On-Line Dating Security
I’m pretty sure I was propositioned by a prostitute on Match.com this morning.
I could be wrong, of course, but when a 27-year-old woman who’s profile says she’s “almost divorced” and looking for people in the age range between 35 and 37 sends an email to a 43-year-old man (ie. me) asking if he’s interested in a “one-nighter”, it seems suspicious to me. Maybe I’m just cynical.
She started off sending me a short note that was a little vague, but at least sounded like she might have possibly read my profile. Well, except for the part where I was 43. But, most people I bump into out in the world aren’t very detail oriented, so I gave her the benefit of the doubt and suggested that I might be a little old for her. I went on to explain that I wasn’t comfortable dating someone who hadn’t started school yet when I would have graduated from college. What I didn’t say was that it would make me feel like a pervert to dating someone potentially young enough to be my daughter, but, that’s what I was trying to get at, in a polite way. Then I wished her good luck in her search and went on my merry way.
This morning, I got a note back asking if I was interested in a “one-nighter”. And, then she gave me an e-mail address at Hotmail.com. That raised two, giant red flags for me. First of all, while I am a wizard in the sack, there’s nothing about my Match.com profile that would indicate that to the casual observer. And, frankly, while many women find me absolutely adorable, I think that’s more based on my personality and sense of humor than my rugged good looks. It’s been years since I was pretty.
So, sure, maybe she’s just a messed up kid trying to work out her “daddy issues” and not a hooker, but I suspect that she’s looking for an entirely different kind of “daddy”. Either way, I don’t need that particular flavor of drama at this point in my life. Seriously.
But, oddly enough, earlier in the week, I was reading a security blog at TechRepublic by Michael Kassner. The entry was titled “Online Dating Services Risking More Than a Broken Heart” and was all about the potential security issues related to on-line dating. Now, I work in the industry and I maintain pretty decent security, even at home, but I know not everyone is quite as paranoid as I am. And, that’s just within the IT industry! I cannot imagine the wild and wooly dangers faced by people foolish enough, or desperate enough, to contact someone who seems to good to be true through their own, personal e-mail address! Not to mention how much data you put up on a profile that may be active indefinitely on a dating site.
So, go read his article and think about what you put out there, where you put it and who might be reading it.
Oh, and one last bit of dating advice from your Uncle Jim, if she seems too good to be true, she probably is!
Advice from your Uncle Jim:
"In life, as in football, you don't go far unless you know where the goalposts are."
--Arnold Glasgow
