Although online dating can be a great way to start a new relationship there are still dangers of using the internet to find love.

Relationships on Female First

Relationships on Female First

Conmen are always lurking and will often try and trick those wanting to find love out of their hard earned money.

Knowthenet.org.uk found that 200,000 people in the UK fell victim to online scammers in 2011, so they’ve provided us with some tips to keep safe when online dating.

1. Beware of fake photos

Model shots or suggestive photos should ring warning bells. People are more likely to post a couple of photos of themselves in normal surroundings. Watch out for exceptionally small photos or ones with blurry corners where a watermark may have been removed. You can try a reverse image look-up online to see if a photo has been taken from a website and check that the photo and profile description do indeed match!

2. Incomplete profiles

Very little of incomplete information from profiles should be a warning sign that something is not right. Real people will complete their profiles and include detailed information about their ideas and interests. Scammers and lazy and rarely do their research, particularly when it comes to location.

3. Spell Check

Poor translation generally means a fake profile. Many romance scams come from abroad where English is not the main language so watch out for poor spelling and grammar.

4. Too good to be true

As with most things online, if something seems too good to be true, it usually is. Check to see what the person in the profile is looking for in their date. Are they accommodating? Do they just want someone special to love?

Remember to always research into dating sites before you use them to save you the heartache!

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