Trusting others online

Have you ever lied to someone online? Lots of us have. So knowing more about trusting others online is a great way to feel more in control. To help you, we’ve got advice on spotting fake profiles, understanding people’s online identities, and thinking about what you share with people.

Online identities

People don’t always show what their lives are really like online. Lots of people:  

  • Only show the best bits  
  • Stage their photos, even if they look spontaneous  
  • Use filters or edit their photos 
  • Exaggerate their personality or pretend to be a different version of themselves 

And you might even do that yourself! It can be fun to play around with filters or change your persona online. But it’s a good idea to remember that if you’re creating an online persona, then others are likely doing the same.  

This means that we can’t always trust everything we see online. Everyone hides certain things from social media, for a huge number of reasons. They might want to keep certain things private, or maybe social media is where they can escape and just have fun.

So next time you’re seeing someone or something on social media that might seem too good to be true, or that only feels like a highlight reel, think about whether you can really trust what you’re seeing. And whether the person posting it is telling the whole truth about their life online.

Can The Charvas work out who is REAL and who is FAKE?

We've invited WhyDee and Kay The Jeweller to take part in a challenge. We asked them to speak to three different girls online and guess who is real and who is fake.

chatted
to this girl for ages
it turns out she
wasn't even real

How to spot fake profiles

Chatting to people you don't know

Whenever you’re talking to someone online, it’s a good idea to:

I want some help...

Knowing when it’s time to get help is part of staying in control. If something’s not feeling right, is unsafe, or you just need a second opinion then there are places to go. You can:

"Sextortion" and scams

Anyone can be scammed online, it’s much easier for someone to do it than people think. It’s important to remember that even when something seems completely real, a profile could still be fake. You can also find out more about other online scams on our taking control of your online safety page.

What is "sextortion"?

“Sextortion” is a term that can be used a lot, especially online and in the media.  You might also call it being blackmailed or getting scammed.  It’s called sexually coerced extortion and it’s when someone demands money or some other kind of payment and they threaten to share sexual photos or videos if they don't get that payment.  Being coerced means to be forced into doing something.  This type of extortion has happened to lots of people but it’s never their fault.  It’s against the law – it’s on the scammers, not you.

People use fake profiles to trick people into sending images. Others might create fake sexual images and use those to threaten someone. Sometimes, scammers have no images at all – but they pretend they do to scare people into doing what they say.

What to do if you're being threatened

If you’re being threatened, there are things you can do – we’re here to help.

  • Importantly, don’t respond, and do not give any money or anything else you’re being asked for.
  • Tell someone you trust what’s happening. Remember that you can always talk to us.
  • Note down any details from the person threatening you, like their username, email, phone number, or any bank details.
  • Keep screenshots of messages you’ve been sent.
  • Make a report to CEOP about what’s happening.
  • You can use Report Remove to take down any nude images from the internet and stop them being posted.

 

What can I do?

  • Check your privacy settings on your profiles, and make sure you’re in control of who can contact you.
  • If someone is messaging you and making you feel uncomfortable report and block them. 
  • Avoid sharing any photos or videos of yourself with people you’ve only met online.