How to meet people you met online in real-life safely?
Do you really know who you're talking to?
These days in society teenagers getting kidnapped are apparently the new normal. Unless you already know the person offline, always assume the person you are dealing with on the Internet is not who they claim to be. Always tell your parents (or another trusted adult, like a teacher, aunt or uncle, social worker, or guardian) what you are up to, where you will be and when you will be back and don’t deviate from your plans without clearing it with them first. Never arrange to meet with someone you met online unless your parents go with you. If you are meeting them make sure it is in a public place.
A true story...
"When I was 16 I had a lot of problems with friends in the area where I lived. So I spent time chatting which was good, but after a while I had a bad
experience and I stopped chatting altogether. While chatting I met a girl who called herself “Partygirl”. The first 4 sentences I remember were: where do you live, how old are you, are you alone and what are you wearing... That’s how it was. We went on to talk about everything. After chatting and communicating via email for a long time we exchanged pictures, completely normal pictures. After a month of chatting and emailing like this we planned to meet up. I thought this would be OK, and we decided to meet at the Central Station. I arrived with a rose and her picture (in order to recognize her). A man came up to me. He said something like him being her granddad. He was a little man. He looked nice. After thinking about it, I said ”what do you know about me?” - And he knew too much. Then I ran away. I never heard from ”Partygirl” again. Now this is a few years ago – I'm sure, I know what this man was after. But what to do when you have been chatting online with a person that you think is your friend for more than a month?"
A true story...
"When I was 16 I had a lot of problems with friends in the area where I lived. So I spent time chatting which was good, but after a while I had a bad
experience and I stopped chatting altogether. While chatting I met a girl who called herself “Partygirl”. The first 4 sentences I remember were: where do you live, how old are you, are you alone and what are you wearing... That’s how it was. We went on to talk about everything. After chatting and communicating via email for a long time we exchanged pictures, completely normal pictures. After a month of chatting and emailing like this we planned to meet up. I thought this would be OK, and we decided to meet at the Central Station. I arrived with a rose and her picture (in order to recognize her). A man came up to me. He said something like him being her granddad. He was a little man. He looked nice. After thinking about it, I said ”what do you know about me?” - And he knew too much. Then I ran away. I never heard from ”Partygirl” again. Now this is a few years ago – I'm sure, I know what this man was after. But what to do when you have been chatting online with a person that you think is your friend for more than a month?"