What do 158 felons - convicted of crimes such as sex offenses, assault with a deadly weapon, child abuse, drug trafficking, pimping, aggravated stalking or vehicle theft - have in common?They all tried to search the Jacksonville area for a date, soul mate - or perhaps their next victim - on a dating Web site called True.com, according to 2005 statistics released by the company.
Before True.com started screening out felons with background checks in 2004, about one in 10 subscribers was a convicted felon or sex offender, said Terra McClelland, the company's vice president of governmental relations.
True.com is partnering with the Sarasota-based Safer Online Dating Alliance to push a bill in the Florida Legislature that would require online dating companies to disclose whether they perform background checks.
The legislation is awaiting a floor vote in the House and has already cleared one Senate committee.
Jacksonville Sheriff's Office Sex Crime Unit Commander Annie Smith said the idea is a step in the right direction, but warned it could also provide a false sense of security to users.
"Just because someone has no criminal history doesn't mean they haven't done anything and just didn't get caught," Smith said.
Smith said her unit sees a "noticeable" flow of victims who claim they were sexually assaulted by someone they met over the Internet.
"They meet and go out to dinner and go back to someone's house," Smith said, "and then allegations are made."
But such cases can be difficult to prosecute when the suspect claims the encounter was consensual and there are no witnesses or evidence to indicate otherwise.
"You don't know who you're talking to on the other end of the computer," Smith said. "It can be very dangerous."
The extent of the problem in Jacksonville is not clear, Smith said, because most victims are probably too embarrassed to report the crime.
Help available
A place where female victims can seek help after an assault - without being required to report it to law enforcement - is the Women's Center of Jacksonville, where victims are assigned an advocate.
At least two Jacksonville women recently sought help at the center after being victimized by men they met online, said Shirley Webb, the center's executive director.
Webb says women trying to find love online should spend more time getting to know the person and talking by cell phone before arranging the first meeting face-to-face.
Then when it comes time to meet for the first time, Webb said, it should be at a public place, the woman should drive there in her own car and tell her friends where she is going and when she expects to be back.
But Webb said even after taking all the necessary precautions, a woman's best defense could be a gut feeling something is wrong.
"Women should listen to that intuitive nature," Webb said. "And be assertive and say, 'This is not working for me; I'm sorry, I'm leaving.' It's a tough thing for a woman to do ... but in this case it's just critical."
Men can be victims
Men aren't immune to the dangers of online dating either. Jacksonville attorney Anthony Penoso turned to the Internet after his mother died, hoping to find his soul mate and fill an emotional void.
He met a Romanian woman on a European dating Web site, fell in love with her and asked her to marry.
"I thought really that I had found the woman of my dreams," Penoso said.
But after receiving her $35,000 ring and a visa to enter the United States, Penoso's would-be bride booked a flight to Los Angeles instead of Jacksonville - to strive for a future as a movie star, without Penoso in the picture.
"It's how a Good Samaritan feels after getting sand kicked in their face after helping someone to not drown at the beach," Penoso said.
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