Dating Safety Advice

Internet dating is no more dangerous than dating IRL (in real life), but it’s important to be aware of how to keep safe online and when you meet up with someone.

Online

When you write your online dating profile, you should be aware of including anything that could help someone to find you outside of the safety of the dating website.

Giving away your contact details is the most obvious way to expose yourself to unwanted contact, so it’s important not to try to save money by including your phone number or email address within your profile text.

You should also avoid mentioning precise details about your work or hobbies that could lead people to you. For example, you could say that you work as a mechanic, rather than saying “I work at Mike’s mechanics on Burton Road’.

Your photos can also give away details about you without you even realising it. Some people including photos of their pets with their phone number showing on their pet’s collar, or they show their car numberplate.

At Muddy Matches we check through all the profiles and photos that are sent to us and we will advise you if we feel that you have given away too much information, but not all websites do this and it is sensible not to check for yourself.

Getting in touch

When talking to one another, we would advise you to keep using the messaging service on the website, but a lot of people prefer to call one another, or to send emails.

If you choose to use email, you can set up a specific email address for online dating, so that you can close it down when you’ve met your perfect match, or if you no-longer wish to hear from someone.

You can also get a pay-as-you-go sim card for online dating.

Meeting up

When you meet up, make sure that you let someone know where you are going and arrange to meet in a busy public place.

Even if you feel like you know your date well, do not share a lift or go back to their house on a first date.