Today’s Tip: Safety First! (Again)

There were a TON of pictures to choose from to pair with this post: morbidly obese men sitting at the computer in their underwear, creepy, thin men smiling that smile we hope never to see in person, hidden cameras, mug shots, dirty old men wearing blatently suggestive t-shirts, the list goes on… I went this picture because of its generally ominous feeling.

So ladies, do me (and yourself) a favor. When you are giving a new man your email address, don’t give him the one that’s your firstlastname@whatever.com. I realize this might be helpful for work, for people that you’ve already deemed safe, but it’s dangerous to use this as your main email, to chat with new men, and with people you’ve never met. Online stalkers are crafty. From your name, they can find you on Facebook, Instagram, your high school or college alumni website, your company’s website, find your address, see where you check-in on Yelp or FB or Foursquare… and show up… (with their vans). Aside from the fact that Rules Girls don’t check-in and tell everyone what we are up to at every minute, make sure your profiles are private to the public. If you’re on any dating sites that give your last name because it’s linked through Facebook, and they want to “create a genuine atmosphere” or whatever, change your last name to something fake, or use initials or your middle name on FB. Better safe than sorry.

Love and Luck!