If looking for love online in South Carolina, swipe at your own risk

You may want to think twice about finding a perfect match online in the Palmetto State.

South Carolina is one of the five most dangerous states in the country for online dating according to a recent study by SafeWise and Highspeedinternet.com.

The companies used data from the most recent FBI violent crime and cyber crime reports, as well as the state’s STD rates from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

South Carolina ranked 46th, with only Nevada, New Mexico, Louisiana, Alaska and the District of Columbia as more dangerous locations for online dating.

“With online dating apps like Tinder, OKCupid, etc. sexual contact amongst teenagers has increased significantly,” said Dr. Aditi Gupta Jha, a sexual health specialist at JustDoc, in a press release. “Over 60 percent of the cases of STDs we get are males and females aged 16 to 25 years. Online dating is definitely exacerbating the trend.”

Locally, a recent arrest was made when a man from Charleston traveled to Conway to meet a woman he met on a website. When he arrived, he was beaten by two men who were at the woman’s house on a “shady dirt road.”

The victim was found later by police bloody, beaten and only in his underwear at a convenience store.

Horry County police arrested Chap Bobby Marlowe, 25, Tyler Michael Bullard, 22, and Brianna Marie Morvillo, 18, in connection with the incident.

This story was originally published January 25, 2017 at 9:10 AM with the headline "If looking for love online in South Carolina, swipe at your own risk."