What to do before meeting an online connection.

The checklist

1. Talk by phone or video first. Text can hide a lot; a real voice or face rarely lies as easily.
2. Tell someone the essentials. Who, roughly where, roughly when — not the full context if you'd rather not share it.
3. Pick the place yourself. Somewhere public and familiar to you, not somewhere they choose that you've never been.
4. Arrange your own transport, both ways. Don't depend on a ride from someone you haven't met in person yet.
5. Charge your phone and share your location with the person you told, for the duration of the meeting.
6. Set a mental time limit. You're not obligated to stay if it's not what you expected — a first meeting can be twenty minutes if that's all you want it to be.

Trust your read on the situation

None of this is about assuming the worst of someone — it's the same basic preparation worth doing before any first meeting with a stranger, the same way you'd plan ahead for a solo trip or a new city. If something feels off once you're there, you don't need a good reason to leave. For more detail on what to check before things even get to a meeting stage, see our full safety guidance.