Since the first dating website was built in the 1990s, online dating has gained immense popularity and has become mainstream globally. In 2021, about 323 million people worldwide used different dating apps and services to find love and companionship, out of which over 13% got engaged or married to their partners. However, the quest for romance can sometimes become problematic and bring risks to individuals. Sad to say, dating apps are, unfortunately, an attractive target for cybercriminals who use any vulnerability to achieve their goal. Though WooPlus takes different safety measures to keep the data of over 2 million users safe, some malicious users might still slip through the cracks.
10 WooPlus Cybersecurity Tips for Safe Online Dating
While you are not responsible if somebody behaves in an inappropriate manner with you, there are some useful tips to enhance your safety while dating people online. Here we share our ten WooPlus cybersecurity tips to bear in mind for the next time:
Use a Different Profile Photo
The majority of dating apps, including WooPlus, require a profile picture. For dating profiles, it is better not to use the same image(s) that you have shared on your social media accounts. When you use the same picture on WooPlus as Facebook and Instagram, you can be easily found on social media. In addition, avoid using photos with which somebody can find out where you live or work. Potential scammers could pretend that they live or work near you to obtain your further information. Also, all these images could be used for blackmailing.
Stay Within the Dating App
While chatting with a potential date or someone who you have just found, it is better to keep your messages within the app. One common tactic scammers use is to move conversations off of dating sites or apps to encrypted platforms like Whatsapp, where their conversations cannot be easily monitored. So, if a person you are chatting with wants to switch to instant messaging or email, be cautious, as it is a red flag. Try to stick to WooPlus or any other app you use since you get an additional layer of protection. You can always report or block an individual if you sense something suspicious.
Communicate Well Before Meeting Out
As soon as you have matched with a potential date and chatted, consider taking your communication to the next level prior to meeting your date in person. Start with an audio call before meeting them in real life for the first time. This can be helpful to ensure your match is who they claim to be in their WooPlus profile. In case they resist a call, you can take it as a sign of suspicious activity.
Obscure Your Location from Strangers
It is advised to hide your actual location or home address from a virtual stranger before you get to know and trust them. WooPlus is a location-based dating app that automatically updates your location and recommends potential matches depending on your GPS location. Try not to use the app’s location settings or use it sometimes. Also, attempt to cast a wider net rather than allowing strangers to spot the area you reside in.
You can hide your location in WooPlus or other apps by simply connecting to a VPN on your mobile phone. A VPN, or virtual private network, enables users to stay online securely by hiding their IP address and geographical location. And even if your date has an idea of where you are based, you would still want to have your first few meetings somewhere other than at an eatery near your home. Remember that a little travel goes a long way to blocking some important information.
Do Not Share Links to Your Social Media Accounts
Always keep your dating profile and your social media accounts separate. You possibly have more personal information on social media accounts that can be used by scammers or hackers. Sharing social media accounts on dating profiles may open your data for foolery and thievery since they usually contain a plethora of information about you and your friends and family. And, if your dating profile gets compromised, other accounts may also be put at risk later on.
Avoid Sharing Your Personal Information
Besides sharing a unique picture on your WooPlus profile, make sure you share minimum personal details with others. This may include your surname, date of birth, contact number, home address, workplace location, email address, social media handles, instant messaging details, and so on. Such information can make it easy for cybercriminals to abuse and misuse it.
Also, never share your national identity numbers, driver’s license details, or financial information. Therefore, it is highly suggested not to overshare your personal information with other app users. Try using your first name or a nickname to create your WooPlus dating profile. If you receive an email requesting your login information pretending to be WooPlus, delete it and consider reporting.
Prefer Meeting in a Public Place
Avoid meeting someone you don’t know well yet in your home or workplace. It is advised to arrange to meet your date in a public place for the first few times. Meeting in a coffee shop, bar, or restaurant with many people around can be a better choice for meeting someone strange. Moreover, arrange your own transport so that you get full control of how to get to and from the date and leave whenever you can. Install a couple of ride-sharing applications on your smartphone so you have options if needed.
Tell Others Where You Are Going
Before meeting your date somewhere, especially for the first time, let at least one friend know when and where you plan to go on your date. It is a general yet invaluable safety tip in case you have no other way of checking your date outside the app constraints. Tell others the name and anything else relevant to your date that might be useful in tracking you later if needed. Plus, consider planning a safe call – ask a friend to call you partway through the date to check that you are doing okay.
Look Out for Shady Behavior
Cybercriminals who communicate via online dating applications keep no intention of meeting in person. They only want to continue communicating till the point in time when they can convince their dates to send them money and disappear in the end. If the person you matched with has shared limited information and only a single photo, then there are chances of it being a fake account. So, be careful when you choose to connect with a person about whom you have so little information. Trust your instincts about whether you feel something is right or not.
Feel Free to Report Aggressive or Illegal Behavior
Last but not least, secure dating apps like WooPlus encourage their users to report inappropriate behavior. There are options to report or block a user if you feel their profile or behavior is suspicious or weird. Some common examples of suspicious behavior scammers may use to manipulate others include claiming to be recently widowed with kids, requesting financial information, answering specific questions in a vague manner, sending offensive or harassing messages, requesting personal information or photographs, or trying to sell you products/services.
Play It Safe
Online dating is a great way to find romantic partners or casual dates. Given the above all tips for online dating, however, interacting with people through dating apps and services can sometimes have its own risks. So, to help you have a safe online dating experience with any dating app, including WooPlus, we have shared some simple tips above to be followed.
Best of luck, and stay safe out there.
