Pocono News Section

I-Team: Is Internet Dating a Web Deceit?

I-Team: Is Internet Dating a Web Deceit? - Wednesday, May 6, 2009 at 5:50PM EST

The world of internet dating can be rewarding but very risky. Many have posted racy personal adds on the website Craigslist.
Police say a Boston man killed a woman after targeting her on that website. We talked about the scary side of internet dating, with someone who’s used online dating services for four years.

We talked with a woman named Abby. She didn’t want to give us her last name. She says after one date set up through an internet service, she received a phone call. “I picked up the phone and it was him and I said, how did you get my number? He said, I have my ways," said Abby.

She also said, "The websites, even though they claim to be secure are not secure."

She's keeping her guard up after hearing about the man police call the Craigslist killer. She's had some bad online dating experiences. "We had lunch in a restaurant and he came on very, very strong from the beginning, everything was sexually oriented and before the salads got to the table, I got up and walked out of the restaurant," said Abby.

A few days later, Abby learned her bad lunch date was blocked from using the internet dating site. It just shows how wide open the online dating world can be.

Just take a look at the casual encounters section for Wilkes-Barre and Scranton's Craigslist page. People are looking for just about anything and offerup their services, with only a picture request for a background check.

Wilkes University Assistant Sociology Professor Ebonie Cunningham-Stringer says, "I think everybody has the idea that it won't happen to me, despite you know other cases that have come up."

Cunningham-Stringer says people might drop their guard during internet dating. Some create alter egos, in an effort to lure in love. "A lot of those inhibitions are broken down on the internet. You know, you're in the comfort of your own home free to be yourself and free to create the person that you want to be,” says Cunningham-Stringer.

Sometimes that can have a deadly outcome. Police arrested Boston's Robert Markoff, accusing him of killing a masseuse he met on Craigslist. Cunningham-Stringer has talked to her class about this, and gives this advice: "As always you have to keep your eyes open and look for the signs."

Signs that the person you're meeting isn't who you thought they were. Abby saw the bad signs from a mile away. “You should always trust your instincts, always go with the gut feeling, never doubt it," says Abby.

Sound advice when you're heading down the uncertain road of internet dating.

Last month, the Connecticut Attorney General called on Craigslist to take tougher actions on removing prostitution ads from it's site.

Craigslist Chief Executive denies the website offers sex-related advertising. He says, if it's found, it's taken off immediately.