With all the headlines recently about the sexually assaulted Los Angeles Entertainment attorney who was attacked by her date who she’d met via Match.com on their second date, as well as the case of the Irvine man convicted of raping two women in what has become known as the Millionaire Match Rape case, premier paid dating sites are now screening dating profiles against the national database of public sex offender registries.
Match.com has now instituted the policy of indeed screening all new members. States like Texas already require similar screenings for dating sites which accept members who reside in Texas. Marcus Find, CEO and founder of Plenty of Fish, discusses this in his dating industry blog post of May 1 and the other states considering similar legislation. The potential impact to the online matchmaking industry is quite significant. The possible risk exposure for Facebook alone, Find calculates would be literally in the billions of dollars.
What does this mean now for singles who are meeting at online dating sites?
- Know what your sites do: Know what the screening policies and behaviors are of the sites which you use. Become familiar with them and what the screening covers. Is it a full background check? Is it a check against the public sex offenders registries. Being aware if forearmed for the quality of the people you meet and for protecting your personal safety.
- Understand the limitations: Understand some of the limitations of what the screenings they perform provide so you do not harbor a false sense of safety. Just because someone is not on a public sex offenders registry does not mean they aren’t a financial scam artist and won’t try to con you in some manner.
- You’re not now perfectly protected: Because someone is not a scam artist or sex offender doesn’t mean they might not be jerks and idiots, aka time wasting players who are two-timing you the entire time you think you’re courting. Not every single wants or is seeking a monogamous committed exclusive relationship. Some people are perfectly happy being involved with multiple people. Just don’t lie about it to your dates. Singles will often go to great expense over a number of months creating a relationship and household together.
The more you know and the more you make singles safety behaviors your smart dating habits through the first several dates with singles you meet via online dating and social networking sites, the better equipped you are to date and to form lasting love relationships.
Happy Dating and Relationships,
April Braswell
Eva Palmer says
May 4, 2011 at 10:26 PMThis is a very important post for online dating! So many people just go dating online without any information about the person they are going to meet or safety! I think it’s scary…
Clare Delaney says
May 5, 2011 at 12:54 AMGreat points about screening April, and also a very valid point about not everyone who lists necessarily wanting an exclusive relationship.
Clare
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John Moulder says
May 5, 2011 at 5:04 AMOh my gosh it’s a jungle out there . No wonder people have such a difficult time linking up with each other .
Covert Hypnosis says
May 5, 2011 at 6:04 AMIt’s very hard for me to see how match.com could possibly be at fault. People don’t sue God if they got hurt on his planet.
Sonya Lenzo says
May 5, 2011 at 6:51 AMI know that some older singles go so far as having someone checked out by a private detective if they are interested in them What do you think of that idea? Is it a lack of trust or is it just being wise these days? Would you be offended if you found out that YOU had been checked out?
Sonya Lenzo
Reading Body Language says
May 5, 2011 at 7:02 AMIf single people take your guidance to heart for dating, I’m sure they’ll be a lot safer online.
Marilyn J says
May 5, 2011 at 8:27 AMSo many singles have hooked up with their spouse and gotten married from internet dating. There are weirdos everywhere. A few bad apples don’t need to ruin it for millions of singles. Seems logical to ask Match.com to do a simple database search, don’t you think?
Ana says
May 5, 2011 at 8:48 AMI had a few problems with one weirdo last year, but I must admit that it was my fault – I revealed a lot of private information and photos to total strangers. Online dating is very useful service and pretty safe if you use it responsibly.
Expert Sales training says
May 5, 2011 at 11:26 AMApril, you bring up some great advice on online dating safety. Thanks for your article.
Scott Sylvan Bell
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Now go implement!
Kevin Bettencourt says
May 5, 2011 at 12:57 PMI’m kind of surprised that background checks weren’t always done.
Rachel Robinson says
May 5, 2011 at 1:07 PMWhile I feel like online dating services should do some screening, I feel like you take your chances when you go out with a stranger. It would be like suing a bar because you met a crazy guy there and he started harassing you after you gave him your number. It’s a crazy world out there and you don’t always have someone to screen out the creepers. What’s your opinion? Should the matchmaking service be held responsible?
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Dewayne Chriswell says
May 5, 2011 at 4:31 PMJust because someone hasn’t been caught or convicted doesn’t make all of their motives pure. Very timely advice on being smart and being safe. Thanks for the warning.
Dewayne Chriswell
http://dewaynechriswell.com
Neil Dhawan says
May 5, 2011 at 7:36 PMGreat article, April,
With the rising popularity of internet dating sites, this is one of the most important articles to have come out. The more you know, the better prepared you can be. Dewayne brings up a great point – just because someone hasn’t been caught or convicted, doesn’t mean their motives are pure …
Best, Neil
http://geneflora.com/obvious-health-tip-2/
Polski F says
May 18, 2011 at 10:43 PMI’m not sure I agree with all your points since I am not a lawyer. Sounds like a good idea to be safer online.
Carole says
May 19, 2011 at 12:18 AMIf the information is easy to get to that sounds good to me to do. Safe not sorry.