SEX PREDATORS ON ONLINE DATING SERVICES

DID THEY ASK YOU FOR "PICTURES" (sexual in nature)? DID THEY ASK ABOUT YOUR SEXUAL HISTORY? BE WARNED!!!


A warning to single, divorced or separated persons about sex offenders, sex predators and sex addicts who may be using online dating services to find potential victims. The warning comes after a child advocacy group, Parent's for Megan's Law, received anonymous emails that a convicted child molestor named Michael Bradley was using online dating service Match.com. The advocacy group set up a sting, posting a fake profile of a mother of two boys and emailing Bradley. He responded, which is a violation of his parole. As a result, Bradley's computer was confiscated and he faces the possibility of having his parole revoked.

“It is the responsibility of consumers to protect their safety and that of their families, so do not rely on the assurances of dating sites that attempt to screen out predators,” said Dr. James Houran, spokesperson and feature columnist for Online Dating Magazine. “The best protection is to use your head in matters of the heart. Do not get so caught up in the excitement of online dating that you are not constantly alert – instead assume everyone online is a potential predator.”

Online Dating Magazine recommends the following five tips that parents should follow when using an online dating service: 1) Never post photos of your children in your profile or anywhere online. 2) While indicating that you are a single parent on your profile is ok, don’t talk about your children in your profile. 3) Don’t mention what gender or ages your children are. 4) If you’re dating someone, wait several months – until you are more serious – before introducing your date to your children. 5) Run a background and sex offender check on the person you’re dating before introducing them to your children or getting serious about them!  

Online Dating Magazine recommends that online daters take a cautious approach to online dating. The publication has a list of online dating safety tips on their site at http://www.onlinedatingmagazine.com. About Online Dating Magazine Online Dating Magazine is a consumer watchdog publication for online daters. Located at http://www.onlinedatingmagazine.com.

EOPC DOES NOT RECOMMEND ONLINE DATING OR SOCIAL NETWORKING FOR ANYONE AT ANY TIME FOR ANY REASON, EVER!