How To Keep Yourself From Getting Catfished Online.

As a single mother, I am not ashamed to admit that I have tried online dating.  Online dating for me turned out to be more of a social experiment as oppose to a way to find love.  There are many commercials and real life stories of people who have found their husband or wife through online dating.  So, it is a good assumption to say that there are some people who do reap some benefits from online dating.

But if you watch just one episode of catfish you can see that their are many online dating horror stories.  In fact it amazes me at how many people get tricked into dating people for years without ever really knowing what they look like.  So here are my tips on how to prevent yourself from getting cat fished online.



Ask For Pictures

Obviously if you met the person online, then you are going to see pictures of them. But just because the pictures are on their profile does not mean that these are pictures of them.  Once you start talking to someone, try to ask for random photos at random times of the day. Most importantly ask them to text it to you.

A red flag is if when asking for a picture of someone, and they constantly put you off or send you a picture days after you have asked them.  This may be a sign that they got the picture from somewhere or someone else.

Skype or Video Chat.

This one should be a no brainier, if you want to make sure the person that you are talking to is really the person you are talking to, then of course you need to see them.  It shocks me how people can go on for years and years with talking to someone online and not see their face.  Then magically they are somehow shocked that when they really see the person it is not them.
After talking to someone for a while, video chatting with them is perfectly normal and expected.  Once again if someone is actively avoiding you from seeing them, then they are not who they say they are. You should be concerned.

Talk To Them on The Phone

Talking on the phone is one of the easiest things you can do.  Almost everyone has a cell phone and there are no long distant charges so there is no reason why someone cannot talk on the phone with you.  Some red flags to look out for is not being able to talk on the phone, never talking on the phone while they are at home, or being rushed off the phone.  This may not only signify that they are are not who they say they are, but that they may be hiding a spouse or a hidden life from you as to why they are not free to talk on the phone at various times of the day.

Background Check

I am not talking about running their social security number but rather researching the information they tell you.  This includes running their image through image search to see if the pictures on their profile come up as someone else. Also do a reverse phone search, their phone number should come up registered to them and in the location they say they are in.



Progression of the Relationships

 As with any relationships, their should be some type of progression.  This means you should be talking on the phone, seeing each other, making plans to go on real life dates. Never under any circumstances should you be in a situations where you have been taking to someone for years and years and have never even seen their face.  After of about two month (max) of talking to someone, you have not seen their face in person or on Skype then just let it go.  Something is wrong here.

For more online dating tips check out my blog here (Dating Online)

As a single women and mother I have tried all the dating tips and trick.  And they are all in my book “Waiting For A Man After God’s Own Heart.” Click on the my book tab for more information about the book.  Read the first two chapters free on Amazon.