[S]ome women who use online dating services have faced real danger when their suitor turns out be a sexual predator or rapist. Jeffrey Marsalis, a 33-year-old Philadelphia drifter accused of drugging and sexually assaulting seven women, is currently in jail and faces trial on eight counts of rape and other related charges... five of the alleged victims claimed that they met Marsalis through Match.com... The smooth-talking lothario was a master of guile when it came to luring the women. In e-mails or on the phone, Marsalis claimed he was a CIA agent, a confidential adviser to the president, a doctor or an astronaut-in-training. (He posted pictures of himself wearing medical scrubs, a suit and an astronaut's uniform on his Match.com profile, according to law enforcement sources)... When the women agreed to meet Marsalis in person at a restaurant or bar, he allegedly used the same technique on all of them: After the women left their drinks to go to the restroom, they'd describe later feeling sick and falling in and out of consciousness with vague recollections of being sexually assaulted and waking up in his bed. (Full story here)

The article is about "the perils of online dating". I think it's the perils of dating, period.

The women in this case took the precautions of meeting this guy in a public place, and yet, they were victims. It's very hard to blame them; some guys are just very smooth and if they have bad intentions, it's not easy to detect.

Tags: dating, singles