It’s always an exciting time when you finally meet someone on an online dating site. After searching through countless profiles you have finally connected with someone. You have been sending emails and messages through the dating site, and things are going well. Eventually you reach the next phase of your relationship: Exchanging phone numbers. It’s a very big move for any relationship but you should always make sure to take some precautions before giving out your phone number.

The challenge with online dating is that you never actually know who the person is on the other end until you meet and continue to explore the relationship. Talking on the phone is the intermediary step between messaging and meeting, and exchanging phone numbers is the likely next step.

Some people give their phone out to everyone and think nothing of it. While you’d like to think that you can trust people, the sad reality is that you have to be careful with so many phishing scams and people trying to take advantage of unsuspecting victims.

When it comes to giving your phone number out, it pays to be careful. We have assembled this guide to help you when it comes to giving out your phone number to someone you met on a dating site.

When to Exchange Phone Numbers?

The most important thing to remember is to not give your phone number out right away when online dating. If you’re using a service like Match or eHarmony then you should go through the steps to meet and communicate with new matches online before jumping to phone calls.

When you have spent enough time chatting online and you feel comfortable taking the next step, it’s time to exchange numbers. Never rush into it, and if the other person is pressing you then be sure to proceed with caution. You wouldn’t just hand your number out to a stranger on the street and so you shouldn’t just give your number out to a total stranger online, either.

After A Reasonable Amount of Chatting Online

How do you know you have chatted enough? The answer varies for each individual. When you feel like you have asked all the questions you needed answers and when you feel comfortable, that’s when you have probably reached the end of your online chatting and are ready for the next step.

Prior to Meeting in Person

Some people wait to talk to someone until they are about to meet. It’s the last step before making plans to meet and it allows you a final chance to ensure that this is the person you want to meet up with.

It’s also a good idea to have a phone number for the other person prior to meeting so that you can give it to a trusted friend to have in case of an emergency.

When You Don’t Plan on Meeting

Some people enjoy chatting with people in chat rooms and they don’t intend to meet. In those cases, switching over to phone conversations would make sense, but it’s all the more reason to be careful. Just because you don’t plan on meeting doesn’t mean that the other person won’t want to take things to the next step. If they say they don’t live in the same city doesn’t mean it doesn’t mean that they can’t show up.

Giving your number to someone in a chat room is a gamble, but if you’re being safe about it then there shouldn’t be a problem.

Ways to Protect Your Phone Number

If you have concerns about giving out your phone number, express it to the person you’re talking with online. See if they will allow you to call first, and hopefully after talking you’ll feel comfortable giving out your phone number. If you’re concerned about asking to check it out not reveal your number, then there are things you can do to be safe.