But fake profiles abound, sexual predators use the sites, and some common online dating behavior—like meeting alone after scant acquaintance, sharing personal information, and using geolocation—puts users at risk.

Dating companies are being pushed to better protect users, but some seem reluctant to do more— or even to talk about whether there’s a problem.

These numbers shouldn't surprise anyone, but online dating among young adults has tripled in the last two years, according to a new Pew Research Center study. That means 27 percent of young people are finding dates online, as are 12 percent of people close to retirement age. Although there are no hard numbers on your chances of online dating seriously hurting you, Pew's 2013 study did find that over half of adults using online dating felt someone seriously misrepresented themselves in their profile.

and found that not only is online dating surging in popularity among millennials, but 55 to 65-year-olds are also getting in on the action, with their numbers doubling in the same time frame. Consider that meeting people online not only puts you at risk for physical harm, but also fraud.

A total of 58 people were victims of online dating-related crimes in those four years, some of them sexual. For context, in 2012 the area had an overall average of 243 sexual assaults and rapes every month.) Many apps offer a page of advice for safe dating.Millions of people are "e-dating" in the hopes of finding that perfect someone.Online dating services such as and [email protected] thriving as men and women post ads and photos of themselves in search of the perfect mate. Ellen) says online dating is an advantage for people who are uncomfortable about meeting people in public places, or who are new to an area.Even being revealed as a member of Adult Friend Finder might be embarrassment enough for some: The site is, as its name suggests, "adult" in nature. Penthouse Media Group acquired it along with the rest of its network, which also includes less risque sites aimed at religious and senior daters among others, back in 2007.That was around the same time Adult Friend Finder settled with the Federal Trade Commission for allegedly foisting "sexually explicit online pop-up ads on unwitting consumers" who weren't looking for porn, including children.The hack, first reported on by British outlet Channel 4 News last week, reportedly resulted in the information of nearly 4 million members of Adult Friend Finder leaking onto an online forum frequented by hackers.In addition to sexual orientation, the data allegedly revealed included e-mail addresses, usernames, dates of birth, postal codes, the unique Internet addresses associated with users' computers and whether members were looking for extramarital affairs.John Leech thinks the situation is new, and dangerous.A local council member in Manchester, in the north of England, Leech this year launched a campaign to make online dating companies commit to keeping their users safer. Often on multiple apps at once, users can swipe through dozens of profiles every minute and plan multiple dates, whether in hopes of a love match or a hook-up.Decisions to meet arise from limited information: A convenient location; a sultry glance captured in pixels; a mutual interest in “banter.” In 2014, Tinder users were spending as long as 90 minutes a day on the site.You can search the world, since you have international access via the Internet.And you can meet people without fear of commitment.But Leech wants other protections, like giving users alerts about potential risks before they ever begin chatting with strangers.Is this scaremongering, or is online dating truly putting users in danger?