Internet dating is Scary? It could be if you are frequenting free dating sites. Horror stories abound of people who have gone online to find dates only to later be robbed at gunpoint, had sedatives slipped into their drinks, or even disappeared altogether. To those people, the saying “you thought it could never happen to you” certainly applies all too clearly. Craigslist and other free dating sites quickly come to mind as they are frequently caught up in the news. So how do you avoid making contact with weirdos and undesirables if you still want to date?

Long story cut short is to avoid free dating sites. If nothing more, the credit card you use identifies you as a real, traceable person. Free dating sites are plagued with fake dating profiles, for example, because there is no disincentive to creating multiple free dating site profiles. And if your potential mate can’t afford the $10 to $30 monthly fee, your probably better off subscribing to a well known internet dating site. Here are a few tips on how to keep your internet dating experience safe.

1. Keep your home address, work address, and other personal information confidential until after your first date and beyond if necessary.
2. Choose a safe place to have your first date. This means not going into any dark alleys to visit nightclubs that your date is “just dying” to show to you. Sure, there are some popular hang-outs that can be found at such places, but those are not the appropriate places to have a date with a stranger. Pick places like hotel bars, or hotel restaurants, or even eating places in malls where there are sure to be a lot of people around to witness your meeting.
3. Date rapes have become alarmingly common and the victims all point to one incident during the date: they left their drink unattended so that their date had the opportunity to slip in a sedative into their drink. Date rape drugs have become surprisingly easy to come by on the black market, and are available at the right price to eager buyers. So never leave your drink unattended – and this goes not just for first dates, but for successive dates as well.
4. Some safe dates you can have may involve activities that don’t involve eating or drinking at all. For instance, if you and your date like roller-blading, why not have your date in a park where lots of other people could be taking part in the same sport? Or you could go surfing at a popular beach. Indoor rock-climbing places have been set up in many cities so that’s one activity that could be relatively safe for you. My favorite is a short 1 hour coffee, but not everyone wants a short date.
5. If you absolutely must have alcohol during your date, stay sober. Try ordering just one drink and nursing that one throughout the evening. Many alcoholic beverages in bars and nightclubs are made to be quite potent so taking two orders in one night may bowl over even the hardiest person. You won’t look ridiculous if you don’t finish your drink, so if you do wind up ordering more than one, you can simply say “I’ve had enough for one night” and pay the bill.

Remember that free is free. So avoid the free dating sites if you want to steer clear of Weirdos and Undesirables.