Things You'll Need:
- Cell phone
- A friend to call you
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Step 1
Choose your dates carefully. Don't necessarily accept the first invitation you receive (or the 10th). Wait for someone you are really interested in and feel a connection with.
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Step 2
Correspond with your chosen online dating candidate extensively using e-mail, chat and phone. Talk about more than just the weather - what kinds of goals do you have? How about your families? If your prospective date is reluctant to talk about anything other than superficial subjects, at best he or she may not be serious, at worst he or she could be up to no good.
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Step 3
Make your first meeting a short one in a busy, public place. Coffee at Starbucks perhaps, or something similar. If you go on a full-blown dinner date and realize immediately you aren't comfortable, you have to suffer through an entire evening. A quick meeting will let you each decide if you are interested in meeting again. And a busy public place is safest for everyone.
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Step 4
Arrange for a friend to call you midway through your date. Set up a code word ahead of time that your date won't recognize as a red flag - for instance, if your friend asks "how's it going," you can answer "great" if it really is great or "hunky dory" as your code word. If you say your code word, your friend knows to come to the rescue, but your date won't realize you've called for the cavalry.
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Step 5
Most importantly, use common sense! If something seems fishy, don't do it. If you are uncomfortable with your surroundings, don't wait - leave right then. Your safety is the most important thing!
