Open almost any newspaper or simply turn on the television and it will become quite evident it's just not a safe world out there. Anyone who is involved in the dating scene might already know this, but they might not know what they can do to protect themselves from cads, thieves and worse. When you investigate online, you can save yourself some real nightmares.

The Internet has made it very quick and quite easy for anyone to investigate online, even those seeking background information on potential dates. It's true you might feel a little funny checking into a potential sweetheart's background before you accept a date, but the truth is it's just a smart thing to do.

The more you can find out about the person, the less likely you are to be taken in by a scammer, crook or much, much worse. While it's true most people are decent, there are bad men and bad women out there. Online investigations can help you avoid these people!

A well researched online investigation can quickly reveal a lot of information about a person. This information, when added to personal experience, can help you make better decisions about who to date and when.

Here's what you can find out when you investigate online:

* Arrest records. With a name, date of birth and an understanding of where a person has lived recently, it's fairly easy to check into a person's arrest background. Most jails and law enforcement agencies have made these records readily available on the Internet. There are even program packages that make the processing of checking arrest records even quicker.

Remember, if you only have a name and a date of birth, it's possible to pull the wrong person. Be sure about your information before you jump to conclusions. For maximum assurances, you'll need the person's full name, date of birth and possibly even current address and Social Security number.

* Credit history. This is possible to check into in some cases, but you will need Social Security numbers and perhaps even permission. Some programs can make this quicker and more simple.

* Court history. Since these are public records, it's possible to check into a person's records with the court. Have they had divorce proceedings? How about civil cases? These will appear under a person's name and they are open for viewing if they haven't been sealed by the court.

* Newspaper stories. The Internet provides a lot of online access to different newspapers' archives. With the correct name, it's fairly easy to search old articles to help make sure the person is who he or she says they are.

While it's quite possible to glean a lot of information about a person's background by simply asking them, a lot of people decide to investigate online just to be sure. The Internet has made it very easy to check such things as arrest records, and thanks to software packages, the process is even easier.

With just the basic information about a person, such as their name, address and date of birth, you can open up a whole world of knowledge you may or may not want to hear. In this day and age, however, it's always better to err on the side of caution.