Safety Tips for Dating Over 50Safety Tips for Dating Over 50
There's a lot talked about using online communities and their potential risks to your personal information, personal finances and even personal safety. But in truth it doesn't take a lot to minimise those risks and these simple check points will help you get started.
Passwords
As with any login information, choose a password that you can easily remember but that would be difficult for anyone else to guess. Children's names are easy to remember but could be quite straightforward for someone who knows you to guess. Passwords such as "password", "123456" or "qwerty" are a definite no-no, as is your own name! The best passwords are random phrases rather than a single word and always aim to include a number or a special character like # or @. If a phrase is going to be too long to use as a password, then why not take the first or last letters and use that as part of your password? Be assured that Over 50s Dating will never send you an email asking for your password, so if you get anything like this please forward it on to us.
Scammers
You should treat people who are searching for singles in much the same way online as you do in the real world. If someone you barely know asks to borrow money or asks for any sort of financial details whatsoever, then alarm bells should start to ring. You wouldn't expect someone you met in the pub last week to ask for money, and you shouldn't expect it online either. If you have any such contact from another Member then you should use the "Report this profile" link to alert our team.
Personal information
all want to appear open and friendly when we're meeting new friends, but you should only share your contact information when you are ready to. Over 50s Dating has a wonderful Messaging system which means you don't need to give out any contact information at all until you're happy to, so don't be afraid to tell someone that you'd rather stick to the on-site system for a bit longer. If they're genuine then they won't have an issue with that.
Personal safety for singles
There's plenty of advice going around for when meeting up with someone you've met online, but the bottom line is that you should always stay in control. Meet in a public place, tell someone when and where you're going, and arrange to call them at a given time to confirm all's going well. You could even arrange for your date to happen during the day and meet up with your friends at the end of the date. If your date is worth their salt, they will completely understand and, rather than having a problem with your caution, will probably just be impressed at how well organised you are.
Don't panic!
When all's said and done, the vast majority of mature singles you meet online will be genuine people just like you who are simply looking for a date and a bit of fun. Unfortunately, it's best to plan for the worst and then allow people to prove themselves otherwise, but don't let an occasional disappointment spoil your enjoyment. You've got life experience so trust your judgement, use some "common sense" and reasonable caution.
Further Reading
Google in partnership with the UK Citizen's Advice Bureau has published this excellent set of pages providing advice for staying more secure when on the web. Just click on the title Good to Know to open the link in a new page.