- Never share personal information. Not your full name, address, phone number, email password, bank details, ID numbers, or workplace — not in any chat, on any site, with anyone you have not met in person and verified.
- Never send money, gift cards, or codes. Anyone who asks a stranger online for money, a "fee", a gift card, or a verification code is running a scam. Real friends, real companies, and real support teams never ask this way.
- Watch for red flags. Too-perfect photos, stories that change, refusal to video chat, love-bombing after minutes, and urgent pressure are classic signs of a fake profile or scammer. One red flag is a warning; two is a reason to leave.
- Check before you trust a photo. A reverse image search can reveal a stolen photo in seconds. If a profile's photos look like a modelling shoot with no everyday pictures, be suspicious.
- Stay on moderated platforms. Scammers push you to move to a private app quickly because moderation cannot follow. If a stranger insists you switch apps immediately, say no and walk away.
- Do not click links from strangers. Unsolicited links can lead to phishing pages or malware. If you did not ask for it, do not open it.
- Use block and report — early, not late. You do not owe a stranger an explanation. Block at the first sign of pressure, rudeness, or dishonesty, and report the account on the platform where it happened.
- Keep your camera background private. On any video chat, check what is visible behind you: photos, documents, street signs through a window, or anything that identifies where you live.
- Group chats need rules too. Do not share screenshots of private conversations, do not add people without asking, and leave any group that turns hostile — quietly, without a farewell argument.
- Protect your accounts. Use a different password for every important account, turn on two-factor authentication where offered, and never share a verification code with anyone, for any reason.
- If you already shared something, act fast. Change the password, turn on two-factor authentication, tell your bank if money details were involved, and warn anyone who might be contacted in your name. Then block the account. Speed matters more than embarrassment.
- Leave any conversation, any time, without guilt. You can end a chat that feels wrong with a simple "I have to go" — or with no message at all. Leaving is always allowed, and it is always the right choice when something feels off.
📚 Go Deeper
Our safety guides explain each of these rules with examples:
🆘 If Something Has Gone Wrong
If you have lost money to an online scam, contact your bank immediately and report it to your country's cybercrime reporting service. If someone is threatening you with private photos, do not pay — save the evidence, block the account, and report it to the platform and to the police. You are not the first person this has happened to, and help exists.