relationship.

However, does trust need to earned or given in a romantic relationship? And does online dating make it harder to trust someone?

A New Study On Online Dating 

A study by National Cellular Directory finds that most people don’t trust their online dating partners. The study also confirms that people are becoming more aware of the dangers of online dating, as 84% of online daters verify their date’s identity before going on a date with them, and 65% of online daters have seen AT LEAST one fake dating profile.

How To Verify Your Date’s Identity

Finding a partner online can be dangerous, and the most manipulative people use online dating to lure their victims. What should you do if you are dating someone online? Look them up before getting to know them further. You can run a background check to see who they really are if you know their full name.

If you don’t have their full name but you have their phone number, you can perform a reverse phone lookup to answer the question that all online daters ask “who is calling me?”. Most online daters wonder if person on the other end of the phone is who they say they are- performing a reverse phone lookup though National Cellular Directory can answer that question.

Suspicious Online Dating Signs 

Watch out for these suspicious signs when first getting to know someone online:

Suspicious sign #1- They ask you for money so they can come see you (or they make up some other excuse). Don’t ever give anyone you just met money, no matter what their reason. Most of the time, if your online “date” asks for money, they are looking to make some quick cash.

Suspicious sign #2- Their dating profile is really vague and doesn't reveal much about them. They might be doing this for a reason. Perhaps your online date is a private person, but they might be hiding something.

Suspicious sign #3- Your online date wants to immediately talk on another online or offline platform. This usually means that they want to ask you for money or try to get you to do something that isn’t allowed on a dating website.

Suspicious sign #4- Their online photo looks fake. If it does, you can take any dating profile picture and do a Google Image Search. Doing a Google Image search will show similar images as well as any other websites that contain the same image. You can find out if the person you are talking to is real or a fraud.

Suspicious Sign #5- You find out they lied to you or on their profile by performing a background check on them. Again, they could be a private person, but if they are already hiding things from you and everyone else that’s not a good sign.

Suspicious Sign #6- Your date is too good looking and too perfect. No one is perfect, and rarely do supermodels partake in online dating.

Suspicious Sign #7- They don’t have any digital footprint. Most people who are on online dating websites know enough about the internet to also have social media or are on other websites. If you can’t locate your date anywhere else online, it might be time to stop communicating with them.

Make sure to protect yourself when dating online, and always verify your online date’s identity before meeting them in person for the first time.