HONESTY
ON THE INTERNET 
How do you tell if the person you are dealing with on the "net" is the person they purport to be. If you blatantly interrogate them, they will no doubt be offended. On the other hand, this micro-scrutiny may well be what you have to resort to - and in turn, be prepared to subject yourself to the same. Below is a list of possible ways to determine if you are dealing with an honest person. Once you are ready to try online dating try our #1 Choice recomended services.
DETERMINING
THE HONESTY OF AN ONLINE DATE
The notion of "listening" to someone's words on the screen is ridiculous - until you consider that they are "speaking" to you in this manner. Do they sound too good to be true? We'd all really like to believe the person we are coming to enjoy knowing and speaking with is exactly as they say they are. We want nothing more than to take them at face value. Read what they are writing - pin them down on "iffy" details - if they refuse to be pinned, or remain evasive, consider that a red flag and proceed with caution!
Does it Make Sense?
What if you are left with questions that you feel really don't make sense, but the person you are speaking with has a quick explanation. Ask yourself, more than once - is it really believable? For example - "I'd love to meet you soon.. but I have some details or personal matters to take care of first". While you may not want to pry or probe for information, ask yourself, "what kind of personal details or matters are so important that preclude this person from being able to meet me?". Do you have to ask online permission first to call someone? If so, that's a good indication that the person isn't "free" to meet you at all. Who else lives there? Is the person you are dealing with is still married? Many people looking for love on-line may still be married, and dealing with the aftermath of terminating their marriages - it's important to establish this in advance of involving yourself with someone else. Most people understand marriages can take time to end - that doesn't make the person any less available, as long as you can clarify details. This can be accomplished by calling unexpectedly at their home (once a rapport has been established). Do they have an answering machine? Who's voice is on it? Are they secretive? Do they speak in hushed tones or are they upset that you called without notice? These are pretty good indicators of trouble. If you receive this response to your surprise phone call, call again in a couple of weeks! If you get the same kind of reaction - you can draw your own conclusions. After all.. this is someone who is supposedly very interested in you. It is suggested you make these calls at different times of the day. Don't overdue it, there is a difference between checking for honesty and harrassment.
Dishonesty about weight and age are the most common issues. Often, people will try to put off that inevitable first meeting for as long as possible when they are being dishonest about weight. The logical thinking is that for as long as they can delay a meeting they will make every effort to lose this weight. Of course, weight loss takes a long time, and people who haven't started a diet aren't likely going to be able to manage substantial weight loss to their own satisfaction in this time frame. But how do you know what they really look like? Old pictures often tell a thinner or younger story - and you can be stunned or shocked to meet the person, and find the "current" person is someone you don't even recognize. There are no shortage of excuses for why people don't produce current pictures.. "I don't have a scanner or a camera", "I haven't gotten the pictures scanned yet", "I don't have time" .. Any photocopy service in this day and age does photo scanning. They charge an average of $10 and it takes less than an hour. With the emergence on the marketplace of low-cost personal scanners, we all probably know someone who has a scanner. There's no shortage of places you can get a picture taken in this day and age. If a person isn't being dishonest about themselves, chances are they have a current picture or a means to get one. How do we know if it's a current picture? Frankly the only way is to hold up a current newspaper in the picture or to take it near a landmark where the surrounding environment can be chacked and matched against the image.....
How do you know if someone is out to con you? Confidence people try to put you at ease immediately. They agree with everything you say, they pour out undying and heartfelt emotions almost immediately. How can they really "love" you almost immediately without ever having met you? Anyone Who tells you they love you within the first week or so of knowing you online is, at best, hard to beleive. When and if you hear those three little words that mean so much, step back and tell them you are doing just that. If it's real or true love, it will last forever and stand the test of time, and they will respect that you question their feelings. If it's still love after a few weeks or a month - meet and meet soon!! You will know when you meet in person if what you felt online still holds true. To avoid being conned do not volunteer information about your personal assets or wealth.
The Internet affords several unique opportunities to meet a great number of people from one site. Personals sites list several thousand people each - chat rooms give them the chance to interact - e-mail affords them the privacy to correspond with several people at once. If you have the means to meet people who live far away - wonderful! When you meet that "special someone" and you feel very strongly for them, and you believe that they are honest and genuine - meet them soon! Find out before you make emotional investments if they are the same in person that they were online. Spare yourself the agony of allowing yourself to feel for them online, to live for their letters, only to find out that you were not the only one, or that your online feelings did not translate "in real life" when you met them face to face. Be true to yourself, if you do not have the means to sustain a long distance relationship - don't pursue one. You may have to wait longer to meet someone from a closer area, but too many have already invested heavily in trips they could ill afford only to find disappointment and deception at their destination.
There are services that cater especially to those of looking for love on the internet. They are extremely affordable - and for a minimal price - you can find out some things about the person you are becoming interested in - even if these aren't what you really wanted to know. The service are listed in our online dating resources section.
You can be sorry for something you didn't do for a very long time - using common sense is something you'll never regret.
and
remember, it never hurts to have that added bit of extra protection
