Be Safe!

[KermodeBear]

Furries are great, friendly people, but there's always a total creep out there somewhere. Please be careful if you're meeting someone for the first time. Here's some tips so that you don't end up in Anthony Sowell's house:

• Tell somewhere where you are going. Better yet, bring a friend along. That makes it more fun anyway!
• If you do go alone, check in with a friend every hour or two. If they don't hear from you they should reach out and make sure everything is okay.
• Meet in a public place first - a local FurMeet, if one is nearby, being a great choice.
• If you feel uncomfortable, leave right away. Don't stick around in a potentially bad situation just because you don't want to hurt someone's feelings. Your safety is paramount.

If you'd like to have someone check in on you but you don't have someone willing to do that, send me a private message or ask on the boards.

[cjkrythos]

If I can add to this....
Put a password on your cell phone if at all possible, and/or try to keep it in sight at all times. A lot of personal information, namely Names, numbers, and sometimes even addresses of freinds or family can be gotten off a cell phone. Whats more, is if an unknown person gains access to your phone, they could be in a position to send some rather offensive texts to your freinds or family, causing entirely too much mischeif and possibly damaging effects on the relationships with those you already are close to, especially if the texts are adult in nature, and the recipient were to be a minor(IE, possible legal trouble too). So, In short, keep a close eye on any possessions you wouldn't want a stranger getting ahold of. Furry or not, its still a stranger until you've spent some time around the person to get a good idea of who they are.