Remember when you first told your relatives that you signed yourself up for online dating? Their immediate reaction was, “Be careful.” You probably told them it’s completely safe, you would never meet someone other than in a public location, and thousands of people are meeting people online these days. “What could possibly wrong?” you asked them. Well, anything, really.
There have been several local Louisiana and hundreds of national stories about the different types of crimes which have victimized members of online dating sites. So, as your relatives told you once already, if you plan to continue using online dating sites to meet men and women, BE CAREFUL. Whether you are choosing to meet people for dates through Match.com, OKCupid.com or the Tinder dating app, heed the advice of others and think everything through before you meet someone. Here’s just a few examples of why.
Online Dating Leads to Rape Arrest in Baton Rouge
This past Saturday, Baton Rouge Sheriff’s deputies arrested a man accused of raping a woman after they had met on the popular mobile app, Tinder. Tinder uses your mobile device’s GPS to determine where you are in the world, and shows you other men or women that are in the vicinity. You then have the choice to “like” or “pass” on each person that is shown to you. Apparently, Jacob Hirsch Witz, and the alleged victim had ‘liked’ each other. They arranged to meet up at her apartment (Rule #1: Meet in a public place).
According to the affidavit, the woman accused Witz of slapping her in the face, tearing her clothes and raping her as she begged him to stop. She also told the detective that Witz made her delete all of the text messages the two had exchanged and forced her to take a shower while he watched. Lastly, he told the woman, according to the woman’s account, “Pretend this did not happen. Don’t tell anybody. I did not rape you. I got to get out of here.”
Does online dating seem so innocent now?
Men Attached by Online Predators
Men, you can also be the victim of an online predator. Protect yoursef too! Just last week a man in New Orleans East was robbed at gunpoint by a woman that he met on an online social networking website. Again, this man broke the “rules” as he agreed to meet the woman in the middle of the night / early morning where he was then carjacked by two male accomplices. They had met on the social dating site, Tagged. The whereabouts of the three suspects is still unknown as of the time of this article.
This just in: On Monday, an 18-year-old went to meet up with who he thought was a woman he met online. It turned out, it was 10 men, four of whom were armed, that came to carjack him. Further details are not immediately available at this time.
Be Weary of Anyone You Meet Online
Do you remember actor and model, Dean Kelly’s arrest on rape charges in 2011 in New Orleans? Accused to raping two teenage girls in 2005, and initially charged with felony carnal knowledge of a juvenile, possession of child pornography, and second-degree kidnapping, Kelly was sentenced to 10-years in prison. He had moved to house arrest after 22 months, and during probation in 2013, Kelly was ordered not to use any type of social media or dating websites. In November 2013, Kelly was re-arrested after several women complained about his text messaging them.
During a search of Kelly’s home on the lakefront at the time of his arrest, detectives determined that Kelly had accessed Facebook to meet new women, luring young girls to give their real information out to him while he used aliases to meet them. The moral of this is that you can never be so sure of who you are meeting online, you do not know their past, their future, their mental capacity or their intentions.
While Kelly’s story represents a dark example of Hollywood actors using their stardom to wreak havoc, other celebrities have made mistakes. For example, actor James Franco internetionally sent messages to a young girl and attempted to ask her out. Sadly, the girl was 17 and Franco was chastised by the media. Franco responded, “Seventeen is legal in New York, but that being said, it’s still pretty damn young. They make it out like I’m pursuing young women. I’m not going to high schools looking for dates.”
Be Cautious When Online Dating: A Multitude of Crimes Possible
There are a number of other sex crimes that can be charge for activity on online dating websites, social media websites, or social media advertising. In addition to Facebook, Tinder, Tagged, Match.com, OKCupid, there is also Craigslist, which is known for its advertising.
When choosing to meet strangers via social media websites, online dating websites or apps, or even through a site such as Craigslist, where you might be exchanging goods or money even, make sure you are on the lookout for:
- Solicitation – Craigslist, in addition to social media and online dating sites, offers personal ads. There is little distinction between those looking to meet someone as a love interest or possibly soliciting you for sexual activity.
- Cyber Stalking – Once you meet someone online, it is possible that this person, who may or may not be the person they claim to be, will communicate with you, stalk you, research your information, or more, with the intentions of harming you, hurting your family, robbing you, or possibly even stealing your identity.
- Prostitution Ads – This is more prevalent on Craigslist than you probably imagine. Prostitution can be disguised in many different ways when it is online. Therefore, it is sometimes safer for those soliciting sex to meet someone through the web rather than on the street.
- Robbery – This is a very simple result of an online date gone wrong. If you are meeting someone in a non-public place, or in the middle of the night, there is very little that can stop a person from robbing you of your wallet, personal belongings, car or even whatever you might have in your home.
- Assault/Rape – Again, this is very possible if you do not meet someone in a public place. Even after a few dates with someone, you might think you know the person, and you decide to meet in one of your homes, privately. You don’t know this person. Assault or rape is very possible without anyone finding out.
Any of the above crimes can be enhanced if the person on the receiving end is a juvenile or infirm.
Here is the link to Part II of this series: The Dangers of Online Dating – Sex Crimes in the 21st Century
Online Sex Crimes: What To Do
We will continue with this series of online sex crimes with an article about the signs of a potential crime through an online dating site or social media website. We will also discuss what to look out for on Craigslist, Tinder, or Facebook and how you can avoid becoming a victim of an online predator. Stay tuned for tips on how to safely date online.
