The internet is the new meeting spot, the new town hall, the new singles bar. The digital age offers more opportunities than ever before to meet new people whether they live around the corner, or around the globe and we think that’s terrific! We could all benefit from a little outside influence from time to time, and for some people, meeting new folks online could even lead to a lifelong relationship.
Studies say that more than a quarter of all marriages now begin online – an amazing feat considering two decades ago the term “online dating” didn’t even exist. Outside the dating sphere there are hundreds of ways to connect with new people on the web: Social media, multi-player games, and chat rooms dedicated to various subjects.
With all opportunities come responsibilities and it’s important to remember that no matter how well you know someone online, you don’t really know them until you’ve met. It’s only smart to treat even your closest online contacts as strangers until you’ve vetted their identity to protect yourself and your information from harm’s way. A vast majority of the time online relationships and friendships are exactly what they seem…unfortunately a few bad apples have made it impossible to fully trust an online acquaintance until you know who they are.
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The good news is, it’s far easier than you think to check out the backstory of someone you’ve been chatting with! Some sites designed for meeting people (especially some dating sites) do a lot of the legwork for you, checking members’ addresses and identities as best they can before allowing them to converse. But at the end of the day it’s your responsibility to do your due diligence on an online friend, particularly if you’re planning on meeting that person in real life.
It’s always smart to ask for a first and last name, as well as a general idea of where the person lives, even if that’s just a state or city when you’re ready to take the next step. If someone’s hesitant to give out that information you should move forward in your relationship cautiously – they may have something to hide or being lying about who they are. Once you’ve established an online rapport the natural next step is to have a phone call so you can hear each other’s voices or better yet, video chat. Again, an acquaintance who refuses to speak on the phone or open a video chat with you may be hoping to conceal an accent or a totally different persona altogether.
Once you’ve got some basic background information head to Spokeo’s people search engine to find out some basic information about your new friend. Using just a first and last name you should be able to cross-reference the information you’ve been told with the information on public records which can help weed out obvious imposters quickly. In some cases it’s even possible to use just a username to find out detailed information about an online persona’s real identity. If everything matches up and you’re still uneasy, consider running a background check from the comfort of your own home. They’re nearly instant, they’re inexpensive, and they can tell you useful information like criminal history and even marital status.
As with anything else, trust your gut when it comes to online relationships. If it sounds too good to be true then it probably is and if someone doesn’t follow through or, worse, asks you for money or highly-personal information it’s probably best to cut your losses. The internet can be an almost magical place to expand your horizons and meet people you’d never have met from your tiny farm town or your coastal refuge. Don’t be afraid to see who’s out there! Spokeo’s on your side.