How do I date online safely?

Only write back and forth 2 or 3 times.

Then make your decision to either meet them in person, or to stop communicating.

The longer you communicate, the more the "relating" becomes a fantasy, your expectations become unrealistic, and you become attached to someone who might actually be NOTHING like you think they are.

So use the online communication only for setting up an in-person meeting.

If they live out of town, tough ... don't communicate with them.

Because it takes about 2 years of steady dating, in person, to get to know if they are someone you should commit to. And you cannot possible do that if you two don't live in the same town.

As for meeting in person, arrange to meet at a public place, and provide your own transportation there .. and back home too.

Meet with them many times before you get alone with them.

Have your friends hang out with them in a public place, and make sure you hang out with their friends in a public place ... get to know them as they REALLY are, not as their date-face appears.

Only once you have gone out many times should you even let them know where you live or work, or what your home phone number is.

There are a lot of crazy people, and you need to be cautious.

And do NOT try to establish any "relationship" that is NOT about meeting up in person. That is not a relationship at all ... online "relationships" are an exercise in self-delusion and have unsavory results.

Kira is dangerously incorrect.

90% of what we understand about another comes ONLY from in-person interactions. You can video call for months, but all you build is a delusion. And your attachment is based on that delusion.

She is right only in that you should never get attached from "virtual" dating.

you have to video calls with the person first. Talk and get to know each other for months. In that span of time you will eventually get an idea about the person you are talking to. if that person refuse or give a lot of excuses to video call with you then that's a big red flag. One more thing, just dont, i repeat DON't get yourself too attached while you are "virtually" dating.