Meet for the first few times in a neutral public area at a busy time of the day. The location should be some place you can get back to a safe place or home from easily. Image for representational purpose only. Photo Courtesy: iStock

Tell a friend where you are, and arrange for him/her to call you at an agreed time. Do not give out specific information about the firm you work at or the housing society where you live. Image for representational purpose only. Photo Courtesy: iStock

Organise your own transportation. Do not get into a cab, car, rickshaw with your date. Don’t respond to requests for financial help and explicit photos. Image for representational purpose only. Photo Courtesy: iStock

Chat within the app (don’t migrate to WhatsApp etc.) so that they can monitor harassment and bad behaviour. Some also have a detector to blur nude images or detect harmful language. This won’t happen on WhatsApp. Don’t link your social media accounts to your dating profile. Image for representational purpose only. Photo Courtesy: iStock

Dating apps themselves mine vast volumes of data. Read the privacy fine print before agreeing to the terms. Check the privacy settings to consider what limits to set for your profile, and opt for two-factor authentication. Image for representational purpose only. Photo Courtesy: iStock

Please Note: Tips and suggestions mentioned here are for general information purposes only and should not be construed as professional advice.