Safety Tips | Yoga Singles

Yoga Singles wants your experience to be fun and enjoyable. We encourage you all to read the below safety tips and to reserve your better judgement when engaging people offline. If you do have any concerns please email us at info@yoga-singles.com.

Listen carefully

Use your instincts and common sense to guide you through conversations. If a person is being inconsistent with their behaviour or strange, avoid conversation and focus on someone else.

Be Selective

Remember the aim is to make a connection with someone special. In most cases you will be able to tell after a few conversations if they are someone you want to meet up with or not. If they are not, don’t feel pressure to go on loads of dates. It’s important you feel comfortable, safe and trust the other person before meeting with them. Take your time, and only meet up when you feel ready.

Protect your identity

Yoga Singles will not reveal any of your personal contact information with anyone else on this site. If you do decide to correspond through your own email program we strongly advise you do not reveal your last name, home address, phone number, place of work, personal website, or any other personal identification. Remember to turn your email signature off if you have one as well. If you feel you are being pressured or tricked into revealing this information, stop all communication with this person.

Check their photo

If you are in contact with someone who doesn’t have a photo up, request one. If the photo does not seem genuine, request several and make sure they are consistent. If they refuse, they may be hiding something or lying about who they really are.

Speak on the phone

After you have established solid online messaging contact, it’s a good idea to exchange phone numbers and have a conversations before meeting up in person. A phone call can provide valuable insight into a person’s communication and social skills. Do not give out your personal phone number. Instead, try a cell phone number or make arrangements to call from a pay phone. Only provide your phone number when you feel comfortable doing so.

Only meet when ready

The advantage of meeting and interacting online is that you can gradually collect information about your potential partner before making the decision to meet in person. There is never an obligation to meet anyone and you can always change your mind if you do decide to arrange a meeting.

Be Date Smart

Meeting for the first time can be extremely exciting, but be sure to keep your feet on the ground.

Choose a public place to meet where you feel comfortable and secure. Cafes for example are great places for first dates. A cup of tea can be a short encounter or a longer meeting, depending on how well you hit it off.
For your own safety, never agree to be picked up at your home, and always make sure you have a way to get yourself to and from the date.
Tell at least one friend or family member who you are meeting, where you are going and what time you expect to return. Let your date know that the meeting is not a secret and that others are aware of where you are going.
Stay sober throughout the date as having one too many could impair your ability to make good decisions.
Keep your drink and personal belongings within sight at all times, and if you have a mobile phone, always take it with you. Most mobiles can make emergency calls even when locked, or out of credit.
Incur large expenses on a date without first discussing how the cost will be divided.
Go home with someone, even if it feels like everything is going great. You have not spent enough time with them to assess whether your safety is at risk.

When in doubt, get out

It’s always better to be safe than sorry. When presented with an unsafe situation just leave. Don’t worry about what another person may think of you. Your safety is obviously more important.

Warning signs

Stay away from people exhibiting behaviour such as demeaning, disrespectful, or physically inappropriate comments. Anger and intense frustration may be attempts to pressure or control you so ignore these people. Below are a few more things to watch out for:

Inconsistent information on physical and personal characteristics.
Refusing a phone conversation after establishing an online relationship.
Not providing direct answers to direct questions.
Online persona is significantly different than in person.
Refusing to introduce you to friends, co-workers or family members.

Never share financial information

Never share your credit card details or any financial details. Never send someone money for any reason. Do not share passwords or private information like your mother maiden name. Protect your personal security.

Always Use Your Best Judgement

If you’re talking to someone online or by phone and they say things that raise your suspicions, consider ending the conversation. If you’re out on a date and you feel uncomfortable, leave. Remember to trust your instincts.

There are some common red flags when you’re getting to know someone new. We suggest you watch out for someone who:

Immediately requests to talk or chat on an outside email or messaging service.
Claims to be from the U.K. but is currently living, working, or traveling abroad.
Asks for money, goods or any similar type of assistance, especially if you have never met in person.
Asks you to assist with personal transactions (depositing funds, shipping merchandise, etc).
Wants the relationship to progress faster than you are comfortable going.
Reports a sudden personal crisis and pressures you to provide financial assistance. Be especially wary if the person’s demands become increasingly aggressive.
Asks inappropriate questions.
Requests your home or work address under the guise of sending flowers or gifts.
Tells inconsistent or grandiose stories.
Gives vague answers to specific questions.
Urges you to compromise your principles.
Constantly blames others for troubles in his or her life.
Insists on getting overly close, very fast.
Disappears suddenly from the site then reappears under a different name.

If a match does any of the above activities or makes you suspicious in any other way, please report this as a Yoga Singles Concern by emailing info@yoga-singles.com so that we can investigate the matter. Your safety is very important to us, we want you to enjoy dating!