Online dating can be an amazing way to meet new people, whether you’re fresh off a breakup or searching for “the one” to be your perfect match. While the internet is a treasure trove of exciting experiences, navigating the waters of dating online can be daunting regardless of your dating experience.
In this guide, we’ll share a few pro-tips on how to protect yourself from any online schemers and tricksters. Once you’re comfortable screening out potential scammers, you’ll be able to focus on getting to know your new boo using our tried and true dating icebreaker questions that will keep any fledgling conversation flowing.
Verifying Their Identity
When you’re online dating, it can be easy to feel super excited about a new match, and ignore a few potential red flags. Your first step in screening your matches should always be to make sure they are who they say they are.
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The best way to accomplish this is to screen them for inconsistencies with the basic information that they have volunteered. To do this, it’s important to ask subtle, information-gathering questions that are easily verifiable on your end. At this point, a few easy-to-verify identity questions might include:
- Where did you grow up?
- Do you have any siblings?
- What neighborhood do you live in?
- What’s your phone number?
- What other states have you lived in?
- Have you ever been married?
As long as you know your match’s first and last name and general location, it’s easy to confirm answers to these questions using Spokeo’s people search. Even if you are able to verify that your match is a real person, the information in your report could show you that they have taken some liberties in the way they’ve portrayed their age, living situation or marital status (amongst many other things).
If you’ve been unable to get them to share their last name or you’re uncomfortable asking for it so early on, you can also verify their identity using a reverse phone lookup of their phone number. If the owner’s name and personal details found in public records matches the details you know to be true about the person, then you’re in good shape! Searching their phone number is also a great way to see if that number is registered to an existing partner: if this is the case, it’s a dead giveaway that they’re just looking to cheat. Spokeo allows you to…
- Instantly search someone’s online records thoroughly by looking up results from a wide range of industry-leading data sources.
- Generate a report sourced from 130 million property records, 6 billion consumer records, 600 million court records, 89 million business records, and over 125 social networks.
- Trace a phone number’s origin to verify that the person calling is actually who they say they are.
Once you’ve verified their identity, it’s time to move on to the fun stuff: below, we’ll dive into a few questions to make online dating a breeze.
Online Dating Questions: Icebreakers & Keeping The Conversation Going
When you’re first getting to know somebody while online dating, asking initial questions to break the ice can seem daunting (or just plain repetitive if you’ve been online dating for an extended period of time). The good news is that your partner is likely to be just as nervous as you are! Getting to know somebody for the first time is a great opportunity to be a little bit creative, let your guard down and have some fun.
As your conversation moves forward (and you’re feeling more comfortable around each other,) it’s great to ask some more thoughtful questions to help build your connection. Together, you can use this opportunity to get to know your partner on a slightly more personal level. But, if the conversation feels a little bit slow or the pacing seems unnatural, have no fear! Confidence is key, and with the following questions you’ll be equipped for a great chat.
Here are a few online dating icebreaker questions to get you started:
- What’s the most embarrassing moment from your childhood?
- What’s your funniest memory with your best friend?
- What was the first band you ever saw in concert?
- What was the best prank you’ve ever played on someone?
- If you were to write a slogan for your life, what would it be?
- What’s your secret odd talent or party trick?
- What’s your favorite place to eat?
- Are you a morning person or a night owl?
- What is your dream job?
- What would your perfect vacation be like?
- What does your perfect morning look like?
- What is your best childhood memory?
- What’s a TV show that you don’t like, and what’s your favorite one?
- If you could have one superpower, which would that be?
- If you could go anywhere in the world and not worry about real life, where would it be?
- Do you believe in ghosts, superpowers or astrology?
Spokeo makes it a breeze to tackle online dating with confidence. You can search to verify someone’s identity with Spokeo, allowing you to focus on what matters most: finding your match and building your relationship — and then riding off into the proverbial sunset together.