With such easy and convenient access to the internet and social media, the online dating game is not something outwardly. In fact, it has brought people much closer and meeting new ones was never so easy. Online dating has been a resort for many. While social media sites like Facebook and Instagram facilitate new connections, there are always dating applications, meant to find your partner. But along with the use, there is also a lot of misuse of information available on these applications. The duping cases through dating apps are also on a rise. In a recent incident, the Delhi Police arrested a couple for duping over hundreds of men on a dating application by creating fake profiles. By using online money transferring, the couple duped men of Rs. 500-1000 and made fake female profiles for the men.

In the highlight of such cases, it is important to maintain safety the user's end and also be a little alert of the one who you are supposedly connecting with. The existence of fake profiles is also not new, there have been many from the rise of social networks and needless to say the misuse they cause. Here are some tips to consider if you are resorting to online dating and also being aware of the fake profiles. After all, your personal safety is of primary importance.

Safety Tips for Online Dating

Do Not Provide Personal Details: Whenever you are creating a dating profile, do not give out your address and telephone number at a go. Many applications just ask users to link their Facebook account for the convenience of filling details. Do not give Facebook access as it already has most of your details.

Make a Separate email account: For registering on any dating application, you will be asked to create an account with the help of your email id. Rather than giving your personal email id, it would be better to make a separate email for such registrations. Making a new email id is just a matter of few seconds and it will also keep you safe from any hassles if something goes wrong. Make this email id exclusively for other communication than your work and personal links.

Go Slow: It is easy to make connections with just a click but do not get carried away. Take your time and go easy with your conversations. If you portray yourself as needy and desperate, you are easy to be fall prey to any pickup lines and romantic gestures. Build meaningful conversations.

Meet at a Public Space: If you have had good enough conversations and are ready to take it forward to a meeting then make sure it is a public place. Do not hesitate to ask for somewhere close, in reach of your friends or near ones. Inform your friends about where you are going. Your first meeting should be a public space for your safety. Do not go to the person's house or any place that you have not even heard of.

While online dating sounds convenient it is also easy to con, since there are no immediate meetings. What you know of other person is what they have updated on profile and a little of your conversations. Fake profiles are a menace and there are ways you can figure that out too.

How to Recognise a Fake Profile

Do Not Always Trust the Photo: To create a fake profile, all one needs is a picture and a name. While you cannot predict by a name, a photo can be a giveaway. If the photo is of some model, it could be most likely a stock photo. A frequent user on the internet will know if the picture has been used or seen anywhere before, in ads or any other accounts. So the first step is do not alway believe what you see.

Conversations are repetitive: Someone pretending to be someone else, may not be too confident in their conversations. You can observe an inability to maintain a smooth flow of conversation, there could be a bot after all replying to you. The replies may be little related to your questions but not necessarily give you the answers. If the conversations sound fishy and going out of order, it is a scamster.

Urge to take the conversation on another medium: A prankster usually wants to avoid the same medium to be safe. Someone who is operating a fake profile will ask you to switch to Facebook or just directly ask for your number. It is a major giveaway for fake profiles. They send you other invitations to communicate on.

Google the profile thoroughly: When you have a name, just head over to Google and check it. The site will pop you with numerous social media profiles of the same name. Check if any of those photo matches. Today every person has a Facebook account, see if you do a little healthy stalking for your own safety. See the kind of friends they have or their pictures and post. It will give you an idea, at least a skeleton of the person you're interacting with. If nothing shows up, then you're talking to a shadow on the internet and you need to immediately stop and report the account.

Seek clues: Whenever you are chatting with a stranger you have to be careful. See if the story they are telling you matches their profile. It is extremely easy to have enticing conversations but you maintain a clarity in messages. If they have a sob story ready, the person is seeking sympathy, eventually asks for money then stay away. It is all a well-planned story.

Report: If you have all the clues in your hand and have safely identified a fake profile, do not just ignore. Report that profile. Request others to do the same, because if it was you today, it would be someone else tomorrow. Report the profile so that it is taken down and acted upon. Do not plainly ignore, bring it to notice of others as well.

These are some of the measures you should undertake whenever you are into online dating. The online dating game has worked really well for some, but there have been many other unfortunate incidences. Love and romance of fake nature have found its smooth way in the online sphere and it is not easy to avoid it. Most important thing is to be alert at all times and sometimes trust your gut feeling. If you have doubts clear them with the person, if they too are in for love then they really would not mind. Be safe!

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 19, 2018 12:30 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).