Karla Orihuela

October 15, 2014

Analysis Paper
The earliest recorded evidence of online dating began in the 1700s with the modern
invention of newspaper. Acting as a medium of love, lonely bachelors looked for wives through
printed ads. The marital services from that century were just the beginning of the amalgamation
between technology and dating. With the invention of Internet, the proliferation of dating sites
has become a cultural phenomenon around the globe. Sure enough, the use of the Web to find a
partner should surprise no one; in fact, the use of the Web is coherent. It can not only find your
soul mate locally, but it allows us to see and learn about the person at the other end of the
computer. However, this love interaction has escalated into a hazard industry over the years
reporting alarming numbers of scams and sexual assault victims.
Each year scammers target thousands of victims in online dating sites. Camouflaging
their real intention behind affectionate poems, these scammers sole purpose is to compel their
victims into doing anything at their disposal. They attack the victim emotionally, playing any
possible tragic scenario in their favor to keep the victim awfully attached to the point that he or
she will willingly send money to these deceitful users. In 2011 alone, the FBI Internet Crime
Complaint Center got 5,600 complaints from victims of scammers with collective losses of over
$50.4 million (IC3). Take a minute to digest these numbers, and if we think about it, the amount
could be much more as victims are too ashamed to confess exactly how much money they have
dispensed.
Furthermore, these lies heightens to ulterior motives. Online dating sites have become a
pool of prey for predators. Ten percent of sex offenders report using online dating sites to find

Karla Orihuela

October 15, 2014

their victims (IC3). Mary Kay Beckman could have not known that she will be stabbed ten times
when meeting Wade Ridley through Math.com (CBS). Another woman who traveled to Illinois
after meeting Derrick Chaney in a dating site was sexually assaulted and held prisoner by
Chaney on their first date (Chicago Tribune). Nationwide in the U.S there are 747,808 registered
sex offenders. Narrowing the population of sex offenders in Florida as of 2006, there are 33,280.
The pie chart below shows how many registered sex offenders there are in cities where
major public universities are situated.

Registered Sex Ofenders

Orlando - UCF

Boca Raton - FAU

Miami - UM

Tallahasee - FSU

Tampa - USF

Gainsville - UF

4%

18%

27%

5%
20%

26%

Surprisingly, Orlando has the highest sex offenders rate than any of the other cities. That
is, about 179 predators will register on these sites. That is a big problem because most of UCF
students who are registered in online dating sites are likely to meet anyone that lives in Orlando
without a safe way to confirm if that persons profile is legitimate.
Now, what are the chances of meeting a sexual predator in a dating site than at a bar, or
even at school? In reality, about the same. Nevertheless, the circumstances changes slightly.

Karla Orihuela

October 15, 2014

When in a bar, you are usually surrounded with friends whereas when meeting someone online
you are usually on your own. So, what happens if I decide to go to the bar by myself? Again,
they are about the same, but when we register in online dating sites there is a 100 percent
exposure to the unknown. We are taking risks that could be avoided. Now not every online set up
has to be a terrible ending, sometimes they have a happy ending. My aunt, after difficult past
relationships, decided to turn to online dating sites, where she met her future husband in India.
Connecticut, New York, Florida, Texas, New Jersey are among states that have passed
laws requiring dating sites to post safety notices. Although this is measures have been taken,
according to law enforcement official, theres no way to know what percentage of sexual assaults
is linked to online dating. Online dating sites such as eHarmony, Spark Networks, and Math have
introduced new safeguards against sexual predators, scammers, and identity thieves. Background
search services and tools like MyMatchChecker.com, ValiDate, and Date Check have launched
up as well (DNews).
Going over some of these dating sites such as eHarmony, I noticed that the site does
everything to promote love but nothing on how to be safe or the potential problems with online
dating. Of course they are not going to give bad advertisement to their sites, but it should at least
do a better rhetoric job to show why it can be safe or tips to stay safe. Alcohol beverages and
cigarettes are forced to label on their product warning messages when is consumed. Just like it, I
think dating sites should as well label warning messages when dating online.
Online dating is one of the biggest hits in todays technological world. With millions of
people registered, this phenomenon is not going anywhere. And the sad truth is that the problem
that comes with it cannot be completely fixed. A woman law suited Match.com because the

Karla Orihuela

October 15, 2014

company did not mention it was dangerous (CBS). But lets be honest, we are all capable enough
to realize the dangers of these sites, we hear it on the news but the problem is that we never think
it could happen to any of us. People will still register on these sites, out of curiosity or out of bad
past relationship, whichever the case, what can be done is raise awareness and hope both men
and women are well aware on what they are getting themselves into. Promoting the dangers of
online dating in online dating sites itself, link pages that can perform a background check on a
person and covering essential tips to stay safe is one of the ways I think it can give future online
daters a tool to defend themselves.

Karla Orihuela

October 15, 2014

Works Cited
U.S.A. Internet Crime Complaint Center, IC3. Romance Scams. FBI, n.d. Web.
<http://www.ic3.gov/media/annualreport/2011_IC3Report.pdf>.
"Woman Sues Match.com For $10M After Getting Matched With Murder Suspect Who Brutally
Attacked Her." CBS Las Vegas. N.p., n.d. Web.
"Sexual Assaults Linked to Online Dating." Chicago Tribune. N.p., 22 Nov. 2012. Web.
"More Background Checks for Online Dating Sites : DNews." DNews. N.p., n.d. Web.