Dating Message Safety

Following on from our latest article about dating profile and photo safety, here is our guide to staying safe while sending and receiving dating messages.

Don’t be afraid of sending messages

Sending messages is the best way to get peoples’ attention when using online dating websites, so don’t be afraid to get in contact with people through the safety of the website’s messaging service.

Don’t try to bypass online messaging

If your subscription is coming to an end, it can be tempting to send out your contact details straight away. However, by using the online messaging system, you will be able to protect your contact details and will be able to block contact with the person if things do not work out.

Don’t give everything away in your first message

We advise members not to include exact details of where they live, work, or play in their dating profiles and the same theory should apply to your first message to a new contact. Make sure that you do not include any details that will allow them to find you offline. Use your first message to show interest in someone and to initiate conversation, rather than giving away your life story.

Be wary of strange messages

At Muddy Matches we use lots of different systems (including reading through every single profile that is sent through to us and looking at every single photo) to make sure that only genuine country-minded people can join the website. However, no system is 100% foolproof, so we encourage our members to be aware of scammers.

If you receive a message that is very full-on, or seems too good to be true, it may be from a scammer. If you suspect that someone may not be genuine, you should cease contact with them straight away and should report them to the website administrator.

Don’t become pen-pals

Scammers use online messaging to build trust before asking for money from someone. They will send lots of messages and share lots of personal information about their family so that you feel close to them, but they will make excuses when you ask to meet up with them as this will expose their secrets.

If you are chatting with a genuine person, they should be keen to meet with you in person after you have exchanged a few messages.