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Categories How to Safely Meet a Person You Met Online. Download Article Explore this Article methods. Tips and Warnings. Related Articles. Article Summary. Co-authored by Joshua Pompey and Jennifer Mueller, JD Last Updated: September 6, Approved. Method 1. All rights reserved. wikiHow, Inc. is the copyright holder of this image under U. and international copyright laws. This image may not be used by other entities without the express written consent of wikiHow, Inc.

Keep personal information off your profiles. If you want to stay safe online, anonymity is the way to go. Don't even use your real first and last name, or list where you live or go to school. You don't want strangers online to know too much about you.

List the general area rather than the city. Never put down your full address. Some sites allow you to organize your friends list into groups. You can then set the privacy controls so that only the people in those groups can see the other members.

Check your privacy settings. Every social media platform or dating app has privacy settings that are designed to protect you.

These settings allow you to control who can see specific information or posts you make. Most social media platforms allow you to view your profile the way a stranger would, so you can ensure you're not revealing more information than you want. Look into the background of people you meet. Once you've started talking to someone regularly, it may be time to do a little online sleuthing before you meet up in person.

Even if you don't have a lot of personal information about them, there are still ways you can determine if they are deceiving you. If you have any friends in common, contact them and ask how they know the person and if they've ever met them in real life. Do an image search of them to see if they appear elsewhere on the internet. If someone's trying to pretend to be someone else, they may intend to harm you.

Look at how they interact with their friends or followers. You can usually tell by these interactions whether they actually know each other in person. Avoid giving away any personal information. In general, you want to avoid telling anyone too much about yourself until you've met them face-to-face.

Get to know them a little better before you tell them your home address, phone number, or any other personally identifying information. If they're being safe, they won't reveal any personal information either. This can make it difficult to look into their background, but try to respect that they have the same privacy concerns you do. Take it slow. It can be easy to divulge too much information about yourself too quickly when you're talking online — especially if you talk to the person frequently.

Keep your emotions in check and check yourself regularly to make sure you're not getting ahead of yourself. Keep conversations focused on common outside interests, such as music or movies. Avoid talking too much about your own life or your thoughts and feelings. Trust your instincts.

When you make friends with somebody, it can be tempting to shrug off comments or behaviors that normally would give you pause. Keep in mind that this person is a stranger, and avoid giving them the benefit of the doubt. Be honest, and don't allow them to think you're okay with something when you're not. If you don't feel comfortable talking to the person about something that's bothering you, that is a red flag and indicates that this person isn't the best friend for you.

Method 2. Choose a place where you're comfortable. You may not want to meet too close to home if you're worried about the person knowing where you live. But at the same time, you don't want to meet someone for the first time in an unfamiliar part of town. Ideally, you still want a place that you don't frequent often. If things don't work out, you don't want to risk running into that person again. Try to meet during the day, if possible. If you're both only available in the evening, choose a place that's fairly busy at the time you're planning to meet.

Talk before meeting. Before you meet someone in person who you've met online, you want to make sure they are who they've said they are. The best way to go about this is to have a phone call or live video chat with them. If the person can't video chat with you, ask them to take a selfie holding a sign with particular words on it.

This can assure you that they aren't pulling photos off the internet. If you've developed a friendship to the point where you want to meet in person, they shouldn't have any problems doing this. If they refuse or make excuses, it could be a red flag. Bring a friend. If you're really nervous about meeting the person, bring a friend along with you or organize a group date with several friends.

If the person legitimately wants to get to know you, they shouldn't be put out that you want to meet in a group first. Bring someone who knows the area, especially if you're meeting the person further away from home, or in an unfamiliar part of town. Avoid alcohol on your first meeting. For people of drinking age, it's quite common to meet people at the local bar or pub.

The problem is that alcohol can lower your inhibitions and cause you to lose control. Sip slowly, alternating between the beer and the water. Ask lots of questions. The point of meeting in person is to get to know each other better. Since the person might be more reserved in person than they were online, be prepared to ask questions to get them to open up.

You'll be able to link the person in front of you to the conversations you had before. For example, you might say "I remember you telling me that Radiohead was your favorite band. Did you hear that they're playing a concert here in a few months? Keep your first meeting brief. For your initial meet-up, find some place you can sit and talk for a half hour or so, but don't plan on anything any longer than that.

This way, if you find you're not interested in the person, you don't have to spend too much time with them. A short meeting gives the two of you the opportunity to sniff each other out and figure out if there's any connection in person as there is online.

Make a commitment with another friend so you have an easy out if the person tries to convince you to come somewhere else with them. If they do try to invite you somewhere else, pay attention to where.

A predatory person might try to lure you to a more private or out-of-the-way location. Take personal belongings with you. If you have to excuse yourself at any point, such as to use the restroom, do not leave your purse or cell phone unattended with the person you're meeting. Treat them as a stranger and don't give them access to your private information. Be extra-cautious if you have a drink. Inspect the drink for any tampering upon your return.

Plan another meeting. If the first meeting went well, plan a second, longer meeting rather than extending the first meeting. This way you're continuing to take things slowly and you're remaining in control of the situation. Work your way up to a longer meeting. For example, you can share a meal together or go for a walk. Method 3. Go with your gut. Even though things are going well and outwardly the person seems fine, you may have a nagging feeling that something isn't right.

