If you think about it…when you set out to have an in-person meeting with someone you met on an online dating site or a dating app, you are literally placing your life in some stranger’s hands. Unless some type of background check was performed on the person you are going to meet, you usually know nothing more than what you saw in their dating profile. The obvious problem is that every bit of information in someone’s dating profile could be false. Even if you exchanged phone numbers and had conversations prior to meeting in person, you are still relying on whatever information your “love interest” is providing you with.
A man can show up for a date with a woman (or what he believes to be a woman) only to be robbed by individuals who have set up a fake dating profile for this express purpose. There have been numerous stories of these types of incidences in the news. Here is a story in which a man met a woman on the very popular online dating site Plenty of Fish, only to be lured by this woman to a house where he was robbed and beaten. If you are a female, the dangers you are exposing yourself to with these risky behaviors are endless.
The bottom line is that background checks can be done cheaply, accurately and efficiently, so online dating sites are being absolutely negligent by not even attempting to verify their users’ identities. It is entirely up to the users of these sites to make sure that they take all precautions and do their own due diligence to ensure their safety.
If you found this article interesting, please be sure to check out my article titled Criminal Background Check Please! For more information on conducting a background check call 1-800-348-0511 or click here to request a free quote.