There is also the rumor that many of these mur IP address and present you with personal ads of people that supposedly are close to you, although many aren't. So, once again just check to see if other people have had good results and if they are matched with people in their areas or not.
 Another thing to watch out for is a tactic a few of the larger matchmaking sites have been accused of, which is personals goading. What this means is that when their membership was about to expire they received bogus romantic e-mails sent out by company employees in order to get them to renew their subscription. So, if your subscription is about to expire, and you get a romantic e-mail, be cautious.
 When visiting a singles site browse the personals before deciding to join. Ask yourself the following questions: Do the ads look real? Personals that sound too good to be true probably are. Are these people realistic? Singles that look like models are not always what they appear to be, some put pictures of other people on their sites. Just think of it this way, personal ads on matchmaking sites should look and sound like your average person.
 There are a lot of safety issues when you meet people from online dating services. For one thing, you have to realize that all an online dating service does it facilitate you meeting people, they do not run background checks, or anything like that, so before you meet someone from the Internet, maybe you should!
 At the very least do the following:
o Meet them, don't let them pick you up. Have a get away plan in place should you need it.
o Make sure you meet in a public place.
o Tell a family member and a friend your going out on a date, and with whom. Then at some point during the date, excuse yourself and call a family member or friend to let them know how things are going. Then, after the date, call your friend immediately, so they will know your alive! (sounds drastic, but you can never be too careful)
o Take your cellphone with you and make sure the battery is fully charged. Make sure you have emergency numbers programmed in your cell phone, for quick access.
o Do not get drunk. You need the perceptual powers of your mind, so you do not end up in a body bag somewhere.
o Make sure you keep all personal items with you at all times!
o If you go to the bathroom, make sure your drink is empty, or simply ask for a new glass of water, when you get back from the bathroom. You don't want even a chance of having something slipped into your drink.
o Do not go home with a person on the first date. Even if you really like them, this could lead to trouble, many of these people are con artists and know all the right moves to make you comfortable. The goal is to stay in a public place.
o If things go badly, leave, if you are followed do not go anywhere alone, stay with a group of people, and call a friend to come pick you up.
o If you have a good time and feel at ease around the person, then set up another date and keep following the above rules, until you are sure about the date's intentions.
atchmaking or online dating service sites will claim they can determine your location based on yo