Presbyterian Singles

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Online Dating Safety

Among all the excitement and thrill of meeting new people, don't forget to keep cool head and use the following steps of precaution. Just like in conventional dating, online dating requires you to use your common sense and trust your instincts to be safe.

Remember that you are in control of your online dating experience at all times. You can remain completely anonymous until you feel comfortable to reveal your identity.

To help you safely navigate in the world of online dating we outlined some of the most important Dos and Don'ts:

Before you make a decision to meet a person, follow these tips:

1. Do take it slow

Do not rush to meet someone right away after a few nice emails. Try to get to know the person first through the secure and anonymous email system on our website. Ask all important questions, see photos and/or a video of the person. If you sense something is not quite right, keep asking questions until you are satisfied with the answers. Be patient; if the person is also serious about dating, he or she will respect that.

2. Do guard your identity

Do not include your full name, e-mail, home address, workplace, phone numbers, or any other personal information on your profile or when corresponding with other members. Don't share your identifying information until you feel comfortable doing so and have a good understanding of the kind of person you are communicating with. When you decide to take your communication with a member outside this website, use a separate email address (you can open a free email account on Yahoo, Hotmail or Gmail).

3. Do trust your instincts

Trust your gut feeling and if anything makes you uncomfortable or threatened, end the communication. Remember, if something seems too good to be true, it's probably is. Don't doubt instincts.

4. Avoiding sexual assault:

We don't offer criminal background check of new members. However we do manual approval of all new membership applications to detect any possible fraud or false information. Prior to dating you should assume that the person is guilty until proven innocent. During the first few dates we recommend that you have your family members or friends to join. Once you get to know the individual we recommend to keep meeting in public places for a period of three to six months.

When going out on a date, make sure that at least two members of your family or friends know where you will be and time you expect to return. They should contact police if they don't hear from you. Christian Singles Commitments Corp. and its websites (including presbyteriansingles.net) is being held harmless against any damages for any rape charges or sexual assaults resulting from dating online.

AT THE MINIMUM WE RECOMMEND YOU FOLLOWING THE TIPS BELOW:
- Suspicious activities such as sexual gestures must be taken seriously.
- Meeting at his or her place is never a good idea unless you are engaged.
- In addition to your mobile phone, carry with you some type of self-defense weapon.
- Do not hesitate to contact police at any time if you are harassed, being solicited or forced in anything against your will.
- Arrive at the place of your date earlier to observe the surrounding activities.
- Prior going out on a date, use the official FBI website to run a search in 50 states to make sure your date in not on a registered sex offenders list:
http://www.fbi.gov/scams-safety/registry
http://meganslaw.ca.gov/search_main.asp?searchtype=name

Done enough investigation and feel comfortable to meet in person? Make sure to follow these tips:

1. Do meet in a public place.

However trivial, still the best choice for a first date remain places like a coffee shop, restaurant, shopping mall, etc. Do not pick or agree to go to a secluded spot with little or no people.

2. Do notify your friends or/and family.

If you decide to meet, tell your friends or relatives where you are going, with whom, and when you expect to return. Make sure you have your cell phone with you and it is fully charged.

3. Do provide your own transportation to and from the meeting place.

Do not have your date picking you up or dropping you off at your home. At this point in your relationship, he or she shouldn't know your address yet.

4. Don't drink excessively.

Stay sober on your first date. Excess alcohol will not only impair your judgment about the person you are meeting for the first time, but may put you at risk.

There are scammers on every social website. To be safe learn how to spot a scam and avoid it.

If you encounter someone asking for money, spamming or any odd behavior please report them to us immediately.

Following are most common scams used on the internet:

If you receive a message from a member stating that their relative died and they inherited a lot of money and now need a bank account to transfer the money.
If you receive a message offering you money for a service you haven't performed or from a person you don't even know.
If the member asks you to send money to arrange for a visa or tickets to fly to see you, asking to pay for internet, or for an urgent surgery, etc. after a few tender emails.
If the person contacting you is much younger.
If the member's message contains large amount of spelling errors and especially if the profile indicates s/he has a good education.
If a member says that he or she have fallen in love with you just after a few emails..
If they say represent themselves as foreign government officials.

Remember: The scammer's story could be very emotional to gain sympathy from the victim.
How to avoid scam?
Very simple! DO NOT SEND MONEY to anyone.

Don't reply to anyone who is requesting your personal email right away.
Don't reply to emails asking for personal banking information or when asked to assist in placing large sums of money in overseas bank accounts.
Ask questions such as where do they live and nearby cities; ask them specific questions about their profession, etc. Most of the times, they don't know anything about it or wont reply.
If in doubt, keep asking questions or ask friends, relatives or our customer support team for an opinion.

Help us identify scammers by reporting them to us.

Remember that any type of solicitation, spam or fraud from an account at Christian is against our policy and will lead to an immediate termination of that account! Please report scam. Reports from our members prove to be the most efficient way to fight it.
How to report a scam:
You can report a member to us by simply:

- Emailing us the scammer's username by using the "contact us" form.

- While viewing the members profile click on the report scam icon.

We continuously monitor and block emails of anyone who uses profanity, solicits for sex or money, sends out spam, or commits fraud.

Married? Criminal? Solicitor? Scammer? Christian Singles is a Christian site. Married people, sex offenders, solicitors and spammers are not allowed to join this site and will be reported to the applicable State and US District Attorney Office in Washington DC and Interpol in London. If the unwanted member is from another Country, s/he will be reported to the local authorities.

We are a safe site. Our approval/admission process of new members may take up to two days (48 hours) to block unwanted members from joining this site. Our members communicate and report any unusual activities. If you are Married, a Criminal, a Solicitor or a Scammer, it is just a matter of time for us to reveal your identity.