When meeting strangers online, tell someone where you’re going, who you’re meeting and when you expect to be back

Whether for a social get-together or to make a transaction, if you don’t know the person well, make sure at least one other person knows about your trip. Set a hard rule for check-ins: If they don’t hear from you by a certain agreed-upon time, call the police. Also, this can’t be stated strongly enough: ALWAYS meet in a public place, NEVER someone’s home or an isolated area.