5 Signs You May Be Dating an E-Cheater

These days, if you're single and not dating online, you may be missing out. Over 500 million people worldwide (approximately half the global population) are searching for love online. Gone are the days of having to pretend that "er... friends set us up!" At this point, most of us know someone who has found a great long-term relationship as the result of being on an online dating site.

What we don't hear about as much is the number of people who are not single and are dating online. Some estimates suggest that nearly one-third of those who date online are, in fact, already in a relationship.

There are several reasons why people in a relationship already go online to find love (or, more realistically, a fling), but that is for another installment. For now, you need to protect yourself so you don't end up being misled by someone you really like who is engaging in e-cheating.

Consider these five questions to determine if you are with someone who is already involved with someone else.

When do you communicate with each other?

Noticing your date's schedule is the first step in spotting an e-cheat. Are you communicating with your date at odd hours - very early in the morning or very late at night? Have you ever spoken during peak times, such as between 7:00 and 10:00 p.m. during the week? What do you think about the weekends? If your date is only available to see or call you at odd hours and rarely on weekends, please keep this in mind.

Even if this person isn't e-cheating, a person who is never free to speak or meet at peak times, perhaps because they are a workaholic, is still unavailable.

Are you confined to emails and texts?

While it's true that some people dislike the phone, could you ensure that you have at least a few phone conversations with your date during peak times? And a word of caution: if you have enjoyed intimate online chats for more than a month but have never met in person, that's a warning sign. Typed words are no basis for a relationship! Whenever possible, communicate three to five times before booking a live date, and then step back and go offline.

Even if this person isn't e-cheating, there's no point in communicating online for months on end. Just so you know, doing so only increases expectations and decreases your chances of sparking a connection when you finally meet.

Have you met your date's friends, family, or co-workers?

Have you seen your date in their world? Of course, you likely won't meet your date's network right away. However, after a few months of dating, it becomes a valid concern if you have never met people connected to them.

Even if this person isn't e-cheating, if you've dated for months and your partner doesn't want to introduce you to others, it doesn't matter whether they are single or not; you should be concerned that you're not meeting people close to them.

Have you been to your date's home?

After a few months of dating, your partner should have shared their home with you. I have a client who used to tell me that the guy she was dating was so romantic. He flew into her hometown every month on business and would invite her to hotels all over the city for dates. It turns out that the guy she thought was flying into Finland from Greece lived 30 minutes away from her with his wife and two kids.

Do you trust your intuition?

Bottom line: you have a better sense than anybody does about what feels right. Indeed, people who have nothing to worry about in a relationship rarely question their partner's fidelity. If you have an "off" feeling, trust your gut and investigate further. There's likely a good reason why you are questioning where you stand.