The dangers of online dating

The Dangers of Online Dating

The internet has progressed and continues to progress as time passes. It is now a place where people can meet and communicate with each other, whether they are in two completely different locations or the same location. The Web has helped us communicate as if we are right next to each other. Thanks to that people can now date online. According to Wikipedia, “Online dating (or Internet dating) is a system that enables people to find and introduce themselves to potential connections over the Internet, usually with the goal of developing personal, romantic, or sexual relationships.”. But is Online Dating dangerous? In my opinion Online dating is in fact dangerous because of the numbers of criminals using them and for the false advertisement these sites give out.

 Online dating is dangerous because of the number of criminals using them. There are many online dating sites such as match.com, eharmony.com, christianmingle.com, and much more. Unfortunately, these sites are packed with people who have created a false profile for themselves. Many of these liars are rapists, sex offenders, criminals, etc. portraying themselves as innocent normal people. When it comes to online dating, criminals and predators take advantage because they know that online dating sites are filled with victims they can harm. For example, in 2018 a man who was arrested for murdering, raping and holding a woman captive used dating website to connect with his victim. Sadly, this is one of many tragedy dating apps caused.

The other reason why online dating is dangerous is because of the false advertisements that are portrayed. Many times, on the television we see online dating advertisements, they always have at least two couples who have met and been married due to that site, but how can we know if that is true? People just choose to believe what they say only because it was on television. They feel that since it is on their screen it must be a real success. These online dating advertisements do not inform the viewer about the possible dangers that can happen under the pretext that they do not want to lose their business and the trust of their clients. Beckman Simerson, a woman who was stabbed repeatedly with a butcher's knife, as well as a machete, at her home by a guy she met on a dating site,  said the same thing regarding online dating, “They don't say one in five are part of an attempted murder or one in five are killed," Beckman said. "They don't tell you people are missing”. She also claims that sites like Match should offer warnings to their members about just how dangerous some of the people in their dating pool can be.

In conclusion, online dating sites are mainly dangerous because of all the criminals or predators seeking for victims, and all the lies that the advertisements present so people can trust online dating. It is a shame that the internet is packed with low lives that want to harm others, but hopefully one day there will be a solution that will put an end to the dangers of online dating.

Resources:

https://www.nydailynews.com/news/crime/stabbing-victim-sues-match-10-million-article-1.1247969

https://www.cnn.com/2018/07/29/us/danueal-drayton-dating-websites-new-york-california/index.html

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