A married man from Long Island, NY recently made headlines when he was arrested for impersonating a U.S. marshal to get dates. Married for 17 years with 2 teenaged children, this man used an internet chat room called Long Island Over 40, to lure at least 11 women into relationships under the pretense of being a single man. One woman even became pregnant with his child. Had he not been impersonating a U.S. marshall, his dating duplicity might have never been exposed.

Dating Deception is Common

Unfortunately, dating deception is all too common. Married men frequently masquerade as single men. Although there are websites specifically for married men who want to cheat, many cheating husbands troll chat rooms and online dating sites in search of single women on whom to prey. It's not just over the Internet; this dating deception occurs in offline locations as well. A surprising number of the men you meet at clubs, bars, parties and in other social settings, are married -- not single, as they claim to be. If you're a single woman looking for a committed relationship, the last thing you want is to find out is that you're dating a married man who's cheating on his wife.

Signs You're Dating a Married Man

With so much deception going on, single women need all the help they can when it comes to identifying a married man who wants to play games. The 6 telltale signs below are taken from a tip sheet I complied entitled “15 Signs You Might Be Dating a Married Man.” It provides guidelines on how to tell the fake bachelors from the genuinely single men.

• He only gives you his cell phone number so you can't contact him at home.

• He calls you at odd times – in the early morning or in the wee hours of the night.

• He's unavailable on weekends, holidays, or other times when his family might be around.

• He's overly secretive about his family and friends.

• He refuses to give you his home address or tell you exactly where he lives.

• When he opens his wallet to pay the check, you catch sight of a family portrait with wife and kids.

For a FREE copy of the tip sheet with all 15 signs, send an e-mail to InfidelityAdvice@gmail.com with “married man-” in the subject line.

More Help in Avoiding Cheating Men

There is another useful tool for single women called the “ Potential Cheater's Quiz.” This short, but accurate 7-question quiz was originally designed to help married women find out if their husbands were prone to infidelity. But single women have begun using the quiz to screen men they meet in chat rooms, on dating sites, through personal ads and on blind dates. It helps single women looking for serious relationships avoid the potential cheaters in the dating pool. There is now a specially adapted “Dater's Version” entitled “Are you Dating a Potential Cheater?” For a free copy of the Dater's version of the Potential Cheater's Quiz, send an e-mail to InfidelityAdvice@gmail.com with “Dater's Quiz” in the subject line.

Avoid Heartbreak

If you're single and you're looking for a serious relationship, the “Signs of a Married Man” tip sheet and the Dater's Quiz can help you make an informed decision about whether or not to start or continue dating a man, or how deeply to get involved. By identifying and avoiding married men and potential cheaters in the dating pool, you can avoid unnecessary headaches and heartaches.