Online dating is a great way to connect with thousands of singles that you never would have met otherwise. However, unlike meeting someone through mutual friends, we don’t really know who we are dealing with online until we actually meet and get to know them. One of the downsides of the internet is that people can literally pretend to be anyone. Unfortunately this extends to the world of online dating.

Although I’m of the school of thought that most people have good intentions – after all, I’ve dated extensively online and have never met anyone in person who made me feel unsafe – you just never know. This is why it’s important that regardless of the situation, you always take precautions to stay safe when online dating.

Here are 6 tips for safe online dating that everyone should know.

(If a date challenges you on any of these points…run!)

1. Meet in a public place –

Always, always meet in a public place. I cannot stress this enough. I’m always shocked to hear how many women (and men!) are willing to go over to someone’s house that they’ve met online before they’ve had a chance to get to know them. As a rule of thumb, all first dates should take place in a very public place, like a coffee shop, cafe or pub (depending on your style.) Coffee shops are great because there are always tons of people around, just in case your date goes sour. Be very wary of anyone who insists on you coming to their house so that they can “cook you dinner” and/or “watch a movie.”

If someone has good intentions, there’s absolutely no reason why they wouldn’t want to meet you in public – and no, that isolated hiking trail at a “public” State park doesn’t count.

2. Tell someone about your dating plans –

If you’re embarrassed that you’re meeting people online and going on dates, you need to get over that – stat. The stigma that was once associated with online dating has totally evaporated. Being open about your online dating life with your friends and family is a key part of staying safe. Before your date, let a friend or family member know where you are going, who you’re meeting and provide them with whatever contact information you have for the person (name, phone number, workplace etc.) It also doesn’t hurt to have a friend call and check in with you mid-date. If the date isn’t going well, this gives you a built in “out.” (“Uh, yes. That was my roommate calling about an emergency. My iguana is giving birth and I need to bounce.” DONE.)

3. Arrange your own transportation…solo –

Whether you drive, take transit or are addicted to Uber, make sure that you arrange your own transit to and from your date. This means driving to and from your date in your own car and/or alternate transit option. Although it’s always nice when someone offers to pick you up, there’s no reason why someone you haven’t met should know your address and where you live. Instead, agree to meet them in a public place. When you’re ready for the date to end, you’re free to leave.

Secondly, although it may seem sweet and chivalrous for your date to offer to walk you home, once again, it’s best if they don’t. You’ve just met this person. While they likely don’t have ill intentions, they shouldn’t know where you live before you’ve had a chance to really get to know them.

4. Keep your information private –

Although it’s easy to feel a bond right away with someone you’ve just met online, make sure that you keep your personal info private. There’s absolutely no reason why someone you’ve just met should know the location of your workplace, your gym or even your last name until you’ve had a chance to get to know them in person and determine whether you feel comfortable with them. Online dating is set up so that you can communicate in a safe and relatively anonymous way. Be extremely wary of anyone who insists on chatting on an outside chat/messaging program (instead of just using the built in one on the site), requests identifying personal information or asks for money.

5. Use separate photos –

I’d never thought of this, but a friend recently brought it up as a safety tactic: use separate photos for online dating than you would for other online activities like Facebook or your professional website. Anyone can grab your photo off of an online dating site, do a reverse image search on Google and risk gaining access to your name and other personal info. Instead, use photos that are just for online dating and aren’t featured anywhere else on the internet.

6. Stay sober –

Lastly, make sure that you stay sober. Although it’s not uncommon to have a glass of wine at dinner to ease the nerves, you want to make sure you always have your wits about you so that you don’t end up in an unsafe situation or making a decision that you’ll regret the next morning.

When it comes to staying safe while online dating, the most important thing to keep in mind is that you don’t owe your date anything. Just because you agreed to meet and spend some time with them doesn’t mean that you owe them that second drink, that walk home or access to your life. Be polite but be assertive. The only thing you “owe” is a promise to yourself to stay safe!