Sex Predators May Be on Online Dating Services


Filed Under Articles, Online Dating

Online Dating Magazine, an industry watchdog publication for online daters, has issued a warning to single parents about sex offenders and sex predators who may be using online dating services to find potential victims.

“The issue of sex offenders using online dating services isn’t a big problem,” says Joe Tracy, Publisher of Online Dating Magazine. “However once in awhile it does happen and recent events have caused us to issue this warning to help protect single parents and their children.”

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 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.

While online dating is generally a safe way to meet people, 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, the online publication contains more than 1,000 pages of original content, including daily tips and advice for online daters.

Note to Media To arrange an interview with Dr. James Houran or Joe Tracy on this subject, please call 503-315-2466 (media inquiries only, please) or email jtracy(at)onlinedatingmagazine.com

About Online Dating Magazine
Online Dating Magazine provides authoritative insight into the online dating industry. The publication serves over 50,000 unique readers every month, most of them singles participating in online dating. Online Dating Magazine is an independent publication, acting as a consumer watchdog group for online daters.

 

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