Dating Sites: Red Flags to Avoid

We've all had the experience: go to any of the million dating sites out there, build a profile, send a few messages... And a few days later, the sexiest, man-of-your-dreams type has sent a message, asking for a date. Strangely, he's in some other city, say, New York, has the typical form message, and his picture appears to be stolen from Google Images. But what's that they say about hindsight 20/20?

That's right: you've been hit by a spammer. Whether it's a spammer, liar, thief, or otherwise, the Internet is full of them, and they're best to be avoided. Here are the top red flags you should be aware of.

He Looks Perfect

I'm sure he does. Unfortunately, with the invention of Google Image Search and stock photo sites, there are many easy ways to getting access to a wide variety of pictures of the more attractive beauties of our time. If he looks too good to be true, trust your instincts... he probably is.

Furthermore, if all he or she has is a picture of a dog... It's a bad sign. They're either fake or terribly self-conscious, and possibly for a reason.

He Just Signed Up

While not inherently a bad thing, it's best to play interaction with a new member with a bit of caution. Give them time to prove themselves, and they may turn out to be real, but more often than not, you'll probably be disappointed when all they have to say is, "Check out this site."

He Has Nothing On His Profile

Again, this is not inherently a bad thing. However, I'm finding a disproportional amount of spammers and liars have absolutely nothing on their profiles. Sure, if combined with a new membership, this can just mean they haven't gotten around to it, but if they have no profile after a year, they're apparently not taking it seriously, and at best are looking for a "hook-up" and nothing more. Avoid these people like the plague.

Now, a few things to keep in mind: First, women are just as guilty of this as men. Second, again, this is not necessarily a definitive guide. Some scammers don't match any of these, and some genuinely good people match all of them. These are just little things which should be raising your alertness level.

The best way to be sure somebody is, in fact, who they say they are, or otherwise, is to talk to them. If all they do is say, "lol" and ask questions about you -- getting increasingly personal and pushy all the way -- then it's probably best to end the conversation. Even if they're real, they're still annoying at best, right?