One note, while safety applies to both men and women, it needs to be said, that women need to be especially careful when deciding to actually meet any man they met online.
Women should talk to the guy through email and chat for awhile before even giving out a phone number. Remember that a phone number can be traced back to your address. Dont think because your phone number is unlisted that you are protected.
The next step after emails and chat should be by phone. You can learn a lot about someone by talking on the phone and really listening to what they say. If they make you feel uncomfortable on the phone, then you dont even want to take the next step and actually meet them.
If you do decide to meet the man you met through an online dating service, make sure you first meet in a very public place. Tell your friends where you are going and when you expect to return. Make the first date a short, get to know you, kind of date. One that is not scheduled to go longer, so you can go home and gather your thoughts before deciding whether or not you will date this man again.
Do not let him take you someplace secluded or in his vehicle anywhere on that first...