Your personal security

We have created this site as a service to Christian single people looking to form new relationships.  We have taken all reasonable measures to ensure the integrity of the service. Meeting other people online can be a lot of fun. And because of the way our service protects your anonymity, it is also a safe way to initiate contact with other people when compared to many other options.

At the same time, we cannot guarantee that people will not use the site fraudulently or with improper motives. You should use the same basic common sense and caution when it comes to meeting people and entering into relationships online as you would in any other environment. There are two basic principles you should observe:

1. Protect your identity – You have total control over the information you give out to other people. Our service has been set up to allow you to protect your anonymity for as long as you want. Be sure you don’t give anybody any personal information that might enable them to identify and/or locate you before you feel completely ready to do so.
2. Take your time – Don’t be in a rush to push things along. Get to know as much about a person as you can before revealing too much about your personal identity or agreeing to meet face-to-face.

Never include any personal contact information in your profile such as telephone numbers, email addresses, home address, where or for whom you work, or your surname. Be careful not to include email signatures or other identifiers in the body of any email messages you send. It’s a good idea to create a web based email address to use for your Christian Match communications.

Meeting someone online

When you first make contact with someone, spend some time getting to know each other by exchanging emails for a while. Don’t take any risks. Ask lots of questions and look for any inconsistencies or other aspects of a person’s ‘story’ that don’t ring true.

Be cautious of anyone who tries to manipulate you in any way or who seems too pushy in wanting to meet or to find out things about you that you are not comfortable about disclosing.

Be particularly wary of anyone who asks you for money or tries to offer you an opportunity to make money. You should report any such activity to us.

If you get a ‘bad vibe’ about someone, trust your instincts. Politely let the person know you don’t want to continue communicating with him/her and move on.
 
If you have asked another member to stop communicating with you and he or she will not take no for an answer, you can block that member from communicating with you any further by using the member control panel on our website. You should report any ongoing harassment or hostile behaviour to us.

Meeting someone offline

Once you have established a comfortable, ongoing relationship with someone online, you might decide to take things a step further and meet the person offline. Remember, it is entirely up to you to decide if or when this happens.

We recommend that before you meet face-to-face, you have several telephone contacts first. You can get to know a lot more about a person talking on the phone than simply by exchanging emails or ‘chatting’ online. We recommend that you use a mobile number rather than your home or work number. If possible, take measures to block caller ID to avoid your number being disclosed to the other person before you are ready to give it to him/her.

Watch for suspicious or unusual phone numbers (e.g. 1900 numbers). They might be charge services.

Be cautious of anyone who

• Refuses to speak to you on the phone before meeting you face-to-face
• Is evasive or vague in answering questions about him/herself
• Seems to have inconsistencies in their personal story
• Makes insulting or demeaning comments to you or about you

When you do decide to meet with someone face-to-face, make sure you meet in a busy public place that is familiar to you and arrange your own transport to and from the meeting. It’s also a good idea to let a friend know where and when the meeting is taking place and to call your friend when you arrive home after the date. If possible carry a mobile phone with you at all times in case you need assistance.

If you are meeting someone in a place that is unfamiliar to you (e.g. interstate) take extra precautions to ensure your personal safety at all times.

Maximising the effectiveness of your Christian Match experience

Here are a few basic tips to help you get the most out of Christian Match:
 

• We strongly recommend that you include a photo with your profile (and make sure it’s a good photo of you!). Profiles with photos are much more likely to attract the attention and interest of other members
• Make sure you provide as much information about yourself in your profile as possible (but don’t be too wordy). Try to make your profile express something of your personality
• Check for mail from Christian Match daily and reply promptly to any mail you receive from other members
• Be friendly and polite in your communications with other members and always treat other people with respect
• Be yourself!