How to Decide to Share Your Phone Number Online

In cyberspace, misrepresentation is common. Take your time before revealing your address or phone number to an online sweetheart. If the relationship has real potential, your partner will understand and support your cautious approach.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately challenging

Things You’ll Need:

• Internet Access
• E-mail Accounts
• Computers

1. Keep your cool when you discover a possible love interest online.
2. Stick to e-mail and chat sessions, some in public rooms, for several weeks.
3. Explore your partner's religious beliefs, politics, life goals and family obligations. Evaluate his or her willingness to offer specific responses to questions.
4. Determine if he or she accepts any responsibility for failures in past relationships.
5. Watch for exaggerations or evasiveness during chat sessions.
6. Save your partner's e-mail and check it for contradictions as the weeks go by.
7. Once you feel comfortable, ask if you can call the person's workplace. Explain that this step is just a precaution, but use the opportunity to verify your online partner's identity and honesty.
8. Exchange phone numbers only when you are confident that your partner is trustworthy.
9. Do not give the person your address until the two of you have actually met.
10. Move on if at any point your intuition tells you to do so.

Tips & Warnings

• Generally, men should be the first ones to reveal their phone numbers and addresses, but they need to be cautious as well.
• When exchanging photos, send them as attachments to e-mail, fax them to workplaces, or mail them to post office boxes.
• Always err on the side of caution. Impulsiveness has led naive online lovers into rapes, assaults, robberies and even murders. There is no rush.
• If your partner criticizes you for going slowly and being hesitant to reveal your phone number and address, that's not a good sign. Your lover may actually be a "cyberpath."