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You may not be looking for love online, but Tinder says about 40% of couples meet through apps. I know one couple who met through a dating app for farmers. They’re perfect for each other – they’re married and have two boys and two girls under the age of 8, with another on the way. But for others, dating apps can be an absolute nightmare.
The dirty details
A few months ago, I was trying to convince a friend to leave her loser boyfriend. We quickly created a dating profile for her. The next day, she had to delete it. Why? Her messages contained nothing but…🍆.
There are so many stories of men And Women who have to deal with creeps, stalkers, perverts and subhumans. A recent survey by the Pew Research Center agrees:
- 38% of online daters surveyed have received at least one unwanted sexually explicit message.
- 30% were still contacted by someone after They told them they were not interested.
- 24% were called offensive names.
- 6% of respondents were threatened with physical violence.
Don’t forget about scammers. About 52% of online daters believe they have been the victim of a scam at least once. That’s 63% of men under 50 and 44% of women of all ages.
A safe search for love
Online dating comes with a warning, but you don’t have to throw in the towel. Follow these tips to be sure to find your new sweetheart:
Look for a verified profile badge. Tinder, Bumble, Hinge and OkCupid have them. If they are verified, they most likely do not use fake photos.
Watch for photos that look overly edited. Try a reverse image search to see if the photo appears somewhere else.
Chat with new matches only through the app. If they want to do things immediately via text message or another app, that’s a warning sign.
Video chat with a match before meeting them in person. Stay away from people who want to meet as soon as possible or don’t want to meet at all. I don’t want you to fall victim to a romance scam.
Always meet your dates in a public place. It’s also a good idea to let friends or family know where you are. Take your own transportation so you can get away if you feel uncomfortable or unsafe.
🐦Tweet hearts: Two birds in love
I interviewed dating expert Amy Chan on my podcast Kim Komando Today. I asked her for tips on creating a great profile and her formula for dating app pictures. Here are her suggestions:
- Include at least one shot from the waist up and one full-body shot of you smiling.
- Each photo should show a different aspect of your personality and interests – think one in the garden, one at a baseball game, and one with your pet.
- All pictures should be recent enough to confirm that the “you” you meet in person looks exactly like the “you” in your pictures.
💋 If you know someone looking for love, pass this along – not to scare them, but so they know what to look out for! And one more thing: be wary of anyone who says they live in a “gated community”; it could be a Jail.
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Keywords: app, apps, bumble, family, love, online dating, photos, podcast, research, fraud, scammers, video, warning
