Online dating background screening

With today’s Internet age, anyone can have access to vital information about an individual. Employers can check on the background of job candidates, landlords on their potential tenants, and business entities on their vendors, suppliers, and business partners. Believe it or not, you can even make a background check also on a date you’ve been seeing before you decide on going further than plain dating.

More and more people are getting themselves into online dating to find a potential mate, partner or spouse. This essentially holds true to the busiest cities where most employees are on the go and allotting even a few minutes of their time to spend with a new acquaintance may become unsuccessful. Some people are more confident in making reports at home, for example, while waiting for a reply on the chat room. Also, there are instances when a new acquaintance at a party begins sending you e-mails almost every day showing you that he or she has interest in you. If you have mutual feelings, some type of background screening service is beneficial. Take note that when you have n enough knowledge of a new acquaintance, you may be opening yourself up to potential stalkers, thieves, sexual predators, and ex-convicts out to catch his next victim.

Don’t be fooled right away by a date’s flowering words and impressive remarks. Do your own research. There are plenty of background screening agencies that mastered the art of checking people on online dating sites. It would be best for you to check him or her out before doing moves other than dinner or movie dates.

You can find out who he or she really is by getting access of the person’s civil records, bankruptcies, tax liens, small claims judgments, previous addresses, property ownership, business ownership, aliases, relatives, neighbors, vehicle registrations, professional licenses and many more. You may find some screening companies that claim to provide you with all the information you need. This may not be the case though. There are some data that cannot be accessed though especially when they are not updated. Focus on the data you need the most. Your conversations with your date should be your basis. Whatever he or she tells you, like occupation and name, can be verified through an online dating background screening company.

  • Online Detectives Can Unmask Mr. or Ms. Wrong (nytimes.com)

Online Dating 101

Online dating has its own rules and perils.  If the concept of online dating is new to you, this article will give you some basic information to help you successfully navigate the scene.

To start with, there are different platforms for online dating services.  The most basic is a general online dating service where you can view everyone who has posted a profile.  Samples of this type of general dating sites include FriendFinder, and Match.com.  Then there are relationship-based services that find you a match based on criteria for compatibility.  This type of service is generally for those who take dating and finding a mate more seriously such as sites like eHarmony.  Social networking sites such as Facebook and Friendster are also venues for online dating, although the emphasis is not so much for online dating as it is on networking.  Nevertheless, some users do find relationships through these sites, usually through a mutual friendship.  There are also services who match up people with similar interests.  Niche dating services aim to take advantage of common interests and commonalities such as love for horses, or a certain age group.

If you do decide to take the plunge to online dating, then it is only prudent to exercise caution.  After all, the internet is populated by people of dubious backgrounds and motivations.  Until you know a person really well, it is best to remember that when dealing with strangers, too much caution is better than none.  Here are some pointers for online dating safety.

  1. Don’t give out personal information until you are absolutely sure that the person can be trusted. Information as simple as your full name and home phone number can lead a person to retrieve your complete address.  From there, it is a short journey towards learning where you work, how much you earn, even how much your home is worth.
  2. Trust your instincts.  If something tells you not to go through with something, or you somehow feel as if you can’t let your guard down with a certain person, don’t just disregard it.  Intuition can be a powerful tool, as there are some cues that your subconscious may be picking up on without you being fully aware of it.
  3. Use a dedicated email address just for online dating.  Remember that your email address reflects your full name.  Sign up for a free email address to keep this information private.
  4. Use a cell phone or anonymous phone service for dating-related calls. The same principle applies to keeping your home phone number private, at least until you really get to know a person better.
  5. Never let your guard down.  Though some online dating services may claim to run background checks on everybody, this is not always possible.  It is rather easy for a determined criminal to go through this background checks by using simple evasive strategies.  Don’t get lulled into a false sense of security.

Online dating can pave the way for meeting the right partner.  Still, it is in your best interest to think critically before rushing into anything.  There are thousands of successful online relationships that have ended in long-term commitments such as marriage.  You have to admit though, that even more have ended in crime or disaster.

Joana Chrystal Ventura-Moises is our resident expert on frameless shower doors.  She writes regular posts for websites such as this and Plumbing Point.