The Scary Ways Online Dating Can Go Wrong
http://abcnews.go.com/US/scary-ways-online-dating-wrong/story?id=26316682
Oct 20, 2014, 1:27 PM ET
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Firefighters rescue a woman who got stuck in a chimney in Thousand Oaks, Calif. Ventura County Fire Department
If you think you've had a bad experience with a date you met online, this California man probably has you beat.
A woman was arrested in Thousand Oaks over the weekend after firefighters rescued her from a man's chimney. She had been trying to break into the house and had gotten stuck, police said. The homeowner told Los Angeles station KABC he had met the woman, Genoveva Nunez-Figueroa, online and they had gone out on a few dates, but recently ended the relationship.
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Sunday was the second time the woman was found on his roof, he told the station.
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PHOTO: Genoveva Nunez-Figueroa was arrested after being located inside a chimney trying to enter a home in Thousand Oaks, Calif., Oct. 19, 2014.Ventura County Sheriffs Office
Unfortunately, online dating can lead to scary situations and it doesn't matter if you're a man or a woman, relationship expert Rachel DeAlto said.
"Guys think they're so much safer and that they don't have to worry about security issues," she said. "But obviously, a woman in a chimney proves that wrong."
"You need to protect yourself and you don't know who's on the other side of the computer until you meet them in person. Have a couple of dates with them before you bring them into your bubble. Be very protective of where you live," DeAlto added.
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PHOTO: Firefighters rescue a woman who got stuck in a chimney in Thousand Oaks, Calif.Ventura County Fire Department
She suggests people have a separate email address to use for online dating.
"Most of our emails have our full names attached to them and there is a lot of information people can get from that," she said. "Unfortunately in this day and age, it is very easy to find people."
And be wary of red flags -- like an online dating profile written in all caps, for example.
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PHOTO: Firefighters rescue a woman who got stuck in a chimney in Thousand Oaks, Calif.Ventura County Fire Department
"It sounds so bad, but it's true," DeAlto said. "When you have a creepy person talking in all caps and not making sense in a sentence, then you might want to question who you're talking to. Don't just look at the photo."
Nunez-Figueroa was arrested for illegal entry and providing false information to a police officer, and later released. ABC News was not able to reach her for comment. The Ventura County Sheriff's Office does not know if has an attorney.