In today’s digital world, it’s easy to meet both friends and potential romantic partners online. However, meeting people over the internet comes with some dangers, so using caution while you chat is extremely important. Read through some of the most common situations you might find yourself in online and what you can do to keep yourself safe.

1

Scammers may try to trick you out of your money.

  1. If anyone ever asks you to loan them some cash, always decline. They might use guilt (“but we’ve known each other online for so long!”) or even pity (“I have no money to feed my family”), but you’ll never know if what they’re saying is true. You should never give out any personal info online, and you should only send money to the people you know, not ones you’ve met over the internet.[1]
    • Some people will spend weeks (or even months) getting to know you over the internet before they ask for money. Just because you think you know someone online doesn’t necessarily mean you know who they are in real life, so always be cautious.
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2

Blackmailers might try to get explicit images of you.

3

Liars may misrepresent themselves online.

  1. Unfortunately, some people lie to make themselves look better on the internet. If you’re online dating, you can’t quite trust everything someone’s profile says—maybe they exaggerated about how good their job is, or perhaps they’re using pictures of themselves from 10 years ago. You can avoid liars by doing a little sleuthing on your own: try googling their name or finding their social media profiles to see if what they’re presenting is really true.[3]
    • More insidious people will lie to get personal information about you online. That’s why you should never give out your full name, address, or any financial info to someone you don’t know.
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4

Catfishers might pretend to be other people.

  1. You could be talking to someone completely different than you think. These people, called catfishers, will create online profiles and befriend you while using fake pictures and information. They might do this because they have low self-esteem, or they might do it just to trick people online. You should always try to do a little background checking on the person you’re talking to, just to make sure they’re a real person.[4]
    • If you ask to talk to them over the phone or on video chat and they refuse, that’s a red flag. It could be a sign that their pictures and who they are don’t match up.
5

Thieves may try to steal your identity.

6

People may send you phishing or malware scams.

  1. Clicking random links can download harmful software onto your computer. If you get a message or an email from someone online that has a link in it, don’t click it on your personal computer. If they want you to go to a website, search for it yourself to avoid accidentally getting hacked. Malware can destroy a computer, and it can cost you your personal information if you aren’t careful.[6]
    • Even websites that seem legitimate can be set up by scammers to get your personal information. Never enter any of your info into a site unless you’re sure that it’s trustworthy.
7

Friends or partners might ghost you.

  1. Some people find it easier to ghost people they’ve only known online. If you’ve been talking to someone for a while and you all of the sudden can’t get ahold of them, that’s called being ghosted. You might reach out for multiple days (through multiple avenues), and still get no answer. This can be really disheartening, and it can be tough to move on from relationships where you get ghosted.[7]
    • People ghost others for a lot of reasons: maybe they wanted to break off your relationship and they didn’t want to upset you, maybe they had to delete their accounts, or maybe they were lying about who they really were. Getting over being ghosted can be hard, but the best thing you can do is move on.
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9

Sexual predators may approach you online.

  1. It’s easy for predators to make fake accounts. Unfortunately, sometimes people who like to prey on children will make profiles pretending to be young, too. Then, they’ll talk to kids and pretend to be their own age to get close to them. It’s important to never give out any private information online, even if you think you know someone. Profiles can be fake, so you can never be 100% sure who you’re talking to.[9] [10]
    • If you have kids, be sure to warn them about the dangers of sexual predators online.
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10

Stalkers might access your personal information.

  1. Your personal information can be used to find out where you live. Unfortunately, some people will look at your photos and the info you’ve put online to figure out where you spend most of your time. You can keep this from happening by making sure your social media accounts are private and never posting any personal information about where you live.[11]
    • People who are tech savvy can even take a look at the geotag on your photos and figure out your exact location. It’s important to only share things with people you know in real life, not ones you’ve only met online.
11

Dangerous people might ask you to meet up.

  1. They may be inviting you out for nefarious purposes. If you’re diving into the online dating world, be very careful about who you choose to meet up with in real life. Unfortunately, sexual assault can be common on dates, especially with people you don’t know well (or at all).[12]
    • Stay safe while online dating by checking out the person’s social media profiles, video chatting with them before you meet in person, and telling a friend where you’re going and who you’re with.
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About This Article

Luigi Oppido
Co-authored by:
Computer & Tech Specialist
This article was co-authored by Luigi Oppido and by wikiHow staff writer, Hannah Madden. Luigi Oppido is the Owner and Operator of Pleasure Point Computers in Santa Cruz, California. Luigi has over 25 years of experience in general computer repair, data recovery, virus removal, and upgrades. He is also the host of the Computer Man Show! broadcasted on KSQD covering central California for over two years. This article has been viewed 15,709 times.
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Co-authors: 3
Updated: January 7, 2022
Views: 15,709
Categories: Online Communications
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