Pretty Russian brides

The Internet serves as a great tool to make new friends online, but how do you really know that smokin’ hot chick you’re talking to is not really a 43-year-old dude from Nigeria waiting to scam you out of cash and home?

Fortunately, it is not as difficult as you might imagine to find out who is real and who is not online, thanks to the fact that most date site scammers are too lazy and too stupid to create a believable online profile.

A huge majority of the people who use the Internet to make new friends and dates have positive experiences, but like any other endeavor, it also carries risks. In order to minimize risk, it is important that you are aware of your virtual surroundings.

For example, when you have met someone online, and you have spent some time getting to know each other through chat, it is often common to share photos of each other. Once a contact has sent you photos, you can then start asking about the story behind each photo, making sure to keep a good record of the answer you receive.

For example, you can ask about the name of a friend that appears in the photo, or the location of a certain photo. A week or two later, you can follow up by innocently asking another question about the same photo. If the person you are getting to know is a dating site scammer, there is a good chance they won’t remember what they told you earlier and will expose themselves through such carelessness.

Another good technique you can use to protect yourself is to eventually ask to see the myspace, facebook or twitter account of somebody you have met. If they are a real person, there is a good chance that their online identity extends beyond the dating site that you met them on.

At the same time, you should always be wary about giving away personal information or setting up an in-person meeting with people you meet online. The number of people that are seriously harmed through Internet relationships is relatively low, but some have been very bad indeed. Always practice caution when meeting new people online and if you do meet them, make sure it is in a very public place and in a large group.

You should also always be careful when downloading files received from your new online friends. Downloading harmful files could contain viruses or allow hackers to gain access to your computer. You should only download files from people you know well.

You can also take a few basic safety steps in order to protect yourself.

Keep your personal information personal: Information you post on the web can be accessed by anyone. Make sure to set your profile to private on social networking sites so that cons cannot steal your personal information.

Keep your finances private: Never, never, never, ever give out financial information to unknown persons on the Internet. If the deal is too good to be true, then it is probably not true.

Communicate: Never respond to messages that are threatening or make you feel afraid. Period.

Stay anonymous at long as you feel is necessary: Only use your screen name in chat rooms. Never give out your private information and be wary of people who want to meet you in person too quickly.

Be respectful: Never harass, bully, or threaten others on the Internet. Help maintain favorable conditions online to create positive experiences for everybody.

Follow the above tips and use a reputable free dating site that protects all of your personal information and you should feel safe to meet new friends online.

Read about online dating scams - time to get wise.