Don't ignore that feeling. If you feel like you're not safe, get out of there as quickly as possible. Go to the restroom and call a nearby friend to help you. That also means playing it cool chatting online, at least for a little bit. Everything about dating online is compressed: how you gather information, how you sort through potential dates, and how you communicate. Check back in the next day and see if you still feel the same chemistry. Even though blocking cell numbers is easier than ever, you or your potential date might not want to swap phone numbers right away.

But giving yourself a little extra time to text as that next step before meeting allows you to do a little more personal filtering and figure out if you have enough in common to keep going. While the same rule of thumb above applies, some people like a midweek first date better.

If it goes well, great!

Last Updated: September 6, Approved. This article was co-authored by Joshua Pompey and by wikiHow staff writer, Jennifer Mueller, JD. Joshua Pompey is a Relationship Expert with over 10 years of helping people navigate the online dating world. His work has been featured in CNBC, Good Morning America, Wired, and Refinery29 and he has been referred to as the best online dater in the world.

wikiHow marks an article as reader-approved once it receives enough positive feedback. In this case, several readers have written to tell us that this article was helpful to them, earning it our reader-approved status. This article has been viewed , times. Meeting people online is fairly common, and often works out just fine for everyone involved.

Still, there are risks when you get together in person with someone you've met online for the first time. Whether you're on social media or on a dating app, safeguard yourself and your private information from would-be criminals. If you want to safely meet a person you met online, keep your first few meetings public and brief, and always have an escape route.

Safety is really important, so first and foremost, if something instinctively rubs you the wrong way, don't meet that person. Try to avoid awkward silences. Have some fun stories ready to fall back on, because that can help keep your nerves from getting the best of you. While meeting someone you met online is fairly common, you should still do it safely by taking it slow and meeting up in public.

If you feel uncomfortable at any time during this process, trust your instincts and let the person know. For more help, including how to know what to do if the meet up goes bad, read on. Did this summary help you? Yes No. Log in Social login does not work in incognito and private browsers. Please log in with your username or email to continue.

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By using our site, you agree to our cookie policy. Cookie Settings. wikiHow is where trusted research and expert knowledge come together. Learn why people trust wikiHow. Categories How to Safely Meet a Person You Met Online. Download Article Explore this Article methods. Tips and Warnings. Related Articles. Article Summary.

Co-authored by Joshua Pompey and Jennifer Mueller, JD Last Updated: September 6, Approved. Method 1. All rights reserved. wikiHow, Inc. is the copyright holder of this image under U. and international copyright laws. This image may not be used by other entities without the express written consent of wikiHow, Inc. Keep personal information off your profiles. If you want to stay safe online, anonymity is the way to go.

Don't even use your real first and last name, or list where you live or go to school. You don't want strangers online to know too much about you. List the general area rather than the city. Never put down your full address.

Some sites allow you to organize your friends list into groups. You can then set the privacy controls so that only the people in those groups can see the other members. Check your privacy settings. Every social media platform or dating app has privacy settings that are designed to protect you. These settings allow you to control who can see specific information or posts you make. Most social media platforms allow you to view your profile the way a stranger would, so you can ensure you're not revealing more information than you want.

Look into the background of people you meet. Once you've started talking to someone regularly, it may be time to do a little online sleuthing before you meet up in person. Even if you don't have a lot of personal information about them, there are still ways you can determine if they are deceiving you.

If you have any friends in common, contact them and ask how they know the person and if they've ever met them in real life. Do an image search of them to see if they appear elsewhere on the internet. If someone's trying to pretend to be someone else, they may intend to harm you. Look at how they interact with their friends or followers. You can usually tell by these interactions whether they actually know each other in person. Avoid giving away any personal information. In general, you want to avoid telling anyone too much about yourself until you've met them face-to-face.

Get to know them a little better before you tell them your home address, phone number, or any other personally identifying information. If they're being safe, they won't reveal any personal information either. This can make it difficult to look into their background, but try to respect that they have the same privacy concerns you do. Take it slow. It can be easy to divulge too much information about yourself too quickly when you're talking online — especially if you talk to the person frequently.

Keep your emotions in check and check yourself regularly to make sure you're not getting ahead of yourself. Keep conversations focused on common outside interests, such as music or movies. Avoid talking too much about your own life or your thoughts and feelings. Trust your instincts. When you make friends with somebody, it can be tempting to shrug off comments or behaviors that normally would give you pause. Keep in mind that this person is a stranger, and avoid giving them the benefit of the doubt.

Be honest, and don't allow them to think you're okay with something when you're not. If you don't feel comfortable talking to the person about something that's bothering you, that is a red flag and indicates that this person isn't the best friend for you.

Method 2. Choose a place where you're comfortable. You may not want to meet too close to home if you're worried about the person knowing where you live. But at the same time, you don't want to meet someone for the first time in an unfamiliar part of town. Ideally, you still want a place that you don't frequent often.

Computers and Electronics Health Pets and Animals Travel. If they're being safe, they won't reveal any personal information either. Check back in the next day and see if you still feel the same chemistry. Co-authored by:. His work has been featured in CNBC, Good Morning America, Wired, and Refinery29 and he has been referred to as the best online dater in the world.

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