Message boards and forums are a great place to go for support the problem is not everyone on the message boards you frequent are real people or rather the people you believe them to be. Some are there to steal your information, and your life. Some are there to form friendships with people to later exploit them and take advantage of their services, kindness and in some cases even money.
There is nothing more creepy then finding out someone has been using your pictures or information or pretending to be someone they are not using someone Else's pictures or/and information. Here are some tips to help you spot these fakes, and also how to keep yourself from being the victim of having your pictures and information taken and used elsewhere.
- Talk with caution - don't assume everyone is real when you are sharing information that you wouldn't want to share with everyone. If it's personal then don't post it on an open message board.
- Pay attention to all the little things - When someone is a fake and developing a fake life they will eventually slip up. They cant possibly remember all the lies they are telling and eventually they will mess something up unintentionally. If you have been paying attention these little things could send off red flags to you.
- Watermark Pictures - Sometime's when talking on message boards we want to share pictures from our lives, with are online friends. This is harmless and we shouldn't have to worry about it, but reality is we do. People can take these pictures and claim them as their own, and take your life online. A great way to prevent this is by watermarking your pictures before posting them online. This can be done using free software found online, or many photo editing programs. A quick google search will bring you to lots of resources regarding how to watermark your photos. You could watermark your pictures with the name of the message board you will be posting them on, maybe your screen name; really anyway you want that would stop someone from using the picture. Try to link back to you or where it was taken from in some way. Ex- a user name that when searched will bring people back to you.
- Protect your Address - Many message boards will have regular member and do gift/card exchanges and things like that. This is a great way to get to know people from all over the place and make a lot of really great friends. You must be careful though because these exchanges require addresses to be used and this can become dangerous. First off, if you don't feel comfortable with it then you shouldn't do it! If you choose to participate then only give your address to someone you feel you know well and trust. Perhaps someone you have been able to validate is real in someway. This could be by phone conversations, video chat, pictures you trust ect.
- Meet in Public - Sometimes you talk to a person or people so much and you truly feel like you know them, or would like to. So people will decide to meet up and become friends "in real life", this is a personal choice and should only be done if you are comfortable. If this is something you decide you want to do always do it in a public place, never at a house. You should also make sure at least 1 person knows where you are going and who you are going to see. If possible it would be great if you could go with someone else and not by yourself.
If you follow these tips and use your intuition and common sense you will be able to enjoy chatting and meeting new people and finding support on message boards/forums. Keep yourself and your information safe and have fun!
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