Meeting new people should always be enjoyable. Yet there are risks associated with meeting someone in person you met online. Here are some tips for personal safety in these situations.
Steps
Step 1. Do not enter too much personal data into your social network accounts
Too much information about you may include your address, the school you attend, your first and last name, and the places you usually go to. The reason to avoid entering too much personal data online is that, if you do, you make this data accessible to anyone who might be looking for you, putting you in potential danger.
Step 2. Tell a trusted adult (parent, family member, or friend) that you intend to meet this person, and let the adult know the details you have about this person
Step 3. Research who you are going to meet
It is very easy to impersonate another person on the net, no matter how long you have been in contact, you never really know a person you hang out with on the internet! Ask acquaintances, browse the phone directory, etc. Try to get as much information as possible about this person, and to confirm the data you think you know (age, school attended, etc.). One is never cautious enough.
Step 4. Call the person from a number that does not appear on their phone
Call on the phone rather than text, so you can hear the other person's voice, and do so several times before meeting in person, for a minimum of two weeks. The voice often reveals many details about someone. You should always be the one calling.
Step 5. Set up a meeting in a public place, a place you don't usually go to
Do not organize the meeting at your home or his, you want to avoid having to meet this person again in case the meeting is not positive. Tell your parents where you are going, who you will be meeting with, and what time you expect to finish the meeting.
Step 6. At the meeting you MUST be accompanied by two or more friends, or by an adult, all people who can leave at your request and meet again at a set time (first decide at what time and respect the chosen time)
Stay in the same place for the duration of the first meeting. If the person you meet likes to meet you, they won't mind these details.
Step 7. Meet the same person with these same rules a few times to reassure yourself they are as you think they are, before sharing any personal details
Advice
- When talking to an interlocutor on the phone, if the talk is shifted to intimate topics, or what you're wearing, hang up and take it as a big warning sign.
- Be wary of anyone who offers you a meeting at your or his home, this is also a danger sign, and you should stop dating. Always organize meetings in public, neutral places, and preferably during the day.
- Take your time and stay in control of the situation, don't be persuaded to do anything that makes you uncomfortable, under any circumstances.
- Do not drink alcohol before or during the meeting.
- If you feel uncomfortable thinking about the meeting, cancel it. Always follow your impressions, and let yourself be guided by the feeling of danger or by signs of strangeness that can compromise your perception of the person you will meet.
Warnings
- If you find that someone is following you, act quickly and notify a friend or family member.
- Meeting strangers is dangerous. There is always the possibility that this is not the person you think you know.
- Remember that you would not let a stranger you meet on the street enter your home. The same caution applies to anyone you met online.
- Never communicate personal details to your friends, you could put them in danger.
