You've read all the dating tips. You know a little bit about how to
be safe on dates. You know the routine, check the e-mails you've been
sent for consistency - things aren't matching up, then warning bells
should be sounding. Talk on the phone - does the voice match the age
or type of person? Those kinds of things. Trust your instincts.
Makes you wonder how many serial killers are out there masquerading?
They can hold their act together just long enough to lure you in, right?
Realistically there aren't enough serial killers to go around, so you
should be fine. Maybe it'd make you feel just a teeny bit better if
you could find out just a little more about this new date. You've asked
your friends but are coming up blank - isn't there something you can
do?
Well, your in luck, there is!
First,
I'd recommend Googling them! Surely you've heard about this? Use the
google search engine
and search their name. How? Basically go there and type in their name,
first and last. See what comes up. If you get too many, try their the
full name (with middle initial) if you know it. Still too many you can
try putting in the city they live in after their name. Sometimes it
also helps to put quotes around their name. (e.g., "John Smith")
The quotes help because if there is a page with Ralph Smith and John
Travolta -- but no John Smith, it wouldn't come back in the search results
if you typed in "John Smith". Bear in mind that there are
a lot of people in the world, so the bad news (he is a serial killer)
may not apply to your John Smith. Remember that.
Googling someone is something you do only to satisfy that curiosity
you have. It is not definitive. What you need for that is access to
databases!
Second,
you can try background searches.
There are plenty of companies out there that will search specific
people's background for you. Or you can use a services such as Wed
Detective
which lets you conduct
background checks and investigations easily
.
It's a service that let's check people out online and it's only $29.95
for unlimited searches. (The company claims you can see what's in their
FBI file, check out their driving history, locate their military records,
etc.) Not bad, especially if divide the cost. Have 3 dates over the
next couple of months? $10 per background check. 3 more over the next
few months? Well, you've paid $5 per check. It isn't bad after a while.
Check them out, see if you are interested. It may give you that extra
little piece of mind you need.
But remember - nothing is foolproof. Bad people can slip by, so only
because you get a good report on someone doesn't mean you can totally
let your guard down. And you shouldn't be overly suspicious of everybody
either.
Believe in yourself!
