Making Friends Online: How to Know Who to Trust

            Every one of us has probably met someone online. Perhaps you started talking to someone through a group on Facebook. Or maybe you established a group on a site like Meetup where people with common interests in your area could get together. Internet friends can offer a relationship on par with the kinds of friendships you make at work or at school. But there is a strong downside. You never really know who you’re talking to online. It’s easier than ever for someone to fake an identity and con others through tools provided by the Internet. Your new online friend might potentially be a shady person. But you can beat con artists at their own game and establish secure and safe online friendships. The trick is being able to identify common warning signs and making use of free, easy to use online tools in order to verify a new friend’s identity. While we’re not trying to make you feel paranoid about people you meet online, you do need to take a few special measures in order to ensure you’re speaking to people you can trust before you meet them in person or decide to engage in a long term friendship with them.

            When you meet people online, it’s almost a little like dating even if there’s no romantic intentions involved. Whether you meet a potential friend on a social network or a forum, it’s important to stay safe.

            One thing you should worry about is if your potential friend exhibits unusual behavior. If they make strange, sexual related advances or demand you wire them money, don’t engage in contact with them. They may be potential con artists. If they’re not con artists, they’re probably not the kinds of people you’d like to be around anyway.

            Be wary about meeting people in person before you understand just who they are. Generally, it’s a good idea to take extra security messages such as filtering phone numbers through cell phone reverse number lookup services. These so called reverse number lookup cell phone services comb through publicly available data to spit back information about the registered user and general location of any phone number you input. While some websites and services are more sophisticated than others, knowing how to reverse lookup a cellphone number can be a very, very valuable skill to have in many situations, especially when you meet someone online.

            If you have a bad feeling about meeting up with a new friend, you may want to consider why you feel that way. In most cases, your gut feelings are right. It’s your safety that matters the most, not necessarily looking or feeling polite. Don’t be afraid to stop talking to someone who makes you feel uncomfortable.

            Try to avoid meeting new friends at your home if it’s the first time you’ve met them in person. A better idea would be to meet them in public, perhaps at a coffee shop. Even better would be to meet them in a group. That way there will be much less pressure to interact on a one on one basis. Group encounters are often more casual. Plus, if your new friend isn’t who you thought they were and you’re not sure if you can trust them, you have the protection of a larger group to help you out.

            Making new friends online can be a fun experience for many Internet users. But just like with most scenarios when you’re meeting people online, you want to be sure that you’re not compromising your safety by interacting with people who might not be who they say they are.