Online dating is now vogue. People sign up with various services and think the information provided about a person is true. The potential partner appears to reveal his or her age, occupation, hopes and dreams for the future and often ends with the standard, “I love walking on the beach.” What they do not reveal is whether or not they have ever committed a crime or possibly have a plan to rob you blind.
The simple truth is that you have no way of knowing if the person you are chatting with online is the person he or she claims to be. Even the photos are sometimes inaccurate. For example, a 5’0” man said he was 5’10” and another man’s photo showed him slim and trim when he really weighed 400 pounds. Not sure how these men thought the discrepancies would not be noticed at the in-person meeting. These were harmless lies, but there are some real horror stories of unhappy endings to a first in-person meeting.
Recently, a Florida man, a single father to a 5-year-old daughter, was lured to his death by a woman he met online. He though the first meeting went well and invited her back to his apartment. After a while, she left, but returned with three male friends. The group robbed and murdered the young father. This is an extreme example, but serves to show the importance of checking out that person you have been talking to before meeting in person.
How Tampa Private Investigators Can Help
Tampa private investigators have access to information you cannot find by yourself. The investigator can conduct a comprehensive background check by reviewing:
Domestic and International public records databases.
- Criminal history.
- Financial and credit history.
- Driving record, looking for drunk driving arrests and convictions.
- Employment history.
- Checking references.
For further information, contact our investigators at The Grafton Group. We are located in Tampa, but serve clients in Tampa, St Petersburg, Clearwater, and all surrounding areas of Florida.