Mr T says :
Meeting someone from the Internet CAN be extremely stressful.
Knowing that you are meeting FACE to face with someone that you have been chatting with can be nerve racking.
It can also be scary because in essence, you do not know this person or if you can trust that they are who they say they are.
Following are some tips for meeting them and how to be safe while doing this. This will ensure that if they turn out to be someone you would rather not have met, you have taken the proper STEPS to “take back” the meeting.
The most important tip is to never give out your address.
Even though it may be a date, you should not let them PICK YOU up.
Giving out your address is the worst thing you could possibly do.
Plan a day and time and plan on meeting each other there.
This will ensure that you both come separately and are not giving out personal information.
Pick a place in the middle of each of you.
Do not pick somewhere very near to your residence because this may bring them around the AREA if they want to see you again.
Pick a neutral place and somewhere where no one knows who you are.
If the other person sees that the people know you, they may try to come back and get information out of them.
Another good idea is to do a background check on the person.
If you know their last name, and town or city they live in you can check in with the local police department.
Find out if they have any outstanding warrants or fines that are UNPAID. This information, for the most part, is public information and can help you to feel more comfortable with the person.
You can even tell the person that you would like to do it.
If they have nothing to hide, they will gladly accept the fact that you want to make sure of who you are.
The next step is what you bring along. Do not bring a PURSE or wallet. Bring some money and an ID.
If they try to steal from you, they will not get much out of you.
Park a few BLOCKS away and walk the extra distance or take a cab.
This way they do not know what type of vehicle you drive or where you are parked.
One of the most important things to remember is to have your first meeting somewhere well lit and full of people.
You do not want to meet in a wooded park or on a deserted beach at night.
Meet at a popular restaurant or bar: somewhere where lots of people are always present.
This makes you feel more secure and if the person tries something funny, there will be people around to help you if a problem arises.
No matter how the night follows through, you should not take them back to your residence.
Stay in the restaurant as long as you can, or go to an all night diner and talk.
Wait until the second or THIRD date before you start revealing information about yourself.
Overall, just keep your guard up as the date unfolds. Be aware of any strange behavior or rehearsed actions.
This is the most critical time of the relationship and will establish a trust between the two of you.
If the date unfolds well and you make plans for another, it may be a match made in heaven…but if that match involves HANGING AROUND my house, looking like you are going to put SOMETHING ILLEGAL IN MY BINS then THINK AGAIN !!!
