Looking for love? Depending on where you live, you might want to rethink setting up that Match or Tinder profile. According to a new report from HighSpeedInternet.com, some states are a lot safer for online dating than others. The results were compiled by looking at 2017 FBI Internet Crime reports (in particular the catfishing romance scams), the CDC's "Sexually Transmitted Disease Surveillance 2017" report, and the "Sex and HIV Education" report from the Guttmacher Institute.
This isn't the first time the site has put together this research, and for the second time, Vermont emerges as the safest state for online dating (and by "dating," that means everything from quickie hookups to long-term relationships formed via any online service).
Following Vermont closely are other New England states, including New Hampshire at number 3 and Maine at number 4. But West Virginia managed the second-place spot. It had been number 7 last time, so that's a nice change in safety margins.
The research from HighSpeedInternet.com also referenced PCMag's own survey into the top dating site/service in each state and noticed that across the 10 safest states, none preferred Match. Does that make Tinder your safest bet? Seems hard to believe, but maybe.
Where should you skip online dating? Alaska, apparently. Same as last year. The stats for the biggest state in the Union aren't helped by the high rate of STDs and the fact that Anchorage clocks in as one of the most dangerous cities, where anyone—not only daters—has a 1 in 82 chance of being a victim of a violent crime. So how do you meet people in Alaska? Maybe just stay home and stay safe.
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Read the full report here.
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