The ease of finding potential dates online has made dating a lot more convenient and...a lot more dangerous. Roughly 40 million American singles use dating sites or social networks to find potential partners. This striking number of online daters continues to increase every day. Since dating sites do not perform screening of their members, there is no actual guarantee for the true identity of the people you meet online. Kind of scary, isn't it? Here are 3 reasons why you should background check your date before getting emotionally involved:

1. Who is this person?

Creating an engaging profile online is a piece of cake. Write down everything women want to hear-"reliable", "honest", "educated", 'financially stable" etc. Then upload a very nice photo (plenty of modeling sites to get it from) or simply use the power of Photoshop. Manipulating other people on dating sites with profiles like that is very simple. Most single women are so eager to jump in meaningful and affectionate relationship, that they readily fall for the "bait". Creating appealing online profiles exemplifies how easy it is to project an image of yourself that has little or nothing to do with reality.Without a background check you can't protect yourself from the unknown.

2. Is he really available?

His profile says " single and ready to mingle". Well, that doesn't necessarily mean he is available. A recent research done by MNCSB shows that more than a third of the guys on dating sites are actually...married. If you do the math, chances to meet someone who is actually legally and emotionally unavailable are pretty high. Background check revealing marital and divorce records can shed some light here.

3. Is he honest and reliable?

You won't know that for sure until you get to know the person "inside and out". Yet the existence of criminal past, arrests, DUIs, restraining orders etc can reveal a lot about someone's character. Background check can help your stay away from the bad apples on dating sites.

Background check date if you want to do online dating the right way. The ever increasing number of people that were never screened poses significant threads for your safety. Take preventive measures and avoid another love disappointment.