Online dating can be fun and exciting, but it is usually a playground for identity thieves. Catfishing happens most often on dating sites or on a social media platform.
When a person pretends to be someone else to establish a relationship under false pretenses, they are catfishing the victim.
These catfishers are usually looking for romantic relationships or sometimes even worse, they are most likely to steal your identity or money.
No one wants to be a target of this type of cyberbullying. You don’t have to! Below are ways you can keep from getting catfished. Being cautious is one of the key for you to avoid being victimized by catfishing, ododi.com has something that you’ll make use of.
1. Be suspicious if someone contacts you out of the blue
As soon as someone contacts you, you might want to do a little investigation on them. Check out their dating profile, make sure it looks like someone spent time on it.You can even take another step further to make sure that this person is real and not a fraud by searching their names on other social media accounts to make sure they are a real person.
2. Don’t give away your personal information
If someone you meet on an online dating site asks for your personal information like personal info, bank details or additional photos, do not give it to them. It’s a very common case for the catfishers to ask from their victims. Usually, these online scammers want your personal info just so they can hack into your personal accounts. For example, your email or even bank accounts. Don’t give them any info that could lead them to gain access from your personal accounts.
3. Stick to higher quality dating sites
Higher quality sites usually charge their members. This is a barrier for the “catfishers” as they have to give their information which could tie anyone, for example, the police back to them. Catfishing still does happen on higher-quality sites, just not as often.
4. Stay in control
Don’t let someone be in control of you and telling you how to contact them, to send them money or even personal information. You should control the situation. If you want to chat with them through an online video call app or meet up with them in person, you should be able to. It’s not normal for people to control you on how to contact them. Make sure you meet with them on your terms and not give in to pressure and fall for scams.
5. Ask for proof of who they really are
It’s fine to ask someone for proof of who they really are. If you’ve been talking to someone for a while and there is a love interest going on, you have every right to see their identification and meet them in person. Just be aware and careful when you’re meeting them in person.
6. Date people that you can meet
Make sure you meet up with someone who lives close enough with you so you are able to meet up face to face with them. Don’t fall for any stories saying they are out of the country or out of town. Just to be safe, you should meet up at a public area and make sure to verify who they are before the date.
The next time you start chatting with someone new online, make sure to take these precautions. Go with your gut and trust your instincts! Let us know your thoughts on the topic in the comment section down below!
Header Image: Metro
