Personally speaking, I think dating online personals should all be held to a higher standard, before they can be allowed to post profiles. So many people have an invincible mentality. Therefore, when something bad happens, it comes as a totally shock to discover that something could have been done to prevent the pain, and worse, in the first place.
Most personals sites are formed for people that want to find an instant companion or all-time love. The same people will spend more time picking out a new outfit or a new car, than they do when it comes to matters of the heart. How much can be told about a person based on professed age, gender preference, or a photo, assuming everyone who participates in these sites is telling the truth.
Which brings up the next point: how does anyone know whether the person, he/she is telling intimate secrets to, is really who he/she professes to be. What if the majority are not being totally aboveboard, while the minority is honestly trying to find a compatible match? Most individuals assume the opposite, but how can anyone be sure?
Instead of hearing news of unsuspecting lovelorn people getting duped out of their life savings, or young girls becoming the victims of horrendous crimes, why cannot sites have some sort of safeguards to help weed out the people who are not being honest, and most like have ulterior motives other than finding companionship and love?
First, every subscriber should have to provide some sort of references, job history, etc. Then, anyone wanting to have the opportunity to contact someone on the site should have to pay the one time price of a background check. For one it would weed out the Hobos claiming to be millionaires, married individuals pretending to be single, and criminals who are looking for his/her next victim.
Dating online personals basically do not have any rules or boundaries. Anyone can sign up, say whatever they darn well please, and who is going to challenge whether he/she is being truthful. For the people sincerely looking for a compatible match, the lack of accountability can often lead to heartache or worse. So, these matchmaking resources need to take their position seriously and implement a few safeguards.
