Sugar dating is fun and the chances are, you’ll have a blast mixing and mingling with the many different types of sugar daddies out there.
But before you venture forth, keep in mind that there are always a few rotten apples intent on spoiling the party. Such scam artists and perverts have been known to crop up on even the best sugar dating websites posing as potential sugar daddies.
Keep these rotten apples from spoiling your fun by following these safety tips for sugar babies.
Safety Tip #1. Protect Your Information
Your name, where you live, and where you work or go to school. All of these details might come up when you start chatting with a potential sugar daddy and they seem like harmless details to share, but we highly advise keeping your information to yourself in the beginning.
Once you find a mutually beneficial arrangement that works for you, you can share these details with your sugar daddy. But in the beginning, create a mock identity that’s close to your actual personality and details and use that until you’re sure your sugar daddy is trustworthy.
Click here for a guide on what you should or shouldn’t share with your sugar daddy.
Safety Tip #2. Get a “Sugar” Phone Number
Google Voice is really great for this. It’s a free service that allows you to choose from a database of available numbers from all over the US.
You can then link your Google Voice number to your real phone line and all the calls made to your Google Voice number will automatically be re-routed to your phone.
It also has the added convenience of requiring each caller to state their name, so you know who they are before you accept.
Even better, Google Voice transcribes voicemails for you so they are easy to read. And it’s also really easy to block numbers using Google Voice.
Skype is another option. A Skype on-line number costs about $20 for 3 months and you have to pay for credit if you want to make outgoing calls, but it functions like an actual phone so you can keep your Skype call record completely separate from your own phone’s call record.
If you have an iPhone or an Android (or any other smart phone on which you can download the Skype app), this is a really functional way of separating your anonymous online life with your real one.
Safety Tip #3. Receive Gifts Without Compromising Yourself
Some potential sugar daddies are going to offer to send you stuff. He might want your bank account number so he can send you a little gift. Don’t give it to him. Send him your PayPal address instead.
For physical gifts? Set up a P.O. Box and you can give that to potential sugar daddies freely. Do not send a potential sugar daddy your real address.
In fact, until you’re in a steady arrangement with someone you know and trust, don’t share any personal details that could jeopardize you.
Safety Tip #4. Talk on the Phone Before Meeting
It’s not always easy to suss out someone’s personality via email, but you can get a much better idea about someone simply by spending a few minutes on the phone with them.
Insist on a little phone chat just so you can “get to know them a bit better” before meeting. Of course, there will be some legitimate sugar daddies who don’t have great phone manners and you’ll want to give these guys the chance to meet in person, but you might also come across a few guys who give you the creeps over the phone and in the latter case, you can save yourself some time by deleting him off your “sugar daddy potentials list.”
Safety Tip #5. An Identity Check Before Every Date
Does doing an identity check before each date sound paranoid? It’s not – it’s both good for your safety and your time. Some sugar daddies simply aren’t who they claim to be. Why would you waste your time going on dates with fake sugar daddies when you have Google?
Some sugar daddies prefer to remain anonymous, but most will give you a phone number and a name. That is all you need to do a reverse phone look-up. If you do a thorough search, you’ll be able to find their full name, their address, whether they own a home, who else lives with them, etc.
You can then match this information with what they’ve told you to see if the person is legitimate or spinning lies. Another good idea is to look up the person on a sex offender database. Several sites offer database searches by name and location. Again, Google is a girl’s best friend.
Safety Tip #6. Always Insist on Public Meeting Places
This one is obvious and pertains to all online dating. Even if you have been talking to a potential sugar daddy for an extended period of time, the first meeting should always be in a public place with plenty of other people around.
Under no circumstances should a potential sugar daddy invite himself to your home (major red flag, by the way). If he invites you to his place, gracefully decline. Of course, there’s the scenario where you might be flying out to meet a potential sugar daddy for the first time – click here for tips on that.
Occasionally, a sugar daddy will offer to pick you up in his car. Politely decline by proposing he hire you a private taxi instead.
To be honest, most meetings with strangers are fine. Most sugar daddies are nice, friendly people. BUT it is always better safe than sorry. Meet at a public place.
Safety Tip #7. Get a Sugar Buddy
Sugar dating has a bad rep and it’s understandable if you are hesitant about disclosing this new activity of yours to your friends. At the same time, someone’s going to need to know where you’re going and who you’re meeting.
If you don’t want to tell your friends, do yourself a huge favor by logging onto your sugar dating website(s) and reaching out to a few sugar babies whose profiles resonate with you. It is so important to have a confidante and safety buddy when you’re sugar dating.
And most sugar babies will be happy to hear from a fellow sugar babe and quite possibly looking for the same.
Put your mind at ease by following these tips, doll yourself up and go meet some sugar daddies!
