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Trusting someone over the Internet can be very difficult. Feeling confident that what they tell you is real and factual can be a task, but below are some ideas on how to get a feel for if they are telling the truth. Below are some questions to ask to get a better feeling for if what they say is true. Also, below are some ideas on things to feel them out for and answers to expect.
First of all, you want to find out if they are being honest about their age. In general, give or take a few years, you can test their age quite simply. If you are chatting with them, offer that you are listening to music by a certain band popular in your time period. Ask them if they enjoy the music and ask them their favorite song. This will date you, but it will also show you that if they know that they are probably the same age. Or tell them you watch a movie last night that was a hit in your era. This can also be helpful in figuring out if they are really the age they state.
Although nothing is fool proof, this can help you feel more comfortable that they are the age that they say. It is not unheard of to have a 17 year old pretending to be a 35 or 40-year-old. Usually you can date them by relating to things popular in the time period they grew up in.
Establishing a trust over the Internet can take an extremely long time. You should be very careful with the personal things that you tell the person. They may ask you simple questions, but have ulterior motives. Telling a town or city that you live in can be harmless, but shy away from streets or areas that you live close to. Never give out a last name. This is the biggest tip to remember because a last name can give them all the ammunition they need. Remember that you have no idea who this person is, or if they are who they say they are. Be careful and think about each response that you give because you may be handing them information without knowing. If you say you are familiar to a bar near you, they have narrowed it down considerably. Landmarks and monuments are also a dead give away. Read and re-read each letter to them, so as to not give away any information about your personal life.
To check how trustworthy they are time them. Tell them to meet you in a chat room at a certain time on a certain day. This can establish trust or work against you and break down trust. If they are trusted enough to make online dates with you then this is a good sign. If you can feel confident that they will be in the chat room when they say they will, this can make trusting in them fairly easy.
Overall, go slow with the relationship and feel the person out completely. Make sure that you are 100% positive about the person before you agree to meet in person or before you give them any information. Establish a trust over the Net and then meeting them: everything will fall into place or out of place.
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