PLAYING IT SAFE ONLINE

Written by LINDA J ALEXANDER, ESQ


Continued from page 1

Never go out with someone who will only give you a pager or work phone number. (There is a very good chance of a spouse inrepparttar house.)

When someone gives his or her phone number, find a reason to call unexpectedly. This may help you to find out if she is married or he is living with someone.

Find out whererepparttar 111329 person works and if you can call him or her at work

First Date Know-How

Be careful when agreeing to meet anyone in person. Setrepparttar 111330 conditions for your date and do not letrepparttar 111331 other person change them. Remember, you really do not know someone until you spend time with them in person. Represent yourself accurately. Exaggerating or deceiving is easy online. Areas to be particularly cautious about are marital status and physical appearance. Begin with a request for a picture and send them a recent one of you. If someone is unwilling to send a recent photo, this is warning sign. If he or she continuously comes up with an excuse, it is because that person has something to hide. Having a scanned photo is available at Kinko's for less than ten dollars, so there is no valid excuse for not doing it. After you have exchanged photos, continue to fill inrepparttar 111332 gaps, so thatrepparttar 111333 other person does not create you in their image. Keep it honest.

Always tell someone where you are going with your date and when you will return. Leave your date's full name and telephone numbers with that person and write it down. For a small fee, you can leave information regarding where you are going and allrepparttar 111334 pertinent details with a service called SmartDate at If your date wants you to keep it secret, this is a very big red flag. Protect yourself.

Always meet in a public place that you are familiar with on your first date. Stay near other people in a lighted area. Getting together for coffee is a pleasant, casual way to get to know someone.

Never allow yourself to be picked up from your house. Giving your address out to a stranger is not safe. Arrange your own transportation so that you can leave if there is any sign of trouble.

Pay attention to everything that this person has told you about him or herself. If you find out that your date has lied about anything, this is another red flag. Do not bring your date back to your house afterrepparttar 111335 first meeting. You do not know this person. Userepparttar 111336 same kind of common sense and rules that you would use in any type of dating relationship.

Be smart and be safe. Take control of your future. Know what you are getting into before you invest your heart, money, or your life. Information isrepparttar 111337 key.



LINDA J ALEXANDER is an attorney and the President of WhoisHe.Com and WhoisShe.Com. A professional service which provides comprehensive background, criminal and civil record checks on prospective mates, employees, business partners, future step-parents, Nanny Checks, business partners since 1997. To contact her call 760-806-4377 or email checkhimout@whoishe.com and checkherout@whoisshe.com


ARE YOU PLACING YOUR CHILDREN IN DANGER?

Written by LINDA J ALEXANDER, ESQ


Continued from page 1

Sometimes children disappear when taken by some relative or family "friend" who may or may not intend to harm them. The White House issued a grim press release in August of 2002, stating that that each year. "More than 58,000 children are abducted by non-family members" and "Many of these children are returned home quickly, but some are not." There are heartbreaking horror stories of children abducted and murdered, seemingly by random, atrepparttar hands of strangers. Yet too many times children are abducted, molested, or killed by a neighbor or someone else known torepparttar 111328 child orrepparttar 111329 family. These are agonizing betrayals since children may so easily be lured by a predator they know and might even like. Considerrepparttar 111330 case of little Danielle Van Dam whose neighbor, David Westerfield, was convicted of kidnapping and killing this trusting child who knew him from her own, supposedly "safe", neighborhood!

We cannot wrap our children in a bubble of absolute protection and still allow themrepparttar 111331 freedom to grow and explore life. We can, however, commit our parenting skills to prevention, assuring our children and ourselves that we are doing everything we can to keep them safe. Certainly we can keep an up-to-date file folder on each of our children with all ofrepparttar 111332 personal information that would be necessary to identify them. We can, and must, carefully consider all people we allow to have contact with our children. There have been far too many cases of children molested, abused, kidnapped or killed by a boyfriend ofrepparttar 111333 mother. Perhaps along with child support payments from non-custodial parents, we might start a trend toward using background checks when either custodial parent allows a boyfriend or girlfriend to share a dwelling with their child.

Statistics showrepparttar 111334 standard of living after divorce often decreases, especially for women who become head ofrepparttar 111335 household. It is not surprising then that a mother who is struggling financially might be tempted to rush into a live-in arrangement with someone to help withrepparttar 111336 responsibilities. Many times predators look for just these types of situations.

Seldom, however, do these single parents stop to think that they may be putting their child in harm's way under their own roof! Situations like this beg for background checks before handing overrepparttar 111337 house key, andrepparttar 111338 safety and well being of an innocent child.

Children depend onrepparttar 111339 parents who are there to love them and tend to their needs. Background checks through organizations such as WhoisHe.Com and WhoisShe.Com are an affordable way to learnrepparttar 111340 history ofrepparttar 111341 person you are expecting your child to allow close to them. You are your children's first line of defense. Don't let them down!

LINDA J ALEXANDER, ESQ is an attorney and the President of WhoisHe.Com / WhoisShe.Com. WhoisHe.Com and WhoisShe.Com provides comprehensive background, criminal and civil record checks for employment screening, prospective mates, business partners, nanny checks, in-home service providers, Nanny Checks, future step-parents since 1997. She can be reached at 760-806-4377 or at CheckHimOut@WhoisHe.Com or CheckHerOut@WhoisShe.Com


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