TORONTO - Police forces around the world spend fortunes trolling for and arresting Internet predators and educating parents, teens and children about cyber-safety.
By now, avid online shoppers ought to be well-versed in the dos and don'ts of sharing confidential financial information electronically.
And while the dangers of posting personal details on the Net have been drilled into the minds of most tech-savvy surfers, sometimes even adults forget and find themselves in dangerous situations.
Nowhere is this more evident than in the world of online dating, where thousands of vulnerable, unlucky-in-love men and women flock daily - often throwing caution to the wind - in the hopes of finding that special someone.
In December, a judge in Kitchener, Ont., sentenced a 36-year-old con man dubbed the "Online Casanova" to three years in prison.
Jivesh Jagoda - who described himself on dating website plentyoffish.com as a 26-year-old law student who was a Big Brother to underprivileged kids - was convicted of bilking 13 women he met online out of $150,000.
Last week, Ontario police arrested a 42-year-old man from Bancroft, Ont., for assaulting a woman he met through the Internet after he showed up at her home and found her in the company of another man.
Days earlier, Peel Region police issued a public advisory about Internet dating after a young woman from Mississauga, Ont., was violently sexually assaulted in her car after a restaurant date with a man she met online.
"In light of disturbing trends ... police would like to remind the public of the potential dangers when meeting an Internet acquaintance face to face," the advisory said. "Police would like to ensure that when using such services, both women and men remain vigilant with respect to personal safety."
Edmonton police spokesman Jeff Wuite said while police seldom get calls from adults who have been victimized by Internet predators, there are likely many incidents that go unreported.
"If they considered it to be minor, they won't report it because they're embarrassed even though it might not be minor," Wuite said.
He said those who participate in online dating make themselves vulnerable in certain ways.
"Just being on one of the those sites, you're giving up information that you're looking for someone," he said. "Just be aware that there are people out there that could be taking advantage of that. You have to exercise common sense."
Lavalife spokeswoman Lori Miller said the Toronto-based online dating site takes the safety and security of its 600,000 active online members very seriously.
She said participants must sign a "terms of use" policy in which they agree not to harass other members or use inappropriate language, and that they report any abuses.
Content monitors also review all photos and biographical write-ups before they're posted to ensure members haven't accidentally included any identifying personal information.
Miller said users are encouraged not to use their real names, to block other members from viewing their profile or contacting them if they feel uncomfortable, and to call in complaints which will be thoroughly investigated.
"I can tell you that on the site we have approximately 1.3 million messages that are exchanged every single day, so that's a massive, massive number of communications that go back and forth," she said, noting the number of complaints the company receives is relatively small.
While most people sign onto Lavalife because they "really do want to connect with someone else" and eventually "meet face to face," Miller said the safety risks of cyber-dating - at least at first - are relatively low.
"I can connect with someone online and have a conversation with them and I'll send photos and chat," she said. "If I become uncomfortable and I need to cut that conversation off, it's actually very, very simple. I use the block feature or I get offline."
Ottawa-based dating guru Sue McGarvey said Internet dating is the way of the future in today's fast-paced world, where many have a hard time meeting people on their daily jaunts from work to the grocery store to home.
While most men are looking for a good-looking, kind woman, McGarvey said women are generally looking for someone funny, humble and safe.
She urges cyber-daters to ask creative questions and to exchange e-mails three or four times before agreeing to meet in person, and notes impatient people and those who seem to change their story should be red-flagged.
If giving out a phone number, McGarvey suggests using a cell rather than a home line and meeting in a public place for coffee.
"There is that percentage that are going to be aggressive and are going to want to have sex with you right off the bat," she said. "Those are the ones you've got to worry about."
"I would argue those are few and far between, and you're going to have way more trouble with somebody you work with that develops a crush and can't get past it, than an inconsequential encounter that happens online."
A quick, unscientific poll of peers involved in Internet relationships turned up a myriad of stories about dates who became stalkers, who stole passwords and hacked into computer systems, who admitted they only wanted sex, and who weren't quite as described.
"There was a gentleman I met who had neglected to tell me that he was brain-damaged," wrote one young woman. "I thought his e-mails had gone on a bit. ... Then I met him and he talked in the same non-stop way. The real giveaway, though, was that his head was a bit concave."
But while such incidents have made some women more cautious, it certainly hasn't stopped them from going online to meet their next beau.
